I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with her a few years ago at a CCCA meet in San Jose, CA. She was most pleasant. I noticed that she was fumbling with her glasses, and she commented that her eyesight suffered after editing the Packard book. There was a tight deadline and she had to spend many hours reviewing galley proofs. I have a copy of the Packard book and have ordered her new one on classic automobiles.

I too struck gold in my backyard. I moved back to Santa Fe, NM from Walnut Creek, CA in 2005. I decided to start looking for a Packard after getting settled, and having a bit of money left over from the generous Bay Area real estate market. My father was the Packard dealer in Santa Fe from the mid-30s to the mid-50s, and I had to have one. I found a 1939 120 Convertible Coupe advertised in Hemmings. This looked like just the car for me; however, it was in Connecticut. I wanted to look at one of these cars to assure myself that this was the type I wanted. I recalled seeing a similar car in Santa Fe a few years earlier. I looked-up the owner in the PAC directory, and it turned out he lived just around the corner from me. I talked with him about the Connecticut Packard looking at his car. He said he would give me a call when they got it out of the garage from its winter storage. He gave me a call a few days later,and I went over to see the car. It was a gorgeous 1937 115C Convertilbe Coupe in Packard Cream. I described the Connecticut 120 and said that his car seemed to be much nicer. He then told me that there was another car, just like his, for sale in Santa Fe. The owner was in bad health and needed to move to a lower altitude. I was surprised to hear this, two almost identical 1937 Packards in a town like Santa Fe. Then he said that the owner and car were just around the corner from him. This was even more surprising. I contacted the owner and bought it after a few days of looking at the car, and going back and forth on the price. Gold in my own backyard.

Mr. Pushbutton, thanks for clarifying when the document destruction happened. As for the drawings, they are only copies, and while interesting probably have little value. I'll find out more details of their creation and salvation when I send copies to Kevin.

I do have copy of a rare May 1948 Tucker Topics. It was the official Tucker Corporation dealer publication. I would like to sell it to someone with an interest in Tuckers or to a collector of rare automobilia.

The destruction of the Packard files was most unfortunate. I believe this purge began when Nance assumed head of the company. Out with the old, in with the new kind of thinking was the rationale behind this. I have copies of some drawings of what were to the the post-Clipper Packards. They were rescued by a designer there who has the originals. They are attractive looking styles, much more so than the '48-'50 design that replaced the Clippers. They are packed away now, but I'll send Kevin some copies when I get them out so that they can be posted. I think you will enjoy seeing them.

Dave in Utah, the installation of a fuel filter before the fuel pump is a good idea. It filters the fuel before it gets to the pump and carb; thus, saving both from becoming contaminated. I don't know why the practice developed to have the filter between the pump and carb. To me, one before the pump makes much more sense. I installed a filter in the fuel line on the outside of the frame rail by the right front tire on my 115C. This location makes it easy to change. I do not have a filter between the pump and carb. Appearance=wise the under hood looks original. John

Thanks BigKev, it worked smoother than a watermelon seed going through a goose!

Here is another dummy that would like to edit his owner registry entry. I moved, changed ISP, changed E-mail, changed E-mail name, and while I was at it changed Packard Info sign in name and password. The car is shown with my old name. How do I update my registry with my current sign-in name and password? I apologize for using so much bandwidth on this.

I installed a set of Diamond Back tubeless radial tires on my 1937 Six Convertible Coupe. The are on Hankook 225/75/16 tires and have the 3.5" whitewalls. They were mounted on the original wheels without tubes. They balanced easily, and hold air. They are smooth and the steering and braking are improved. They have been trouble free. Some cars may look better without the whitewalls. If you decide on not going with the whitewalls the savings would be considerable. I would recommend the Diamond Backs if you want the wide whitewalls.

Mike, I also suggest you contact Feltz Terrill (Terrill Machine, Inc., De Leon, Texas, 254.893.2610, feltz76444@sbcglobal.net). He remanufactures water and fuel pumps and provides them to other vendors. His work is first class. John

Kev,

I believe the 5- and 9-main bearing blocks are different in length. More length is needed for the additional main bearings. Unencumbered by any formal research, and relying only on memory,I believe the Mayfairs were built on the shorter wheelbase chassis. I also believe the longer wheelbase chassis was used for the senior cars with the additional length in front of the firewall to accommodate the longer engine. I am often wrong, but never confused. Maybe some of our better informed members could shed some light on this.

John