Re: 1939 120 Packard

Posted by Mike O'Handley On 2011/12/16 17:16:13

I was formally trained as an automobile mechanic; but back in the early 70's I worked as a heavy equipment mechanic for six months between dealership jobs in a foundry where the youngest piece of equipment they had was over a quarter of a century old.

When I couldn't find parts from dealers/manufacturers I used local machine shops, hydraulic repair shops, etc, bearing manufacturer's, electric motor rebuild shows, etc., and we'd either find the part through non-typical suppliers or we'd fabricate the part.

Keep in mind that lots of stuff used by manufacturers was made by other manufacturers for the vehicle. Seals for instance. The same axle seal can be used in cars, tractors, industrial motor apps, etc., it's just a matter of finding the replacement through non-standard supply routes.

If you can find the right guy - a top notch mechanic with fabrication skills - it doesn't matter if he works on cars or trains, he'll be able to find a way to rebuild them from scratch using local resources such as hydraulic repair shops, etc..