Yep, looks like he waited until he knew he could make the restoration happen and then blitzed it. That's one way to approach things, and perhaps one that requires less patience -- except for the patience needed to wait four decades to start working in the first place.

One of the cool things about my job is that I deal with cool stories all day. This one came across my desk earlier this week and I just got it posted today. Did a quick search and nothing turned up on the forum, but forgive me if this is old news to you:

Basically, Ohio resident Jerry Brummett bought a 1940 Super 8 formal sedan back in the sixties and used it to haul his racing motorcycles(!). Not being able to afford a restoration, he stashed it in a giant gasoline holding tank on his property...and left it there for 44 years.

Recently, he dragged it out for restoration. Storage didn't keep it pristine, unfortunately, but it's back on the road with the help of a parts car.

One of the cool things is that this car was once owned by an heir to the Champion Spark Plug fortune, and the house seen in the background of the post-restoration photos is the Stranahan family manor -- the Packard's original home.

The car is rare, but it isn't super valuable -- if Brummett decided to sell it, he likely wouldn't make the restoration costs back. But that's not really why we do what we do, right?

Anyway, full story and a gallery can be found here. All photos are courtesy of John Beddoes. He mentioned that Jerry might be bringing the car up to Pontiac for the meet this year, so you'll have to keep an eye out for it if you go.

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MrBumble,

I'm looking forward to getting back on the road for a lot of reasons, but I'm especially looking forward to bombing around with my friends again. There were a few guys who I (almost) inspired to find a cheap old car and it might just take a few meets and some time hanging out in the garage to get them to take the plunge.

Things working against younger guys are heavy student loan burdens (a lot less disposable cash), a rocky economic climate (though it's improving, hopefully) and an increased tendency to live in cities (at least that's what I've notice in metro Detroit). But all of these things can be overcome by passionate enthusiasts.

My story is shockingly similar to 51Packard and oregonstan's. I'm 24 now, but I wanted an old car since I could walk (that was when my parents started dragging me to car shows). When it came to buying something I could afford, prewar cars and seemingly anything postwar by the Big Three was more or less out of my price range. My 1951 200 was priced right and had a ton of character. I wasn't actively searching for a Packard, but I'm glad it worked out that way.

Judging by the number of younger members with similar cars, maybe the 24th series is a great entry point into the world of ownership. It certainly offers the right balance of affordability, parts availability, reliability and the provenance that comes with the marque.

Glad this topic came up. I had a great afternoon at my local Packard club's tech day a few weeks ago, but I would have loved to have seen more members in my age range there...

I was at Glenmoor (great event -- got to ride in and drive a '38 Darrin on the tour the day before) and took a ton of photos of the speedster with you guys in mind. I haven't had a chance to crop and post them yet but I'll give you a heads up when I do.

I was shocked to learn that the speedster was actually built off a 1951 Packard 200 Deluxe Touring Sedan! Of course, there was a lot of custom sheet metal fabricated for it, but even so...never would have guessed.

After cleaning off paint overspray from earlier paint jobs with steel wool I used a buffing wheel (well, a bench grinder temporarily doing double duty as a buffing wheel). I did two stages: First, something with a medium grit. Then, jeweler's rouge. This brought out a nice shine, but I didn't bring it to a mirrorlike finish because it would have just accentuated all of the dings in the trim.

Once I cleaned all the residual polishing compound off, I mounted the pieces and then hit it with a stainless steel cleaner (Goddard's). I'm pretty happy with the results. The process was a lot of work, but it looks better than I've ever seen it.

An update to the update: rather than starting a new post, I'll link to the latest installment of my project below.

Part 7

Reassembly is going slowly, but smoothly so far.

I'll poke around the forum to check, but is anyone reading this planning to attend the Glenmoor Gathering in Canton, OH this weekend?

Thanks for the pointers, I'll contact SMS and Ross to see about some door panel options.

I'll put a higher priority on tracking down flooring options -- maybe SMS can set me up with an appropriate rubber floor. If not, I'll just use carpet.

And any clue on that leather-grained cardboard stuff? If I just knew what it was called, I could probably track some down...I know it is still made, as I once saw a cardboard storage box made out of something very similar (at Ikea, of all places).

A bit of back story: my '51 200 Deluxe Touring sedan was complete when I got it, but many components were well-worn. Daily driver use and poor weatherstripping (now being replaced) took their toll...by the time I put the car away, it needed some interior work. Seats were stained, headliner was dingy, etc.

Any hope of salvaging the original material was shot, however, when the car was involved in a garage fire. No, the car didn't catch on fire -- the garage roof did, and smoke and water damage wrecked basically all fabric components. Including the door panels, which I'm especially unhappy about.

I was planning on getting a front/rear carpet set (probably though Kanter), but after looking at Deluxe Touring accessories sheet, I can see that the front rubber floor mat <i>was</i> correct. Only trouble is, I can't find a repro one anywhere. Perhaps one of you might be able to direct me towards a source that I'm overlooking.

So, here's my wish list of interior stuff:

- side panels (I can upload pictures of my complete, but damaged, panels)
- rubber front front mat (Kanter carpet should do the trick for the rear)
- sheets of that leather-grained cardboard that was used underneath the rear window, in the glove box, etc.

I'm sure there will be more to come. I'm just planning on getting one-tone broadcloth seat covers until I can afford to have light gray/dark gray upholstery done.

Any help would be appreciated!

I am glad you are all enjoying the project. I'm having a great time doing the work, for the most part. I wouldn't recommend that anyone attempt to cram years of work into a few months unless you are young and foolish.

Still, when it's all "done" (I know that old cars are never truly finished) I know it will be worth it. I'll keep posting updates here as I write them -- looks like I'll have something for Thursday.