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i can tell you that without adequate space your gonna hate taking the body off. i have done this in my 3 car garage a couple times on my car and its a pita and i hated it everytime.

still i look forward to you restoring this car.

Got the car raised up several more inches. Could go higher but not without a new set of jackstands so being as I can get under and roll around, this will probably do.

Good news is there is not much I see terribly wrong underneath other than layers of dirt and crud -- and of course, every one of the rubber bushings is waste. A leaking pinion seal or maybe an overgreased U joint has thrown oil or grease in a nice straight line above the differential. Hopefully the thing never ran dry. If so, that may be a problem. Am thinking of finding a degreaser/detergent that will work in one of those garden spray type cans and just soak the dickens out of the bottom and chassis. Use the pressure washer to get rid of what I can after that. The last car I did was in many pieces so just went to the sandblaster but this one won't. Any suggestions from those who have done it this way?

Continuing with the good news, no signs of anything other than surface rust anywhere other than the body panel under the trunk lid. That I knew about and actually have a NOS piece. Don't see anything to be gained by removing the body so at this point, in all likelihood it will stay on. The front floor under the asphalt paper had me worried but once the paper was up, floor was scraped and nice shiny solid metal came thru. The layers of what I thought might be rust could well be that asphalt paper. Interesting thing I found on the seat mount tracks is two 1/8" cardboard shims under each end for a total of 1/4". Any speculation why they did that?

Bad news. After numerous trips up and down under the car in and out, am pretty sure one bottle of painkiller is not going to be enough. There is nothing attached to the old body that doesn't hurt.

Guess the game plan is start spending money -- one thing I'm fairly good at -- to get a mechanically good rolling chassis. Not sure where the best place to start will be so any suggestions will also be appreciated. Other than the obvious paint & rubber & seals think brakes and metal lines will be the first big expenditure. Looking forward to DeluxCanuck's shock rebuild article to see if that is something I feel comfortable tackling.

If the crud is anything like what I faced on my front suspension, that pressure washer will be absolutely necessary. Any solvent you try will not touch it. Wire brush in a grinder works, but is extremely messy. As far as the aches and pains, stretch out before working on the car. That will help. Keep at it and your body will get used to it!

Forget those pain killers. Just get out there and get tuff. After 3 or 4 days u'll toughen up and the aches and pains will go away. Maybe a little (i said a LITTLE) favorite refreshment or smoke thru out the day always seems to help alot.

THe problem we all face is getting too soft and coddled from having lived so long in the post war era American society. Air conditioning, restaraunt food, store bought drinks, factory rolled smokes, air tite dwellings, surgeon generals that look like Colonel Sanders giving us medical advice from a medical community that has done ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING in 50 years since the erradication of polio and consumption ca 1940's to 1950.

Just get out there and get tuff.

For frame cleaning I use Heavy Duty Easy Off oven cleaner and a power washer. If there is a lot of plain dirt, pre-power-wash. Then apply the oven cleaner, let sit 30 min. or so, than power wash. For really dirty spots more than one cycle of oven cleaner and power washing may be required.

Wear gloves, clothes you don't care about, mask and eye protection when spraying the oven cleaner. It is caustic.

I got this tip from Big Kev's blog. It worked great on 80+ years of accumulated bijur drippings and road mud.

Cheers,

Tom

Keith, I hear you on getting tuf but I am a card carrying old fogey and what hasn't fallen off or quit working just plain hurts. I think I'll stick with proven methods.

Tom, thanks to you and Kev for the advice on the oven cleaner. I experimented a bit today and looks like it will do nicely in some spots but the real greasy ones require a bit more.

A little more playing under the car and in the trunk today. Found another small bit of rust in one of the trunk front depressions near the spare tire although not nearly what I would expect looking at the general interior condition and what was left of the flock material. I'm sure thinking that lower cost finish and particularly the flock adhesive they used was a giant water trap. On this car, the adhesive stayed mostly intact in a sheet but cracked and separated from the metal. Any water that managed to get in then run under the adhesive and sat on the metal -- and apparently did it at every opportunity. Maybe the flock is OK on the sides but IMO, putting it on the floor was not one of Packards better ideas -- even for a car they didn't expect to last more than a few years. The worst rust is still the back panel piece and approx 1 inch of the trunk floor where the two join.

Pressure washed the car's outside. Surprisingly, after 20 years of dirt came off and even though it was a repaint at some time, what is there looks pretty darn presentable. Much better than I remembered it.

Guess I will bite the bullet and order Kanter's deluxe brake overhaul kit & brake tubing kit so as to have new everything. Debating a front suspension kit -- even though I don't think it needs everything in that particular package. At first glance, it looks cost effective to order a kit over just the pieces I know are needed. A kit might even cover surprises later & always good to have extras. Have to think about the approach on the rear rubber. Dropping the rear end and springs looks like a lot of work -- two painkillers at least.

Also ordered some engine paint and rust conversion paint from Hirsch as well as a can of Por 15 from another vendor.

Howard, it's great to be a member of your large cheering section.

A few years ago, when I looked at my rust bucket, that's what I saw. But looking at yours, I now see the beauty, the possibilities, the finished object. All because I got out and got under for two years almost every day for 2-3 hours. I look at rust and caked on grease differently now, as a protectant. And just think, you won't have to ask questions like What is a firing order and who gives it? You know all this stuff. Quite an asset.

A couple of years ago when I wasn't in my 70s I could have kicked myself more than a couple times for forgetting to grab the other size wrench before I got under the car. I usually just hit my head.

It will get better. Bodies come up to the work. That's what they do. Certainly reporting on progress helps to make more progress. Plus you'll have a great record of your accomplishments, an auto narrative.

Joe

Howard,

Working under a car up on jack stands is a skill in itself, and you see the world from a whole different perspective!

And, as I've said elsewhere, be sure to wear gloves, long sleeved clothing and be VERY careful when using the POR 15.

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Here ya go, Howard.
youtube.com/watch?v=Fh6z5BW_meE
Problem solved.

Joe, thanks for reminding me of that little item. It would the perfect solution and I'd want one if not for some downsides.

In order to afford it I'd have to either sell the car or forget about buying parts for the car.

I can only dream of having that much free space around the car to maneuver. I'd still be hitting parts of me on something -- only with greater force.

Biggest one is I'd most likely forget which button did what and launch myself into the bottom of the car -- more than once.