The same "restorer"/car dealer still has it.. although now the price has dropped to $2800 Here is the link, and from the photos, it's doubtful any restoration has taken place.


http://classicstreet.com/1950s/nggallery/1950s/1955-Packard-Patrician-$3200

I want to say that I had that same blue upholstery material on a 1980's Oldsmobile Delta 88..

Bob,

I have been following your post... My first question would be "Why is there a paper towel stuck in your oil pick up?"

I have removed the oil pans on many motors that I have rebuilt shortly after start up (Cadillac 331-500's Chev., Ford., etc.) and have never seen that amount of metal "just after start up".

If you have a paper towel stuck in your pick up, then you aren't getting sufficient oil flow. I would worry that that towel has been torn apart and drifted thru your oiling system and has clogged oil passages, etc.

As I recall, those glass bodies were created with the hope that people would choose to mount them on a "plain old sedan" chassis, and evidently, many were. The company who produces these bodies is Gibbon Fibreglass

If I remember correctly, they also make an entire kit, (body,fenders,grill, lights, etc., in case you want to create a hot rod/street rod type of car, with all modern underpinnings.

Many years ago, I saw one of their '33 convertibles, mounted on a sedan chassis, and it was actually very well executed. The owner of the car could not afford an actual convertible, so he opted for the replica body, but was able to locate and install many of the original fittings, and the result was a stunning car, that would fool quite a few people into thinking it was the real deal.

Here is a link to the company, and evidently, the jigs for the bodies are now for sale.

http://www.gibbonfiberglass.org/Packard-Bodies---parts.html

Don't worry, that '33 is a fiberglass replica. There's a company that has been offering them for some years now, along with a town car body.

Well, at $34K, the seller is a bit optimistic... especially for a junior Packard, nice as it may be. At that price, you can surely get into an excellent '55-56 400.

Dale was a wonderful and gracious man, as well as a walking encyclopedia of Packard knowledge. I purchased "Bones", his '51 Henney hearse. Dale was always great to talk to, and I feel fortunate to have seen him several months ago, where we discussed my progress on the restoration of "Bones". Dale's passing was truly a great loss to the Packard community.

Yes, Gibbons has several versions of the '34 Packard, and this looks to be one of those.

Fred, once again, you jumped to an erroneous conclusion. The stuff pumped out of the tank was kept at our shop, and it did in fact make "short work" out of greasy engine parts... meaning that we used it as a cleaner. To be completely clear, we kept it in a drum and would soak the greasy parts off of the engines that we were rebuilding in house.

Water will not make short work out of grease, unless it's used in a pressure washer situation.

Fred, I have been around cars for decades, and I know what water in a tank will do, how it acts, etc. Thanks for the lesson, but you aren't talking to a newbie on these matters.


Also, the vehicle affected by the bad gas was not a classic, or carb equipped vehicle, rather it was a 2005 Lincoln Town Car, so no carbs or mechanical fuel pumps to be had.

To be clear, were it solely water in the tank, it would not have acted as a solvent for grease, (once again, parts soaked in a drum, not parts on a running engine)

All of which begs the question, what was it in the tank?? Certainly NOT water, as it made an excellent solvent, but rather, something which would not burn.

Fred, respectfully, you did not understand, or perhaps fully read my post. I never said that the octane at the top or the bottom of a tank was different..... from where do you draw that conclusion?

As to water being in the tank, the vehicle in question was gassed up that day, and quit shortly after leaving the gas station. The stuff removed would not burn, but certainly was not water, as it would would make short work of greasy engine parts. We kept it around the shop for a few weeks, until it became too dirty for further use.

The owner of the car, a local attorney, complained to the gas station, and they paid the repair costs in full. The same thing evidently happened to several people on the same day, and they did suspend gas sales for a couple of days.