Don't make 'em like this anymore

Posted by Dave Brownell On 2014/6/9 13:54:42

The subject of plastic came up in another forum post today. It made me start thinking of how substantially different our Packards are to almost anything being made today. It's usual for someone to come up to my older cars and lightly thump on a fender panel and remark about how big, solid and heavy cars used to be. Of course, they're right, but are our old cars better or worse than what you can buy today? That depends on your perspective, persuasion and experience, I suppose.

In Europe, car makers must certify how much of a new car is recyclable in terms of metals, plastic, glass, rubber, etc. For all I know, maybe American makers must do the same to sell cars there. This got me to thinking about how much of my 56 Packard is plastic of any sort. My guess would be less than one percent by weight, even if you counted Bakelite. My new cars (minus the obvious Corvette content) might be ten to fifteen percent. Carbon fiber is now being done bigger and cheaper. Aluminum Audis, Jags, Rovers and 2015 F-150s are causing retrofitting of body shops all over, and possible interesting things with insurance billing. The Revolution in what makes up a new car is now an industry unto itself, long after Packard closed its doors.

I have an eighteen year old Chevy truck with nearly four hundred thousand on it. Original engine, never opened up...even the water pump is original. So is the master cylinder and exhaust. Sometimes, newer is better. But, for me (and metal thieves) a copper radiator, wiring and stainless steel trim found on a Packard has its own unique value. If Packard had persisted beyond the Fifties, we might have some issues, just like our Cadillac brethren, with plastic bumper fillers that disintegrate, and shiny plastic Mylar trim that delaminates in the sun. After all, no Packard will ever have to have their headlight plastic cleared and buffed. They don't make them like they used to and some of us like it that way.