Not sure if everyone has seen this:

http://e.ccialerts.com/a/hBQCYWpAGmKL2AfOP7sAtU$tjT-/awo26191


By: Graham Kozak on 7/19/2012
Related Articles

My first car was an Ultramatic-equipped 1951 Packard 200 sedan. To this day I'm not entirely sure why my parents allowed me to buy it late in summer 2005. I like to think it was because they trusted my maturity and judgment. In reality, pure scientific interest probably drove them to let me drive the Packard. It was, after all, the perfect opportunity to put Darwin's theory to the test.

Set a kid in a car with no power steering, no collapsible steering column, no seatbelts and no airbags. Let it all ride on a set of bias ply tires stopped--under ideal circumstances--by drum brakes. Turn him loose in modern traffic. If he survives, he's fit to carry on the family name.

I made it, as did the Packard.

I had no particular inclination toward Packards. I settled on the car because I wanted a classic that was reliable and, above all else, affordable.

The straight-eight-powered 1951 fit the bill mostly because it was produced in record numbers. It is therefore all but uncollectable today. But the factors that make an old car unsuitable as a collector item can make it a good candidate for a daily driver. Packard parts are easy to come by, so destroying a rear differential months after taking ownership wasn't a budget buster.

The clean styling and the sterling reputation that accompany the Packard name were nice bonuses. I would have been happy with nearly anything from that era. I often wonder what sort of man I would have become if I had found an affordable Nash Ambassador.

As bulletproof as the Packard was, a partial restoration by a previous owner only delayed the onset of bodywork issues. By 2009, the rigors of college life meant that I couldn't give the car the attention it needed to remain on the road. Rocker panels and floorpans needed to be cut out and replaced before rust spread. I was in over my head.

Instead of selling it, like a sensible person, I decided to tear it all down and restore it.

A few years and one garage fire later, I'm still working on it. But I'm more determined than ever to get the car back on the road. My never-ending restoration project now has a due date: the 2012 Woodward Dream Cruise.

That's one month away.

How does it feel to be up against a rapidly approaching deadline? Ask the man who owns a 1951 Packard now in pieces. Stay tuned for updates as the Aug. 18 event draws closer.

Read more:http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120719/collector/120719848#ixzz21BZR07Rn

Body work this weekend.

Welding in new inner and outer rocker panels and floor pans.

Found a problem with the outer rocker panels I ordered from Classic to Current Fabrications. It appears to not fit; the bottom is too long and the top too short.

Has anyone else ordered rockers from them and, if so, did you have a similar find?

Attach file:

---

  (146.47 KB)


  (100.53 KB)

Back from 2 weeks of leave in North Carolina and Indiana.

It was 103 up in Indiana and only 87 in El Paso (where I currently live). Who would've thunk it?

Frame is finished from the frame shop and my wallet is $800 lighter.

The engine wasn't done yet at the machine shop although I took pictures visiting there today during lunch.

Does anyone have any idea of what the 78X on the side of the block next to the original manufacture date mean?

-Darrin

Attach file:

---

  (94.28 KB)


  (103.75 KB)


  (66.21 KB)

Body is off the frame now, frame is off to a shop to be straightened.

Attach file:

---

  (88.73 KB)


  (13.02 KB)


  (59.71 KB)


  (63.46 KB)

BTW, the low compression tests I recorded last year were validated when we measured a ring gap of .15.

As a reference point, the service manual states ring gap shoulp be between .005 and .015.

So, only ten times out of spec...

So, after a new starter, new generator, new coil, new points, and new battery, my next door retired SAE mechanic neighbor and I finally got the old girl running.

And after about a minute and a white oil cloud covering approximately a half mile radius around my garage, we turned it off to see oil pouring out of the exhaust manifold.

He told me it was time to tear it down. So last night I pulled all of the accessories and today we pulled the engine (and tranny out).

We finished tearing down the engine at 7 pm. Here are the pictures.

Tuesday the engine goes to the machine shop. Hope to get all parts back for a reassembly in two weekends.

Attach file:

---

  (99.55 KB)


  (129.95 KB)


  (167.84 KB)


  (97.12 KB)

And as a follow up question, does anyone know a source for insulation/padding under the carpet?

Here is what was under my carpet. It measures approximately 1" thick.

Attach file:

---

  (48.15 KB)


  (49.30 KB)

Carpet question.

I've read in other posts that indoor/outdoor carpeting is similar to the OEM carpet.

Attached are pictures of the carpet my car came with (to me).

Is this possibly the OEM carpet?

Did Packard Clippers come with loop style carpet on the foot rests and mohair style otherwise?

Attach file:

---

  (70.65 KB)


  (94.35 KB)

Rear floor boards sanded and primed and awaiting undercoating.

Attach file:

---

  (53.58 KB)


  (49.68 KB)

Okay. So definitely filler in the fender.

Part of the fender I used a grinder but the front half I decided to try paint stripper.

Not near as bad as I thought it would be.

Attach file:

---

  (67.81 KB)


  (73.83 KB)