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I've started restoring the stone guard. There are a lot of breaks in the mesh and places where a short section of mesh is missing. I plan on silver soldering the breaks back together and to make, install and silver solder new pieces of brass in the area where the mesh is missing. Then I'll send the guard out to get it chrome plated.

My question pertains to mounting the guard. As I recall, I've seen pictures where it is mounted on both sides with a 'U" shaped bracket that goes over the head light bar and another "U" shape bracket that goes in front and partially around the radiator cap. I'm not sure that the bracket that goes around the radiator cap would fit on my radiator. Were there any other approaches for attaching the guard? If so, a few pictures would be great.

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Marty,

This post may help.

Dave

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=6999

Dave - I saw that post and it appears that it attaches to the light bar and at the top around the radiator cap. While it would not be hard to make the clamps for the light bar there is no way for that style to work for my 901 at the radiator cap. In there lies my concern as it would seem that three points of attachment would be much better than just the two.

Beginning in 1932 the stone shield was secured at the light bar only. There were no contrivances related to the radiator cap.

Dave & Tim - thanks for your inputs. Now all need to do is find a pair of them.

Agreeing with Tim's post above, but there's more. To my understanding, Packard factory accessory stone guards for the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Series (1932-33-34) were of a vertical bar construction, not the mesh. Mesh was used by the factory up through the Eighth series (1931), but mesh guards after that were aftermarket. The 1934 accessory listing available on this site has a depiction of it on page 7. I've attached photos of one that I have in unrestored condition. As far as mountings, it only has one on each side as shown. There are two thumbscrews with rubber facings at the bottom and three rubber bumpers at the top. The thumbscrews adjust so the guard is positioned in a vertical plane vis a vis the grille. Packard made these for their open and closed cars which had different height radiators, the open cars being about 2 inches shorter. The one pictured is for a closed car.

Burr Ripley and Henry Yeska used to make mesh guards on an individual basis, but I don't know if anyone else offers them today.

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The mesh stone guard is correct. In the old days I remember seeing original ones for sale. Additionally, the photographic record is clear and unambiguous.

The vertical bar is least attractive and only serves to cover a poor choice of radiator shutter color which looks better in a dark color or black. I knew people who looked far and wide for a stone guard because they didn't like the look of the radiator with light colored shutters, while people with dark colored shutters left the thing off.

Don - thanks for the input and photos.

I can tell from Don's photos how it would be attached if I went with that approach. Does anyone out there have a photo that shows what the rear section looks like of the light bar clamp style?