Contrary to what PFH would have you to believe there were other bombers flying over Germany during WW2 besides the US 8th Airforce. The heavy Lancaster and Halifax bombers of the RAF and RCAF destroyed much of the BMW factory during a raid on Munich in 1943. In 1951 BMW unveiled the fabulous 501 at the Frankfurt Auto Show. They weren't cars many Germans could afford at something like 17000DM but certainly were well made and engineered cars. I sure wouldn't mind owning a 1951-1954 501 or 502 "Baroque Angel" to sit beside my Super Clipper. They are a high quality luxury car as were the Mercedes 300S and Sc brought out in 1952. One look at current values of these cars will tell you something of their quality. P.S. There is a restored 502 Cabriolet currently being offered for $270,000US if interested?

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Also I might add, if your time is worth about .25 cents an hour you will just love grinding, sanding, straightening, filling,and plating over and over again. Then again this Caswel system might be magic. If you get it and it works good please let us know. Thanks again.

Since I restore and collect many old cars and jukeboxes, I purchased many years ago from a local firm here in Valencia California called Brooktronics a Brush Plating system. Over the years I have done many small, and smaller parts in Nickel, Brass, and Chrome plating. And with much good results. Have not tried these tub systems as I have not heard better than average results. And, I can tell you as the part gets bigger, the more you need a professional that you know and trust. You want to ask Caswel on the fill of the copper. If it is not a high fill you will be replating copper over and over again for days. Each time you plate with the copper you need to sand off excess using something straight under the sandpaper to take off only what is on the flat surface. And not sanding into what you are trying to fill. Then nickel, then chrome. Now the problem you may have with the chrome is on smaller parts it is fine but on any kind of large part you cannot get the coating think enough to last any length of time. They call it the build. So you need to check again with Caswel about the build on larger parts. I live in the Los Angeles area, and in years past there was a plater on every block. But, with all the state laws in the past few years just about all have closed shop, and there are only just a couple left that can do any kind of good job. I can go to either one of these places, see samples of their work, talk with the owner and tell them exactly what I want them to do and not to do. Especially as far as grinding or sanding the part. Some jukebox people have used Courtesy Metal Polishing in your neck of the woods in Villa Park, Illinois. I have not used them but others have. If you want their number let me know. Thanks

After WWII the only thing that BMW was doing with scrap metal was the production of cooking pots, farm machinery, and motorcycles.

Car production for BMW never started until 1952, then the models they produced never sold because they weren't producing what the West German public wanted to buy. Things got so bad for BMW they sought out mergers with Bristol a now defunct English automobile company. Then being rebuffed by Bristol they even turn to Auto Union. During the 50's things got so bad for BMW they turned to the Italian firm of Isetta, and started building little two passenger bubble cars with a 250cc motorcycle engine. Now that's what I call producing of a car of real quality.

As far as the production of decent autos BMW new got on firm footing until almost 20 years after WWII. During the early 60's it got so bad for BMW that the West German goverment wanted Glas another German auto firm to buy BMW they refused.

John F. Shireman

Gusha, I won't argue much about the innovate part because I really don't know enough about Russian products. All I can say, from a casual observer point of view is that they did seem to do a lot of copying --from WWII bombers to Packards to some electronic products to their version of the space shuttle.

I will give them credit for taking some things to new territory though. A prime example there would be their air planes. I believe they were on cutting edge of jets, SST development (even though they lost their only plane), and made the largest planes flying in the world today.

Well, I purchased a plating kit from Dalmar a few years ago, but have yet to try it. I just don't seme to have the quiet, uninterrupted time to attempt such meticulous work - even on a practice piece. There's just too much else requiring my attention.

The process some have used to save labor charges is to have the piece stripped, then take home and buff, straighten, etc then take back for heavy copper plate, take home and use silver solder to fill pits, buff and smooth etc then take back for regular finish plating.

The silver solder is hard enough and has a high melting point (around 500-550 degrees) that the ordinary plating won't disturb it. Trick is not to burn through the copper or get any gas bubbles underneath that's generated in pot metal lifting the copper and popping through. The pot metal melts around 700 degrees, so a fine point is reached, then all h--k breaks loose.

I too have been interested in the copy chrome kit method but again, no one seems to have used it or has any recommendations.

Rather than merge with Ford, I'd think that GM would start buying up some of its own stock (likely after a forthcoming downgrade) and wait for a turnaround to cash in at a tidy profit.

That could also be a real buying opportunity for investor, but I'd wait until you're sure the market has hit bottom and has turned around - though that could be months away.

In the meantime, either Ford or GM could be ripe for a hostile takeover from a company that's in better financial shape, but hopefully not the likes of Cerberus Capital.

Wow. Did you see the price of stock for GM & Ford? This is crazy. Does this look like what the End of Packard looked like? I wasn't alive back than, but wonder if this might be the beginning of the merger of GM & FORD? They might have to if they want to survive. Sad days for the American Auto Industry. (I do not want this to get into politics, just the automotive side of it!)

GM shares fall to lowest level since 1950
Thursday October 9, 11:53 am ET

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp (NYSE:GM - News) shares fell as much as 21.6 percent to their lowest level since 1950 on Thursday amid financial market turmoil and the car maker's report of European sales declines through the first nine months of 2008.


GM, whose shares fell as low as $5.42 on the New York Stock Exchange, blamed the credit crisis and inflation for hurting consumer confidence in Europe, where its sales have declined 1.9 percent in 2008 through September.


Citigroup also cut GM and Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F - News) to "sell" ratings on Wednesday.

Ford shares fell 20 cents, or 7.5 percent, to $2.46 on Thursday. Ford stock had reached its lowest level in a quarter century on Wednesday, falling as low as $2.10.

GM shares were off $1.01, or 14.6 percent, at $5.90.

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Every book I have read about Packard mentions the problems they had after WW2 with market niche, quality and supply problem etc. that led to their demise and it is covered pretty well in Packard, A History... etc. so we really don't need this PFH broken record playing every time a discussion on post war Packards comes up.