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acolds,
Preserve is my intention. I'll post more of the 'before' pictures.

'Let the ride decide',
As I said above, I will do my best to be the caretaker of my Great Uncles car. It was like opening a time capsule with wheels. I will post pictures of the trunk contents after I picked the lock. (It was really amazing and kinda musty.) I will petition WAVEtv for access to the video clip. I'm dying to find out if I can make out Great Uncle Larry or the car!


So the trunk was full of brick samples. Did I say that my Great Uncle was a brick yard operator / sales man? There were trade magazines, small amount of business correspondence, a spare tire that looks better than the four on the pavement, two florescent bulbs and some unopened auto supplies and the bumper jack still in the cardboard box.

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Kevinpackard,
I admit that I posted the 'good' side of the ol'Girl. There are cracks in the enamel nitrocellulose lacquer, stains in the paint, wrecked and unnoticeable repair of the trunk lid, and several patches of white rattle can touchups here and there. ...But stand back while she is freshly washed and not dried, and she looks amazing. I also always loved the 'white jade/zircon/sapphire' combo.

Ernie Vitucci,
I believe that Uncle Larry became semi-retired in 61 and no longer needed the "salesman's" car. He had a GMC truck and my Great Aunt's car (maybe an Oldsmobile) available. It was my dad who 'moved' the ignition switch out of the normal position. I found it still wired up behind the dash. I had just bought a temporary 'compatible' switch and was sizing it up when I reached up under/behind the dash and felt the original. Made me feel silly (but happy) to spend the $30 and then find the original under there. Although the keys are still missing. Maybe that is why the switch is displaced, so Dad could jumper/hotwire it. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, Dad drove/moved it from Great Uncle Larry's garage to his garage in ~1984. The tires are 95% bald and the brakes were scary when Dad moved it. Maybe those were contributing factors that got the girl parked away.

Enough of me wagging the keyboard.

Here are all of the interior dash photos 'before' I moved her to Florida...

The garage was dark, the windows were dirty, and 'stuff' was sitting on the hood. Real barn find conditions, but it was just at my Dad's house.

-zeroCool

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Here are a few pictures of the 'extraction' and loading onto a trailer. Note that the combination of the hill and placing the Caribbean too far forward caused the failure of the Suburban's air shock on one side. That delayed the ride south by a week.

My Daughter was skinny enough to be able to slip in and be the 'driver' while winching the Caribbean onto the trailer. The brakes seemed to work but the rear driver tire was unable to hold air. We dragged that one with plywood skid up the ramp.

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One week later...

Sorry Chevy fans, Ford came to the rescue to pull her south to Florida. But we are all Packard fans here!

The Caribbean script logo was a little loose. You can see where I taped it down for the ride. Would have hated to have that blow off in the middle of Georgia someplace.

-zeroCool

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Great car, and really great family history with it!! Thanks for sharing, will be looking forward to updates on your progress in cleaning it up and getting it driving.

Great machine...You are going to have a lot of fun getting her ready to drive...interesting about the ignition switch...if there is a number on it, you might be able to obtain the key code...I think Owen has said that there were about 250 codes...otherwise go to the oldest locksmith in town...I know for our Packard the blank turned out to be a standard one available at ACE Hardware...the lady just looked at the one old bent key I had and said 'Yup, how many do you want!'

We love our 49 and I did talk to her prior owner after we purchased her from a wholesaler...He was 83 when he sold the car...he had had a heart attack and the doctor told him to get his affairs in order...so he sold the Packard and lots of other stuff...and Damn! He did not die...go figure...Ernie

Correct Ernie, Packard used the same 250 keys (B&S P1251-P1500) each year starting in 1935 and running thru 1956.