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Not the point. I like red. Witness:

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Well.....it's definitely bright.

Just not up my alley is all, really.


Ford does a good shade of a maroony-red on their trucks. I'm almost considering it for the six coupe project, but that waaay down the road as of yet.

Didn't get a lot of shop work in this weekend. It was a touch cold Saturday, too cold to be out there playing in its current draughty condition. Sunday was an improvement even if cool-n-chill. There were other errands to run as well. Got a few more ceiling supports in for a few more lights as the plan came together in my head. The table will be brighter still.


A friend of ours is looking for a 356 solenoid for his starter. Seems those things have now achieved Hens' Teeth status in the NOS category. So I fished through my stuff and found an allegedly rebuilt starter with solenoid intact. I could get the starter to run but was unsure what to do to test to see if I could make the solenoid do its thing in the bench - which was actually in the horsehouse since my spare 6v battery has given up the ghost. I asked a practical old car buddy and he gave me what he thought would work. Tried it. It did. Now I have a solenoid to remove, pack and ship Over There. And some more here to hunt down and test. And his old one when it arrives to disassemble and fix, if possible. It can't be that difficult.


I guess that it's time to spring for an Optima, too. Gotta have a spare battery.


Also, I need to get after dealing with this hulk of a Henney, but I think I require for it to be a touch warmer, and probably the days a touch longer.

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It is possible that Wat is becoming slightly notorious in the greater Packard community in the Mid-Atlantic and Points West area. A guy called out of the blue with what amounts to a 356 short block. He bought it for the head. Said I had inquired after the engine last fall. I did? Oh, okay. No matter.


And it seems that he has that '47 Super which has made the southeast rounds on Facebook Marketplace since last fall also. He did mention a number closer to the one that it started out at, which begins to make it more interesting.


Looks like more road trips as Spring makes its way here . . . .

Just cut a deal for a 1954 327 engine with, of all things, a 3-speed trans. No o/d but it has all of the stick stuff that I'll need for those other engines plus a good starter, which neither one has.


Business Day around the house. It happens sometimes . . . .


E/T/A: I reckon that this means that there will be a spare 327 engine from the flywheel mounting flange forward available to a good home at some point in the near future.

Off tomorrow. Bought a tractor (my first Ford anything - ever!!!) which I have to pick up, and there's the older truck I am gifting to the landlady. It's time for it to get its own set of Farm tags.


We'll score some engines on this weekend's drive, the ones I mentioned in the previous post.


I got a job offer I don' refuse. I took it. It means I'll be migrating back to VA for awhile, and I'll be tending to Mom some more. Couldn't convince her to move here no matter how many lies I told her about how badly the horses wanted her to. Anyway, I'm not sure what Packarding is going to look like for the foreseeable future, but I'm sure it will be something.

Went and picked up the 356 "short block" today, still with a bellhousing and clutch bits. No manifolds. No matter, as Wat has all of that. The old guy had stripped off the goodies and pitched them. So Wat made him a low-ball offer, which was rejected outta hand. Then Wat went to what he would pay, cash on the barrel head, which was also rejected.


"I've got them for sale on eBay."


"Unh hunh. You still have them. I'm standing right here in your garage with cash in my pocket."


No matter, got the engine bits. Here's wagering that I hear from him in 6 weeks with something more along the line of what he thinks that Wat would spend. Of course, Wat will be returning to his original offer, price of gasoline what it is.


The moral of the story is: never overpay for Packard parts. The supply is dwindling, but the demand is dwindling faster.


There's a 327 to score come Sunday.

Finally made it back Out West with this weekend's Packard bits scavenging complete and bits on the trailer. Heavy bits.


The 356 is a '47 with block, crank assembly, valve train assembly, clutch and bellhousing, water pump, damper, oil filter and lines . . . and no head studs. The other pieces were looted from it to be eBayed for maximum fun-n-profit by the seller. He bought it because he needed the head. Wat has other 356 bits here and can always use another block in case one has a crack or something else wrong with it. That's the thinking.


This particular piece of Packard fruit over ripe in the tree is a complete (or all but) 1954 327 Clipper engine, rated at 165 horses. Yeah, okay. It was bought for the bellhousing and clutch pieces to be used with one of the 359 engines so it can have a manual trans instead of a slushbox. There is a 3-speed non-overdrive transmission included with it, and I can assure you that it can be had quite reasonably by anyone who wants it. The engine is loose and still has oil in the crankcase. Hell, it might fire off with a bit of tinkering. We'll see.

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Unloaded the trailer yesterday, placing the recently acquired 356 "shortblock" into the horse house in the Engine Stall. There are a few transmissions in there, too.


Not to fear, Fred supervised the entire effort, and there is photographic proof:

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