The original stamping leaves plenty of drain holes

My car has some rust on the floor on the front passenger side only because that area happens to be a bit lower without a drain hole. The rest of the car is rust free not because the car doesn't leak water, it is because all the water goes out of the car quicker than the water coming in! It has multiple drain holes on the floor and under the rocker panel, and I see the water coming out when I wash it. (it still leaks, just doesn't leak in the rain)

I was reading history and I gradually realized many owners of Packard were rather questionable in moral, especially among the social elites or head of state (I don't have to name the obvious few)

But it is really funny when I see how the dictator Rafael Trujillo put a Packard hood ornament on his Chevy




Ironically his assassins were driving a more upscale car than him. An Oldsmobile



I think the Alfred Sloan's social ladder was kind of broken there already!

(Obviously, I think the super narrow 1957-1958 Packard models were a bit difficult to justify buying for someone in his position. But I still find the combination kind of odd, as he didn't buy a more upscale car, not even a DeSoto)

Amazingly after pulling off the interior panel, I managed to push the rod back to the track...

and it works,

flic.kr/p/2r6XuRP

but once tightening the screws for the window frame, it doesn't work again. Obviously the interior panel caused some interference but I will just leave it shut for now, using vent window at the moment.

flic.kr/p/2r6XuLP

Many thanks for showing the diagram, it took me a moment to see it for comparison and figure out! Surely it was helpful

In this case, I think, more likely than not, the tab is identical to the one left to it, and right to it (no obvious reason to make this one too different)

But the longer trim works like a level, thus easier to pull off. This one is so tiny so the tab can really hold it tight, tighter than those on the longer piece.

The cheap way to do it, if you don't mind, is just a bit of silicone seal, and it is temperature resistent, water-proof anyway.

And if something goes wrong and you really need it off, just pull it off and scrape whatever left on.

(I used this method to make all the chrome panels except those four on the doors stay on my 1995 Cadillac Fleetwood, after they kept falling off for years. No one could tell unless looking from underneath)

Well, I think it depends. Letting a machinary sit excessively definitely hurts things most of the time, but...

If something was terribly built just for look (or propaganda purposes), it might be better off leaving them static for display.

Like this Kaengsaeng 88 is doing a wonderful job sitting for display.


I believe it if even the basic seal wasn't done properly, making those officials annoyed taking a ride filling the cabin with road dust.

Similarly the graduation project involving me was built at the similar standard, a supposedly off-road race car broke down constantly upon being driven. I got a D- for the course, along with mostly D for the remaining students. I was harshly critized for having a similar quality standard like Chrysler under John J. Riccardo's leadership, for example three door guards to make up for the body panel gaps due to the low precision.
(Only for me to work in FCA US LLC, a part of Stellantis when Carlos Tavares was in charge and everyone in my report chain, above me and below me was fired including the CEO and the whole program sank)

Yet that off-road vehicle is still used for promotional purporses by the university because somehow it looks the best among ~40 cars the students built. I just shake my head every time seeing it, especially if others ask about how it was.

Learning the lesson, the students for the year followed, built a super robust car and drove it hard for two months (~50hrs of driving) to make sure it was reliable. Somehow upon entering the race, it turned out the car just reached the end of its useful life I guess the car was overused.


But otherwise, I always keep a strict maintenance standard for all the cars I own, I use for work，including graphite lubrication if possible (My grandma used to use rapeseed oil to lubricate her main gate lock, only for the lock to be seized up badly. Attempting to open it, the door fell upon her after the fragile bolts broke off on the top, scarring her badly and I laughed because of it) and keep an eye on everything that moves, anything that is liquid, and lately, anything can be scanned by computer to give a clue, and hope for the best!

Another low quality automobile for look is Red Putilovets L-1 (Red Putilov Leningrand L-1)

They looked great in a row,


But after a round trip between Moscow and Leningrad, after constant breaking down, it seemed like a few people were arrested for sabotaging and Wrecking (Soviet Union) (lit. "inflicting damage", "harming").

This car is mentioned here, minus the breaking down part.
retrolegenda.ru/cars/krasnyy-putilovets-l/

I suppose things like that are better off kept for look only.

Yes, indeed. Left rear.

thank you in advance!

Yes, mine is a Cavalier. I think the reasoning is obvious to me, it was the core Packard they based everything else upon (just like Model Year 2017 GMC Acadia was the default program from the entire GM C1 platform, other vehicles such as Holden Acadia was the RHD version, Cadillac XT5 was the luxurious version, XT6 being slightly longer, Enclave even longer, Chevy Blazer was the sporty version, etc, so often the default GM C1 car for engineering, testing purpose was that GMC Acadia) like how Clipper was the shorter, cheaper version, Patrician had the upgraded engine, etc

But they just couldn't call it a 1953 Packard Packard, seeing the Coat of Arms of Packard, Cavalier served a good placeholder name for such a car, because Packard emblem was basically a Cavaier in overall visual impression.

Given how 300/Cavalier being the default Packard, I think the design was whatever the design studio could come up with the best, while Patrician had a few upgrades on top of it, such as the chrome piece on the back doors and that additional chrome bar on the bottom of the whole car.

The chrome on the bottom on later cars such as Toyota Century, Cadillac Brougham was the part of overall design and they would look off without it, or sometimes just didn't work (93-96 Cadillac Fleetwood, for example). But on those 40s and 50s cars, I always hated it, because too often the chrome piece was used by Communist automakers to hide the horrible skills in bodywork, uneven rocker panel. And those cars, buses tended to be terribly built so once that area rotted away, the local shops just welded even wider piece of chrome to hide the empty rocker panel behind! As a very young child (~4 to ~10. Those cars went to junkyard when I grew older) myself, I had to always watch out when stepping into the local buses so my feet didn't stick to the other side of the vehicle at entry/exit, often with sharp edges of those chrome, metal pieces, cutting my then very fragile legs of young child.

Obviously, Packard was built to the top quality standard (largely), that chrome piece was just for top of the line as a differentiation. I only hated it after spending too much time with subpar vehicles using this for subpar purposes.

(Photo is a Shanghai SH760. The bodywork on the lower body looks even questionable from the photo, line is skewed enough)

Yes indeed. Likely it is time for me trying to find the passenger side of the window regulator.

And upon seeing the diagram, it feels like the rack gear and arm are identical, it is the frame holding up the glass has the different length for different length of the rear doors.

My door locks were completely jammed so I got them redone at the shop mentioned previously. Maybe they weren't used for way too long.

I used to live nearby as a student!

It felt like impossible to tear it down and I cannot believe this is done!

I gotta drive back there for a look then