Trunk is coming along. I have primer on most of the areas I’ve treated, and the worst of the rust treated. Once that’s all cleaned up, I’ll have to decide how far to take it. There are some areas that may be ok, or that I may want to clean up a little more. This could honestly turn into a full restoration, and I don’t want that!

Also - there was a thin rubber strip in the body gutter for the trunk. Max Merritt/ Steele rubber don’t sell it. I’m going to try and find it locally, but what purpose does it serve, and could I potentially just omit it once I have the new weatherstripping on the trunk side?

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Excellent, thanks Dave! Based on some remnants I’ve found in the car, I think that will be perfect!

Started ordering parts. Got the cowl vent gasket and the thick weather stripping that goes on the trunk lid.

Steele and Max Merritt don't carry the other part of the trunk weather stripping - part number 314660 that is cemented to the body. Anyone have a modern replacement?

Also, the sealant between the trunk floor and the sides of the car is turning to dust. I assume it was some sort of tar based sealer - again, any modern replacement?

Thanks!

Todays projects.

I fixed the steering wheel. I had not put in back in the correct orientation when I cleaned it up a few years ago. Also discovered a washer in the wrong position, so I fixed that, and the little tab that holds the horn “collar”(?) in place.

The first picture is the order I put it in. The second is the order I found it in, with the washer between the steering wheel nut and the horn collar. The final order is spring - steering wheel - washer - nut - horn collar - nut.

Second project is starting to clean the trunk. There is some surface rust from water getting in over the years. I’m going to remove the rust, and then paint up those areas to prevent more deterioration. Then put the trunk back together, and install new trunk weatherstripping to prevent future leaks.

Feels good to be active with the car again. I’ve spent most of the past 9 months away from home, so to have spare time while being at home is great!

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Looking great!

If you’re talking about the rubber strip, it’s about 1.5” tall and 1/16” thick. As you can tell from the picture, mine only recently surrendered.

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Are you talking about the rubber piece that rivets to the bottom of the inner fender? Mine are mostly destroyed due to being 85 years old, but I’ll grab a photo and dimensions this afternoon on what I have.

The Packard moves again!

So for those of you who don't know, I'm in the Navy, and get to experience the "joy" of moving every 2-3 years, each time hoping to land in a location where I can indulge in my old car hobby on the side.

Moved again, this time back to Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island, FL. We're renting a small duplex right now waiting for our house to be built, but the duplex has a garage big enough for the car.

Work is slow for a few weeks before it will pick up a ton at the end of April, so indulging in some Packard projects.

The big one first - I finally got the new radiator installed. I took the radiator that came in the car (modern core, original tanks), and had it recored with an original style cellular core. So far, it appears to work great! 70 degrees out today, driving the car around town, and some sustained driving between 45 and 60 on a scenic highway - about an hour of drive time and the car stayed between 160 and 180. And additionally - if it did get a little warm, such as heat soaking at idle after a sustained run - it quickly settled back into its operating band. Huge improvement.

I think it is running a little lean at the top end, so I may try to tune the carb slightly. It still starts instantly, even after sitting for a few weeks, so I'm generally happy with the fuel and ignition systems.

I also removed some aftermarket accessories. Next step will be sorting some of the wiring under the dash and preserving the trunk floor.

I'm also taking it in for an alignment today, just to make sure everything is correct, since I'm planning on driving it more.

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Looks great!

Quote:

Wow, totally missed that entire section of the manual! I was flipping through Group 31, got to "Quarter Window" and erroneously assumed I wouldn't find my mat any further back. Thanks.

I understand 312376 is only for '37 juniors. My question, for those with experience with other juniors, is if the trunk shelves are similar enough, from say '35 to '39, that the mats could fit multiple applications? I.e. perhaps one touring body style trunk mat could cover multiple years?

JWL, that's a good point about getting a basic mat cut. In this case, the mat is pebbled except for a smooth band around the edges, so I think it would need to be custom made.

Thanks for the input guys.