Re: The Duchess Project: 1940 Super 8 Convertible Sedan

Posted by Joe Santana On 2011/7/4 10:04:40

We're having fun.

You just got a taste of Vaughn, the most knowledgable and enthusiastic Packard person I've ever met. Right up there with Bill Lauer. That Salute to the Packard Years was quite a show. I'll scan and post the program. We went into debt $1,000. John and I drove to Seattle (Vaughn couldn't go on Monday), site of the PI national tour that year, to beg Fred and Bill to speak to the the Board about it. Not only was the shortfall covered but 2 issues of PI magazine, one about the party and one about the publicity, made it the main feature. So yeah, maybe it's time to have another party. In fact, I have a few ideas.

But just as with everything else in my life right now, my epitaph will read, "I can't go until the Packard is done."

EDIT: Forgot something. Vaughn is always on the lookout for Packard stuff and, it's true, he found a number of items for the Duchess, besides the engine and dash. What he didn't mention is how he found the engine, for example. As a middle school math teacher, one of the requirements was memorizing hexagodecimal numbers such a 4, 6, 8, twin6, 12, super8, 110, 120, 160, 180 etc. He also taught his classes how to recognize a Packard automobile. The red hexagon, the cormorant, the flying lady, the radiator grille dip, the coat of arms. If any one were to spot these items individually or collectively, they were to report back to him with the description and location immediately for special credit. That's how he found my engine which had been switched out for 120 in 1966. A student had a neighbor with an old round car back among the fruit trees. The grass around it had grown as high as the car, but that kid knew what to look for, and as a big bonus to his delight it had a waffle iron grill! A 1948 Custom Super 8. The engine went into the Duchess