My dad loves old cars, but never worked on them. I think he liked to see me enjoying them so much. We would go to car shows together and it was great for bonding.

Both of my parents were very understanding. Before I moved out, I had my Packard, a 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (had to use up space in their garage because it didn't have a roof) and a 1978 Porsche 924. My dad had a 1977 Lincoln Towncar as his daily driver and a 1973 Pontiac LeMans with a Chevy 350 as a backup. Needless to say, the driveway and garage were pretty crowded.

Having those old cars around really taught me a lot about cars. I'm no expert, but now I'm not afraid to tear into modern cars trying to fix them myself.

Back when my car was still working, on it's maiden voyage after getting it running, I got several thumbs up. At a stop light, the guy next to me asked if the car was road worthy. He said it didn't look safe to be on the road. Later that day, my brakes went out and I took out my parent's chain link fence. I guess he had a point.

Here were the resultshttp://www.proxibid.com/asp/Catalog.asp?aid=20722&p=&vt=1

I live near the place the auction was. I would have loved to have bought one of those '56 survivors, but the money wasn't there, not even for the one that went for $600 or the other for $900. Most of them are still on the lot waiting to be shipped to their new owners. I drool every day when I pass them going to work.

Now I need some thoughts as to what is original in the interior? I think the back door panels are original since that color would go with a gray car better than a green interior. Could the striped cloth be the original seat and the green vinyl be an accessory from the factory? Maybe the seats were replaced with some from a donor car? I know tastes were different in the 50's, but a gray exterior with green interior?

Thank you for all of your help guys! I was really thinking the car was supposed to be green, because of the interior. I was even repainting it with green Rustoleum paint to see how it would look. Gray seems like it is the likely candidate because of it being on the firewall and door jambs. I have seen a lot of cars with this color firewall painted blue or red or black. I guess a lot of people don't like it? From what is left on the car, I think it will look nice. My car is in rough shape and I'm not going to pretend that I'll ever make it 100% perfect, but I am very anal and prefer cars put back the way they came from the factory rather than customized. I'm not dissing anyone into that, it's just that I'm a purist. I'm not talking about having every bolt factory correct, but I like them looking and working mechanically like they were originally intended. I figure if I have to repaint the car, I might as well make it the original color.

?Quote:

No build slip above the glovebox. That would have been the safest place for it. If it was anywhere else in the car, I'm sure it is gone.
The number is AO7265. I read somewhere what this number is, but I can't remember. What does it tell you?

Attach file:

---

  (93.92 KB)

Quote:



Why did I choose a Packard? Hmmm...well, I had always had a thing for old cars and never really got into the whole muscle car thing. I got a copy of a classic car auto trader type magazine and was thumbing through the pages. I didn't want something that I always saw at car shows. No boring '57 Chevys, 60's Mustangs or other common cars for me. I looked in the orphan car / independants section and came accross an add for the Packard. Since I didn't have a lot of money, the $800 price seemed pretty good. I really liked the style of it and the chrome grill. It wasn't in the best shape, but I made my dad drive me all the way to Chicago to look at it. I knew I had to love it because he would have been pretty mad to go all that way and not get it.

I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it in person. It was the first time I had ever seen a Packard. The fact that it had this crazy straight 8 engine had me sold (never saw that either). How do you start this thing? Press the gas pedal down? How can you not want one? After we completed the deal (talked him down to $700) we went all over the place looking for someone who would tow it back to Mundelein, IL (about an hour away). Finally we found someone to do it (very questionable company). They towed it with a two wheel car dolly pulled by an early 80's Monte Carlo. When they got to our house and we paid them, they said "I think your car is on fire" and took off. The car was full of smoke. I don't know if they didn't put it all the way in neutral or what, but the smoke was coming from the transmission. It worked after that, but would not shift into high gear.

I lived in northern Illinois most of my life and in all that time, I have never seen a Packard at a car show. About 10 years ago, the Packards of CHicagoland started showing Packards, LaSalles and Porsches at Cuneo Mansion. It was awesome to see so many Packards in one place. Since then, I would see an occasional one at a show, but they were very rare.

Interesting...I took a quick look at the door sills. The front ones are missing and full of holes. The back ones are there, but totally rust/holes under them. Found out tiny ants were living under the passenger side one too. Great! I'll have to try taking the trim off around the windshield when i figure it out.

Did Packard paint all of their cars with the blue/gray color on my firewall and door openings and later on put an exterior color on it?

Hello All,
I registered in -08, but haven't gotten back into my project until recently. I just signed the vehicle registry. I would like all of your expert opinions as to what color my car was originally. The paint code is worn off on the plate on the drivers side door opening. I see a faint scratch which could be a Q for ash green or a G for Argentine Grey. When I bought the car, the exterior was stripped and under primer. The paint around the doors and on the pillars and firewall is a gray color. It looks untouched. Would this be the correct color of the car? I have seen other cars with this color (at least on the firewall, with different color exteriors). What throws me off is my interior has green vinyl seats and green vinyl on the bottom of the front door panels. The rear door panels have a bluish/gray color to them. The trim around the inside of the windows is a bluish/gray color. My trim code is 49, which is supposed to be gray cloth. The pictures aren't the best. I can take others if there is a location that would help. Any thoughts?

Attach file:

---

  (92.00 KB)


  (65.71 KB)


  (136.46 KB)