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I am happy to report some news on my Derham Formal. I was finally able to get things in line to get the car moved from the former owners garage across the street and into my barn last Friday. I had made the appointment over three weeks ago with the tow service to get it flat-bedded into my barn. They sent out a truck that was too big to fit between the houses and then had to send a wrecker and a smaller tilt bed. I had to remove the garage doors by popping the pins as the panel doors swung in from the end frames. The wrecker paid out the cable to get the car out of garage. It rolled free and easy and came down driveway very nicely. It was then pulled up on to the tilt bed and backed right into my space. Friday was a beautiful WNY day and I swear the Derham's grille had turned into a big smile being outdoors for the first time in 35 years (1982). Several people including both the tow car drivers told me that it was the year they were born.

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Glad that everything went without incident! I will be looking forward to following your project progress!

A gem to be sure

Is that a vinyl roof on it?? John

I note the 1952-only hub shell cover on the front left wheel.

Awesome! I'm excited to see you bring this back to life! Such a cool car!

Thanks for all the kind words and I would like to thank everyone who has been posting about their projects and cars over the last five years I have been looking at this great resource/site. It has given me a great deal of insight to Packard engineering design that will help me make intelligent (I hope) decisions and choices as I work on the car. My plan is to keep it completely original.

Unfortunately the woman I bought the car from has gone into assisted living. She is the wife of the second owner and had told me his mother was a sister to the Packard brothers. Her daughter had put a number of cartons of family documents to the curb after an estate sale so my GF called her to see if that was what she wanted done with them. Short story is there is a lot of Packard family correspondence here. I haven't had a chance to go through it yet but it looks like I will be taking a drive to Warren O to give to the Packard Museum. Found the obit from late owner's mother and I quote "James W. Packard, the inventor of the Packard automobile, was her cousin". Goes on to say that her family had a summer home on Chautauqua Lake NY where the inventor also lived. So that is finally straightened out and corrected.

Thanks 55PackConv, the tow company came highly recommended, they didn't even scuff the right side white walls on curbing next to the garage door.

FredKanter Thanks very much.

PTV It is a rubberized canvas that I believe was made by Goodyear.

O_D All four covers are the same. I remember you sending me info several years ago this car was built late Nov 52, so using left over 52 parts or something else to differentiate the Formal offering for 53 from the regular Senior?

Thanks 51. Will need to finish getting my space into shape and a new chimney pipe out the roof. The old brick one came down when new roof went on barn. The plan for this year is to start soaking every nut and bolt I plan on touching with the acetone and ATF mix.

Stephen,

If you want to know more about the 3 Packard sisters (Alaska, Carlotta, and Olive) and their families and lives, the summer homes on Lake Chautauqua, etc., I can highly recommend Jim Balfour's recent book "More than Automobiles - The Packards of Warren, Ohio".

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Thanks, looks like an interesting read. When I start looking through the letters I will post any mention of James and William.