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Apologies Mal - I forgot to mention tyres. I settled for Coker Classics H78-15 WWW, similar to the ones I have on there now (which are VERY old H78-15 'Grand Prix'). Had talked with a few people and checked opinions on this site and there is a lot of different opinion on tyres.

I have now driven quite a few kms with the old 4-ply polyesters and was pleasantly surprised with ride and handling. Also, they look totally authentic. Sure, they do wander slightly on some imperfect roads but IMHO that is a very minor problem, and only occasional.

I was undecided until I checked price and availability of alternatives. Five radials (175-75 15's) would cost me around $450 MORE than what I got. Plus there are no radials available (at the 'good price') until January, when Antique Tyres gets a container unloaded. That helped me decide.

Another short drive yesterday to a local 'Show and Shine'. Still have much of the interior trim to fit including carpet, but I went anyway.

Had a lot of positive comments about the '51, and there were quite a few people who thought it was 'advanced' for 1951 in terms of style, mechanicals and fittings etc. A few people had never seen or heard of 'Packard'. There are only two other (driveable) Packards nearby to my town so not many people are aware of the marque.

One task left is to get the wipers working. The Trico doesn't quite work the wipers, but I haven't lubricated it yet. I am hoping that a couple of teaspoons of ATF into the motor will loosen it up and make it work. Otherwise it's a kit, or sending to the USA to Ficken for a rebuild.

Please don't use ATF in a vacuum motor, either use vacuum oil or a light silicone oil or grease.

If you have a vacuum wiper motor, it might just be gummed up with old lube. I took mine apart and the internals (especially the flapper vane inside with the rubber seal) were in great shape luckily, so I cleaned it all up and then lubed it up with silicone dielectric grease (Dow Corning DC-4) and now it works great.

You want to avoid anything in there that would eat the rubber seal. If your seals are rotted then I think Flicken is your only choice for a rebuild, they don't sell parts.

Thanks very much for the 'good oil' info. I'll get some silicone oil or grease and use that.

Last week Lee(Larry51) posted this:

"Had a GREAT drive today with my wife. We traveled over 60 miles up hill and down dale, and the '51 performed very well.

A couple of mates came along in their '53 Clipper just in case, while we visited another Packard enthusiast who is restoring a '35 coupe."

Chris(Starliner) sent me some pic's from the trip, here are a couple of them.

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Nice lookin' cars!!

Looks warm too. We are finally going to get into the 60s today. We have had over a week of cold. It even got down to 32F one night. No snow though, but we may get some rain this weekend.

(o{}o)

Thanks for posting those Mal, I hadn't got around to it.

Certainly is warm here for Spring weather . . . . much of Australia is coping with another drought, there is water rationing in some towns, and bushfires are already becoming a problem. But as many old-timers will tell you, it was always the same!

"Completed" Packard

Well, the '51 has been registered for a while now, and I've almost completed all the work that is a priority. But there is still plenty to be done. (As anyone who has ever restored a car knows, there'll always be something to be done!).

I wanted to post a few pics of the more or less finished car. Still have to add the 'Ultramatic' badges, which are being chromed, but essentially all the appearance items are fitted now except for carpet in the trunk. So what you see is the final item.

In the process of getting it finished there have been some hiccups with the interior trim, and also with door rubbers that don't fit or seal properly. More about those later when I have some time to post about it.

There is a 6Volt electric wiper motor fitted as a temporary fix. The vacuum motors I have don't work well despite me cleaning and lubricating them. Will be sending one off to 'the Wiperman' if he is still restoring them.

The '51 has been taken on two reasonably long drives and I am pleasantly surprised and pleased with the way it runs. Power is good, runs smoothly, ride is smooth, steers ok but is like a whale when you get to a street corner at low speed (- compared to a modern vehicle!).

I enjoy driving it very much.

As mentioned, problems are mainly just two: Ultramatic locks in direct drive and doesn't release as you slow to stop; and it appears there is a hole in the fuel pickup tube, as I only get about 60miles before needing to refill the tank. Neither of these are major problems, just an inconvenience at the moment.

So, seven years of restoration have come to an end (almost). Has been a very enjoyable trip, and I am pleased to have done the work on a '51 Club Sedan. Seems theer are very few in roadworthy condition. This one is now almost original, as I tried to keep it that way throughout the whole project. There are a few improvements, like an electric fuel pump (- which has been used to prime the carby on quite a few occasions now). And the body is full of anti-rust compound so the weakness these cars had with rust is eliminated to a considerable extent.

Would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and enjoyable 2015. Many thanks to all of you who gave me your assistance and encouragement (- very important also, the encouragement)with my project, I appreciate your help.