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I wonder what the flat-rate book says for time. For me, it always seems to take at least 2 or 3 times longer.
If you wanna check, I did provide the site with a
1941 - 1953 Flat Rate Manual. Not within reach of my fingertips right now, so I can't tell you how much detail is provided for the older years, but suspect it might only cover those areas in common with subsequent years - that is, mechanicals.
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An old-time professional mechanic once said, after switching dealerships, that he could never make money repairing Packards. In other words, the flat-rate book was too conservative.
I've heard similar statement from techs bitching about other brands.
The factory times come from actual time studies that were predicated on the operator having been fully trained, the problem already (and completely and correctly) diagnosed, and with all necessary tools and parts at hand - like a surgeon prepared to perform an operation. Since they're provided by the factory primarily for the purpose of reimbursing dealers for repairs under warranty, you can't expect those times to be anything but conservative.
Then, the joke around the industry used to be that third-party publishers of flat rate books just took the factory times and bumped them by a percentage. Whoever had the highest times sold the most books.
Decades later, they're only a guide for us - a starting point. Better than nothing.
The restorer should be prepared to add even more time - not only for the learning curve, but rusted fasteners, previous substandard repairs, etc., etc., etc.
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