Re: Need some guidance

Posted by packardsix1939 On 2022/11/21 15:02:30

CartRich: I can certainly sympathize with your situation. A number of years ago, I was involved in a serious accident while driving a Packard I owned at the time (a 1932 Light 8). It was a very traumatic experience. I ended up having the car shipped to an out of state restoration shop which had extensive experience working on prewar cars. I think that this is your best bet. I have a friend who is an auto body repair professional, however, he admitted to me that the about only thing people in this trade are currently trained to do is to replace panels. They are not taught any real metal working skills in the trade schools anymore. This is pretty much a lost art. He said that he would not even want to touch my Packard. It is just beyond his skill set. He did a great job on my 2007 Chevy Colorado after a collision with a deer, but basically all he did was to replace some parts and respray a section. Some of the parts looked like they could have been repaired with a little effort, but he said that it is almost always cheaper to just replace. A lot of replacement body parts now come from China, and they are dirt cheap. Hemmings and some of the other car publications have ads from auto restoration shops. People in local car clubs might also be able to recommend somebody so ask around. Get references and by all means go and visit the shop before you give them your business. Wish you the best of luck. But from what I can see in the photos, the damage to your car isn't too severe, definitely not as bad as what happened to my Light 8. And '41 parts should not be that hard to obtain if you need anything. I'm sure people on this forum would be able to help.