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Welcome to Hillbilly Packarding -- the 41 & 46 Clipper Bros. -- Ozark Mechanic-kin' in the shade of the post oaks.

While Packard said,
"Ask the man who owns one."
Hillbilly Packard says,
"Ask the Lads who couldn't afford to own one."
(much less two!)

As a boy of six, I remember admiring the beautiful Packard Limo, Hearse, and Ambulance that sat peeking out of the triple garage at Sedalack Funeral Home in East St. Louis, Illinois. Cream and gray, silver and black, these just gorgeous vehicles had that tall winged-chrome-bird on the hood. I thought, "What a shame you had to die to ride in one of those."

When I found my Clipper five years ago, I was thrilled. Even though it needed a year of DIY work to be road worthy, I felt no need to start a Project Blog here on PackardInfo. The Clipper was an 'older restoration' not a project, Right?
NO! Wrong!

Now I am smarter.
Five years of fixing, repairing, driving, patching, showing, owning, storing, and repeating all the above have taught me that --
"Every old Packard is a project"
Whether you start with someone else's 'baby' from 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago, there was a continual need to learn, study, fix, patch, authenticate and enjoy this machine, and its history.

While "Clipper Jack", as I call this 41, did not need major rebuild or overhaul work, 20 years of neglect and storage had not treated it well. It lacked regular running, repair, and basic TLC.

[add pict engine compartment. 2007]
[ update to 2010]

Stored indoors all those years, the body was solid, but it needed 100s of improvements.

HILLBILLY PACKARDS.

"The home of Hillbilly Packards" is a shed in the Ozarks. Here my brother Ray and I have developed a retirement game called :Hillbilly Packarding." Located just 75 miles north of Branson, Missouri and 140 miles south of Kansas City this small town setting

After devoting three years of "rolling restoration work" on my 41 Clipper, I suggested tha Ray take it to his house in Bolivar, Missouri. My winters in South Dakota are long and cold.) After my brother, Ray, and I enjoyed the Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand Nat'l in Kansas City in 2010, I suggested that Ray take Clipper to his house. After a winter of driving and repairing it, Ray wanted to buy it. Reluctant to sell it, I suggested that we find him a Clipper as well. Enter one 46 Packard Clipper that was a definite project car. That is what is being overhauled presently at HillBilly Packard.

"41 CLIPPER JACK"
Dan's 41 Clipperpackardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/registry/index.php?Action=view&ID=120

"Clipper Jack" -- I found this 1941 Clipper in Versailles, Kentucky in 2007, stored at Brookdale Farm (brookdalefarm.com/contact-us.shtml ) by the nephew of the original restorer.? After an interview by Louie Logan, manager of the nephew's thoroughbred horse farm, I now realize I was approved for the 'adoption' of this family-heirloom-retirement-project Packard.? It is an older restoration from the early 1980s; a retirement-hobby project of a Packard lover who I never knew, named Jack Williams, from El Reno, Oklahoma. Thus, I named the car "Clipper Jack" in tribute to them both.

Clipper Jack had been silent for about 20 years since Jack's death.? Evelyn, his widow, kept the car for about 15 years after her husband's death.? I surmise that selling it to someone who would 'hot rod' it, would have broken Evelyn's heart and the family members' honor as well.? I found a rusty screwdriver (presumably Jack's) under the back seat which I also rejuvenated and added to the tools I am using on the car. I am pleased to watch this Packard puppy come back to life with each new upgrade. A 1941 Packard Clipper -- first of the Clippers.

I have done ongoing maintenance and rehab on the original engine (120,000 miles), generator, starter, and distributor.? Other work has involved brake and master cylinder rebuild, front suspension, and drive train rehab. I? use it as a daily driver vehicle 8 months out of the year.? Turn Signals and Seat (lap) Belts are added for safety.? [double bulbs added in rear turn signals and hazard lights.? Also 4" turn signal lamps concealed behind the side grilles].? The original radio is rebuilt and working with an authentic rotary roof antenna added.? Drive train is now refurbished to operate at highway speeds.? Overdrive is operational in all three gears. In the front suspension the upper control arm pins and bushings were replaced. Front end aligned.? The shocks were not operational (no fluid) when purchased in 1997, and then they leaked fluid badly whenever I added it.? I considered rebuilds.? However, after adding fluid about 3 times (with higher viscosity each time) they quite leaking.? (Someone told me many shocks had leather washers in them that become dry and rehydrate in fresh fluid, Don't know). ? BUT the shocks have been functioning for the last 2000 miles.??? The re-upholstery is corded cloth on seats (not authentic) and smooth camel on door panels and headliner (close enough to authentic).? Incorrect carpet was replaced with closer match to original colors.?

Solid metal throughout with no old damage. Older repaint (25 yr old) shows well with nicks and scratches. Color is close to Flare Taupe and waxes well with lots of curb appeal. The paint code might originally be BG which is two-tone with the top (above the rain gutter) being Laguna Maroon Metallic with the bottom as Flare Taupe. I may repaint it those colors IF I become wealthier than I ever expect to be. ;)

PHOTOS TO COME:
STAY TUNED.

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"Clipper Jack" has made it into the PACKARD CORMORANT current ISSUE FOR WINTER 2014, PAGE 25.

I WAS SURPRISED to see that Stuart Blond used my photo and description in the Clipper feature issue. The section on 1941-1947 Clippers is well done.

I am in Missouri at Hillbilly Packard Bothers (which is what brother Ray and I call our Packard tinkering hobby.) Ray's is a 1946 Clipper. Mine is a 1941.

Clipper Jack was back on the road today after a long year of dis-repair. After a much needed car wash and fresh gasoline he sailed Twenty miles down the road. 50 to 65 mph and going well.

This is an old photo of Clipper my 41 from when I kept it at my home in South Dakota.

Tomorrow we take the front clip off of Rays 46.
Joy. Joy (Not Henry Joy)

More later ....
Dan

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I dont see any photos or link to photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The photos keep attaching UPSIDE DOWN!
Obviously we are NOT working on the ceiling here.
BUT the whole shop seems to be "down under."

ONE LAST TRY!!!

The second photo shows the FIRE in the wood stove.
This is HILLBILLY Packard Brothers INC.

The last shows the Brothers themselves.
RAY on the left and DAN on the right.
CLIPPER JACK in the middle. The good lookin' 41 Clipper.

Dan Leininger

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ONE MORE

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Great photos--thanks.

Hi

By those smiles, looks as if you two are having a lot of fun! Working on cars can be frustrating but when its on worthwhile cars, makes things a bit easier.

Steve

I started this Hillbilly Packard Project Blog just 15 months ago. My repair and restoration of "Clipper Jack" goes back SEVEN years to the fall of 2007.

This was ----
NO Frame-OFF job;
NO SHOW CAR project;
NO PRO SHOP garage.
JUST a DIY, tinker, grease monkey, knuckle-buster, hobby, TLC repair, recondition, rollin, restoration.

I recently discovered some photos of the 2007-2008 trip to KY to pick up this Clipper, along with early repair work that followed. These pictures reminded me of how neglected this engine was as well as all the work I have done in the last seven years.

So I would like to post them here and elaborate in the narrative that opens this Project Blog.

HAULING RIG
Having NO car trailer, I rented a U-Haul trailer in South Dakota. The trailer was shorter than I wanted, but I thought it could work. SO, I hooked up my Chevy Silverado to the trailer and packed to go.


Once I got to Versailles KY, Louie Logan had parked the Clipper in front the blacktop road in front of a horse barn. It was a beautiful sight. WE shook hands and I loaded the beast onto the little trailer. As we turned around in the lawn around the barn, I realized how short to\he U-Haul rig actually was. Photos 2 & 3

The trip home was nearly a 1,000 miles. The Clipper pranced along behind me as if it was happy to be on the road and have a new start even if it was only a tow.

Once I got back to SD, I started repairs. The engine was a mess as seen in Photo 4. The air cleaner had 20 years of gunk in the oil bath.

The water pump needed replacement Photo 5 and 6. The back plates of the water pump, (old on left and new on right), are examples of the replacement repairs. 6, and 7.

Eventually, I had the frame up on blocks, floor jacks, and a hydraulic jack (I like 2 or 3 backup supports before I crawl under 3800 lb of old steel.

The water pump and brake master cylinder were rebuilt, repainted and reinstalled.

When I replaced the center grill, I paused for a photo opportunity on the design that facinates me most on the 41 Clippers, including Clipper Jack.

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Its been SIX Years since my last Blog post. (Long Story for Later).

I have a Packard transmission question about reverse gear engagement. Maybe it belongs on the general forum section, but I'll start here for now.

PROBLEM: Reverse gear no longer works.

It worked for 400 miles after we got this "stray 47 Clipper" on the road several months ago. After backing up in reverse about 75 feet a month ago, it has worked intermittently.
Now it does not work at all.
The linkage feels smooth and reverse SEEMS to be engaging from the feel in the gear shift on the column.

Our mechanic has looked at it. He removed the cover. Everything seems to be in order.

Putting it up on a frame lift with the wheels free hanging, the wheels TURN in REVERSE gear. The reverse gear appears to works.

However, then the frame lift is lowered and the wheels are on the ground, AGAIN REVERSE GEAR does not work.

1. Any Ideas on this mystery of reverse gear?

2. Could it involve the shoe [3.242] on the reverse gear / 1st gear shift fork? [3.240]
See Illustration below.

Dan

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