I looked at Calli Tires back when I was getting tires for my Panama. In the end I went with Diamondback because they could get me the tires much faster. I was on a bit of a time crunch at that point, so I needed them quickly.

Calli's price isn't bad and the options for whitewall width is nice.

-Kevin

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I agree with Howard. Just pop a piece of trim off (bigger is better...so I would do the glove box door) and take it to a paint supplier. I took mine to an auto paint supplier and they scanned it with their camera and got me a color that should be a close match. I haven't used it yet, but the test drop sure looks right on.

-Kevin

I'm in WA and I fill the Panama with ethanol-free gas. I'm in a farming community and the local coop has ethanol-free at their pumps. All the local car guys fill up there. I do it for peace of mind on the Panama, even though it may not need it. Nearly my entire fuel system is new. The only thing I didn't replace was the the main line from back to front....didn't see any signs of leaks or other problems. Also lazy.

But for sure I will only use ethanol-free for my lawnmower and garden equipment. Those are much happier with it.

Thanks for the info on the bushings. When I took the radiator out, I only saw rubber on the outside flange of the radiator, with a metal sleeve through the bolt hole. I considered reusing the rubber, but if I'm supposed to have rubber on the core support side, then I will need to replace them all.

I'll check the hardware stores to see if I can get some toilet washers. I believe I may have some 5/16" tubing still, but if not I can grab some of that.

I'm going to call a couple of radiator places today to see cost and timeline.

-Kevin

Thanks guys! I will need to work myself up to want to tackle replacing the windshield again. What a pain that was.

In the meantime I'm back in the saddle and working on other things that are on my list to do. Number one is getting the radiator fixed. Without that I can't drive. So I drained the fluid and removed the radiator. Very easy to remove and now that it's off I have tons of access to the front of the engine.

The coolant that I drained definitely had a yellow tint to it from the rust inside the system. I had replaced the coolant back in the summer from what originally came with the car (it was gross). The last bit I drained after I got the radiator out had some definite rust chips in it. Hopefully the radiator shop is able to repair and clean it all out.

The leak is at the junction of the upper tank and fins. Looks like it may have been repaired before. We'll see what the shop says.

With the radiator gone I want to get in and get a bunch of stuff done on the front of the engine. I'm even toying with the idea of removing the fenders and painting the engine. But at the very least I'm wanting to clean and paint and parts I can access. I will also paint the areas of the frame I have access to. I'll also strip and paint the front cover panel....lots of imperfections in it.

I'm going to take the generator off and clean it up, and maybe service it too if I can figure it out. Power steering pump and bracket need to come off for painting, but I'm not exactly sure how to do that. The belts will be replaced, and I need to paint the pulleys too.

-Kevin

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Rejoice with me, for I have obtained the un-obtainable.

A month or so ago I came across a random ad on Craigslist (I always search for Packard stuff) that advertised a '54 Packard windshield. Curious, I contacted the guy who helpfully sent me a pattern to double check the fit. He wasn't totally sure what car it went to as it's been sitting in his garage for decades. Turns out it was a perfect fit against my original windshield.

Made the drive and picked it up. New (not sure if reproduction or not) and never installed, clear color, overall good condition (a couple small chips in some edges) and in whatever box it originally came in. And only cost me $150. Score! Well worth the 7 hours of driving.

Now to get up the courage to go through the whole installation process again....

-Kevin

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Sorry Howard, I never responded to you. I checked the vacuum before but it's been a while. It was slightly low and had a pulse to it (16-17 I think).

I need to get my own gauge and test it again. It'll probably have to wait a couple months since I need to pull my radiator and have it repaired, as well as do a few other maintenance items.

I have not tested anything with the wiper motor. My assumption is that it doesn't work and will need to be rebuilt.

-Kevin

I've been looking through the build thread on Facebook and a few things caught my eye. The electric conversion on the rear quarter windows looks great and operates smooth. Same with the convertible top. Nice work.

I was looking at some of the upholstery work, which I have a bit to do myself. I restored a couple of my armrests similar to how you did yours. But I'm looking at the door panels and am wondering how you recreated the embossing on the center of the panels. I need to have mine redone but don't love the idea of sending them off to SMS and maybe getting them back two years later. I can't tell if you stitched the embossing pattern in or if they are actually embossed.

Lastly, I was noticing the windshield has the factory green tint but doesn't look like the side windows do. I've seen some cars with no factory green, but most have it. Mine is currently the opposite of yours....clear windshield, green tint everywhere else.

-Kevin

Where that knob is positioned is for power antenna. Below it would be for the rear speaker. At least that's how they are on my Panama, and mine are factory.

My guess is that the car originally had a power antenna that failed. A previous owner probably removed it and tried to replace it with a non-Packard one (hence the knob) then gave up and put in a manual antenna.

-Kevin

I can't help with the part numbers, but do your bearings need to be replaced? If so the fronts are easy to do. Mine were fine so I just cleaned them and packed new grease. If yours look good now, maybe just clean and pack them and reinstall. If you needed to do them later it would not be difficult at all.

-Kevin