Yes Brian please show us more pics and info on how you put this together. While tastes may differ on original versus modified, I think we all appreciate creativity and good engineering/design.

I have seen your youtube videos before and thought they were great.

Yes, I remember when quality became all the rage in American industry in the mid-1980's. Sat through a lot of seminars and read books by Peters, etc. And for a while it looked like it would take hold. But then came the 1990's and the rise of the "markets". Investment bankers started buying companies and shareholder return became holy grail.

I heard someone say that "Everything rises and falls on leadership". Where are the Alvan Macauleys, George Masons, Roy Chapins or even Lee Iacoccas of today? Guys who could face adversity, roll up their sleeves, and get to work producing a quality product that the public wanted and have the patience to slug it out for 3-5 years to bring the company from the brink.

Oh well, as Jim Nance was quoted as saying in the Kimes book "....sooner or later everybody ends up at the bank".

Since this is a very complex issue, no single reason can be pointed to as the "smoking gun". Much of what has been said here is valid but I have to agree with Dave (O-D) most. I have spent almost 30 years in the chemical industry with the last 23 being in the sales and marketing side. There are very few (if any)management or executive level peolple left that have an enthusiasm or passion for the business. By the business I mean the product, the application, the customer, business relationships, etc. It's all about close the quarter. Finance runs everything and they wouldn't know a customer if one sat on their face. You could be selling cars, chemicals or widgets. It doesn't matter to them as long as you can monetize it.

Sorry for the brief rant but I see this in the company I work for as well as my customers. The last of the product/customer relationship focused people retired about 10 years ago. I believe this is why American industry in general has lost it's competitveness. And now it has spread to the service sector (banking) with disatorous results. "Make the money now and let someone else clean up the mess (or bail it out) when the music stops".

Thanks Kev. No problem. I will email Paul (you sent me his email address previously).

Kev,

Did you happen to come across a copy of The Production Packard by Darvin Kuehl? I've been looking for a copy to purchase for quite awhile.

Thanks

Thanks Dave. I am physically removing the cable but installing a switch like John did would be more convenient.

I have gotten in the habit of disconnecting my battery on my '53 until I can pick up and install one of these switches. I have been disconnecting the negative (hot)cable to the starter. It sounds like that's not the right thing to do. I thought since the circuit was disrupted I'd be okay. Am I still in danger?

John, thanks for the posting. A very elegant installation.

Check out the attached video from Jay Leno's garage. Jay interviews the builder.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=1136500

This has been a good week for Packard spottings on TCM channel. Last night the movie Hard Times was on starring Charles Bronson and James Coburn. Their car was a 1936 Packard 120 four door sedan. Included the goddess of speed, sidemounts and trunk rack. Painful scene was when a loan shark sent his henchmen to collect a debt. One of them beat the car with a sledge hammer. Ouch

The Grapes of Wrath was on TCM this weekend. The official that was foreclosing on the farmers was driving a 1936 Super Eight convertible sedan. Fat cat smoking a cigar. This car was in at least three scenes.