Mal,

That is definitely a factor - I'm not gonna pull from the tank either, I'll have to rig up a gas can to pull from for now. I'll look into the tank's state later

Don,

Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out. Does the 352 engine on the custom have the 2 barrel?

Kevin,

Apologies, I thought I had edited the photos to jpgs - they're fixed now.

I'm gonna attempt to run rubber line from the pump to the carb with a temporary inline filter, and a rubber line from the pump to a gas can. One issue I may have overlooked, I think while the mechanical pump works, the lever actuator arm and spring appear to have gas residue and it reeks of gas. The oil smelled of gas as well - perhaps the previous owner just simply meant it needs rebuilding for that reason. I'll have to ponder on that one.

Its always fun to imagine "what if" for the makes that faded away. I agree that so many of the intricacies of the decisions being made at the time seem to wash away over the years. Myself being fairly new to Packards in general must admit lots of what I read regarding postwar Packard and Jim Nance was not particularly flattering. Many sources even cite him as a furniture/interior design/whatever he was in his previous role exec with a comically low understanding of the automotive business. But being familiar with all the things said about Kaiser Frazer in its waning years lead me to take everything I read with a grain of salt.

In my incredibly biased what-if scenario, I'd have loved Packard to buy Kaiser Frazer. Overnight they'd have 3 models to choose from. Packard retains Luxury status, Frazer fills the Buick/Mercury tier, and Kaiser becomes the bread and butter. In my eyes its mostly win-win, Packard gets lower tier models for more volume, allowing the Packard brand to remain fairly prestigious, Kaiser is free to make the volume focused "people's car" he always wanted, and the V8 in varying states of tune could be used across the line. Perhaps even working on an F head conversion for the long in the tooth continental six or allows the lower makes the straight eight option. Even more fun to think about, a Kaiser Darrin fiberglass sports car with Packard V8 power beating corvette to market by one month? I salivate at the thought. Or even wilder, a bare bones Henry J with the 374 V8 as the kickoff to the muscle car era - though I doubt anyone would of have the foresight. But, a man can dream...

Did you make the headliner mounts? Are you selling any extras?

That interior looks fantastic! Well done. :)

Hello all,

After receiving a couple of suggestions to do so, I am creating a project blog to track my attempts to get my '55 Clipper back on the road.

Now, The car itself needs a whole ton of work, and while I'd love to restore the car, the amount of money for a full on restoration would be out of the question, not to mention I don't think it would be worth it dollar wise (although that doesn't really matter that much). But I am attempting to use this car as my learning experience, as it was so cheap I'd like to get it running and driving and repair things a bit at a time. Maybe even attempt body repair (I've spent a fair bit of time with a MIG welder, although I no longer own one).

So on to the car...

The prior owner claimed they had the car running of an auxillary tank with an electric pump and actually showed me a video of the car running. He also claimed the mechanical pump needed a rebuild. First thing I did was ensure the engine turns freely - it does. Second thing was to remove the mechanical fuel pump and test the unit by hand actuating it - it appears to pump strongly so I just re-installed it.

I also changed the oil and filter - after reading various suggestions I went with Rotella 15W - 40 and the NAPA 1006 filter.

My main hurdle now is someone snipped the fuel line from the pump to the carb. I also have a weird collection of fuel connectors and angles - definitely not stock. I have the carter filter but I need the steel line from the pump to filter. I figure I'm gonna need to make my own line unless someone has a spare?

I also want to get new battery cables as the one I have appear a bit worn and of course, the battery I picked up is not reversed - its a type 27 and should actually fit the tray if I trim the bottom of the battery's extra plastic for the modern hold down. Gonna need to manufacture a hold down as it appears to be missing as well.

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Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I'll definitely be starting a project blog. For now it will just focus on getting the car running and driving.

Don,

very cool to hear, I've seen one or two up here in the PNW

Steve,

Funny you mention the CL listing - the guy who sold it said only a handful of folks came out to see it - I was shocked.

JW,

It does indeed have the TL system. I've seen the video you mention - I actually had no idea the 55 had that system as even an option, so remarkably cool, and to think Imperial gets all the attention for Torsion Level systems. That is what I love about independents like the Packard, all the neat details that set them apart from the Big 3.

Ozstatman,

I posted this after your post - my apologies, I thought that post was automatic after I put the details in the Registry. I know you usually ask newbies to put their cars in the Registry, so I did that first. :)

- Anthony

Apologies if this is not the right forum for introductions, but wanted to introduce myself. I just bought my first Packard (well, junior car, I know its contentious if these are even "Packards" to some). I've been pouring over this amazing website, reading up on projects, and overall trying to get to know my car. This site and community seems like an excellent resource and great group of people. Hope to make some connections and learn some things. I'm new to Packard's - I've always loved them but being a younger guy with relatively little dough, they never were in the cards - until luck should have it I happened upon my Clipper Custom on Craigslist. She's fairly rough, but she's mine! I'm a huge fan of independent makes- I also own a '51 Kaiser Deluxe. Love finding the quirks and connections between the makes. For instance, Packard utilized Howard "Dutch" Darrin for some designs in the 30's, and he went on to style the Kaiser. Small world, automotively speaking.

The Clipper Custom I found has Power Brakes, Power Steering, Ultramatic, Power Antenna, Power Seat, Rear heater, and the higher end radio. Paint scheme is Moonstone /Tourmaline, with White a Charcoal flame interior. The Charcoal flame cloth is so cool, I never would have guessed it was factory and I'm sad that it appears to be out of production completely. In the car I found a letter from Packard to the Original owner, with the service policy listing the dealer. Using this websites dealer directory I was able to find the dealer and even a picture of the building! (Osborne Motors in Centralia, WA) Simply amazing.

Anyway, looking forward to getting her running and driving, and enjoying her as is for the time being.

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