Re: Peterson's 1940 Packard

Posted by West Peterson On 2012/12/10 17:39:22

My winter projects include replacing the trunk lid, repairing and painting the luggage rack, and straightening poor 40-year-old body work on the rear fenders.

I damaged my original trunk lid by closing the overhead garage door while the trunk lid was up. The trunk lid got bent because the car just barely fits in the garage. While it was probably repairable, I bought a good replacement from David Mitchell and it is almost ready for paint. I will post some updated photos shortly.

Also, I figured that since I would need to paint the trunk lid, it was a good time to remove the rear fenders once again and do them right. Same for the luggage rack. The fenders are currently in Springfield, Ohio getting stripped.

While at Hershey, I met a friend in the flea market. He told me about two cars he wanted to sell to me. A 1942 parts car and a 1940 long-wheelbase touring sedan, just like the one I have. The 1940 was in mid-restoration some 10-15 years ago, then work stopped. It was supposedly a super nice original car when work began. Unfortunately, it has sort of been used as a parts car ever since. Most parts that were removed were replaced with a lesser quality item. The big-ticket item that was not replaced was its engine. However, the 1942 parts car has a complete running gear.

I bought the two cars sight unseen, so I do not know if the 1940 will continue to be a parts car, or if there's a possibility of putting it back together. Logical financial decision says to continue parting it out. But, again, I haven't seen either car yet, and won't be able to until January.