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No I haven't contacted Craig yet. I am waiting for the next batch of spacers he usually makes. If i've got the engine out of the car, I thought I might as well pony up and do the conversion. I really don't want to have potential oil pressure problems at a later date.

I am going to check input shaft wear and see what the options are. I have 3 V8 packard engines in my garage so between the 3 I should be able to come up with a good pump to work with.

what is the paint code on your car?

Don
The 400 is among my favorite of postwar Packards. You seem to be starting with a great solid car. That makes it so much more fun for us backyard restorers.

Well, its been quite a little while since I have updated any progress, so armed with a new digital camera, and some spare time I shall do so.

I have been dismantling engine parts, having them tanked, and painting them over the long wet, cold winter. I have also parted out another complete 1955 Packard 400 this last fall and have been sorting out what I need for my own restoration and preparing to sell the rest.

I have also been organizing the garage and building storage shelves to get parts and misc. parts up off the ground so that I can actually work on the 400! After building the shelves, my wife realized how handy they were. She filled more than half with with over flow supplies from her 2nd grade classroom! So.....I got half of my shelves.

Enjoy the pics. I'm having fun learning about the new camera. My wife and I went to our friend's daughters 9 year old birthday party last week, and one of her presents was a 10 mega pixel camera. I leaned over to my wife and said "Honey, NOW can we get a new digital camera?" She completely agreed.

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Portland Don,

Stick to it man as all things are possible! I've attached a couple of old pictures of what my 400 looked like when I started my resto project. A long bountiful journey awaits you and family. Enjoy the experience & the best of luck.

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Thanks for the encouragement Kevin. I always look forward to seeing an update on your project blog. You have a beautiful '55 400. I only hope to get my car to the level of excellence you have shown while restoring your car.

Don, you haven't updated your blog in a dog's age! What's the skinny on your '55 Four Hundred?? Inquiring minds want to know!

After a long hiatus from working on the Packard (Due to other projects) I picked up where I left off. Armed with 7 different wire wheel attachments, tooth brushes, q-tips, and a few gallons of engine degreaser, I set out to I scrub off decades of engine grime and got the engine clean enough for the Bill Hirsch Packard Ivory Paint.

Getting it clean enough was a real chore. I must say I am impressed with the quality of the Bill Hirsch engine enamel products. It did run in one place, but I got it fixed before it dried. I let it cure for 5 days, and then just for fun set the intake, water pump, and exhaust manifolds back onto it and hand tightened them on.

Who at Packard came up with the bright idea to paint '55 Packard Engines Ivory White?

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Way to go! I'm very excited for you. As I type there are now no less than two 55 400's getting revived that I'm aware. Stewart's over in Kentucky and yours in the Pacific northwest. Look forward to cheering you both on. Congrats.

BTW......I think the Ivory is an outstanding color. It has been my experience the color gets people interested in talking at shows. A one year only color I believe.

Thanks Kevin!

I hope to one day have my packard as beautiful as yours. (I doubt I can)

As for the White Engine block, I agree. It is beautiful and striking to see. But keeping it white is the problem I have. An Engine bay isn't he easiest place to keep sparking clean.