Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

After viewing the blog for years, I decided I should add my project to the list. I can't tell you all how much I appreciate your efforts on this blog. I've had my basket case Patrician since around 2008. It is a solid, surface rust only, California desert car. I purchased it for $300 with a cracked block. I've only recently started to work on the car more than a few minutes here and there. Over the years I've removed the engine and transmission, interior, and other parts. I decided to work from the bottom up on the car. I have taken the body off the frame and replaced all the bushings, I've done the brakes and axel seals. I still need the reconnect the sway bars (new bushings) and replace the brake and fuel lines. Before I place the body back on, should I scrape the undercoating off? What color should I paint it? Chassis black or Jade White? What material do you use for the fuel line? Thanks ahead of time for any help.

Wow, excellent progress so far. I would suggest a copper nickel line, you can bend them by hand and adjust them in situ if needed. As opposed to like stainless steel which probably requires a bender for any bend. Same for brake lines. I know people like stainless steel for longevity...

Here's a point of comparison: the skin of the Statue of Libery is only twice as thick as the wall of your brake line (yes, really) and it lasted about 100 years completely outdoors, before developing holes. So unless you're going to be driving through the rain and snow for years on end, I don't see a point to stainless steel.

I would get the entire body to bare metal. Undercoating has no use nowadays compared to why it was originally applied. The factory color is chassis black (semi gloss) and that's what I would go with, personally.

Good job! If you want undercoating, you can put it back after it's all assembled which is the way it was done originally.

AL,

Good to see you're doing a Project Blog.

Because of that, I've taken the "liberty" to add the photo of your '55 Patrician to your Registry entry.

If you don't want that photo in the registry, I can delete it.

Or, if you wish to update your Registry entry youself, you always do so by clicking on the "Make Changes" field found at the bottom left of the entry. Make the changes required then click on the "Save Changes" button found at the bottom of the entry.

Been a long while since I posted. Life and one hot summer gave me a pause. I finally installed the new brake and fuel lines. New shocks, reworked electrical for the torsion level, rebuilt power steering valve and cylinder, brakes,.... just need to clean the undercoating off and paint before placing the body back on the frame. Now the age old dilemma of what to do for body mounts? Still searching for something that might work. Has anyone else discovered body mounts shoved under the upper part of the front fender? I had one on each side.
[

Yes, that was common and was used to help align the front fenders. They were also under my 54 fenders in the came location.

Yes that is correct.

Things like that can appear on all years if something went amiss with a part alignment during a weld or sometimes a design issue or even on purpose if something on the shelf would work to fill a need to control a rattle or poor fit without designing something new. 55s in particular were affected with body fit issues. The hurried Connor Ave plant move and Packards sudden forced entry back into the body business had some real production problems and poor bodywork was an issue. There are a couple of the Packard history books that contain several memos Nance wrote to his production guy, Ray Powers, regarding the numerous poor body build issues and how long it was taking to get things right..

I believe that part is 444991. "Anti-Squeak—Front Fender"