Re: Aldrich in Dayton Ohio

Posted by ewrecks On 2015/6/25 0:17:12

I haven't seen or heard from Pat Aldrich in several years and he may have closed his doors. I would suggest that you contact Fred at Merritt's . He restored the Caribbean that appears on the cover of the Max Merritt catalog a few years ago. You might also check with "Robert Signon at the Citizen's Paxkard Museum in Dayton, Ohio who seemed to keep up with Pat's comings and goings.
Aldrich had a lot of experience with the Caribbeans but unfortunately the cost of parts and labor involved in restoring the cars was getting to the point where few people were willing or able to afford the cost of having the cars professionally restored. We may be getting to a point where unless the price of the cars miraculously begins to skyrocket, it will be more profitable for restorers to turn their efforts to those cars that warrant the cost of professional restoration.....Jags, Ferrarris ...and pre-war exotics.
We have to face the fact that post war Packards are not commanding big dollars....perhaps because those of us who admired the cars in our youth but lacked the money to own one are now getting to an age where we are liquidating our assets rather than buying new toys. I am approaching 70 years of age and find that I am one of the younger people at many Packard gatherings. I haven't been carded yet but sometimes I feel like it's comimg.LOL