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Hello everyone,

I am finally going to start a thread on 1932 Eight Deluxe Phaeton that my wife and I purchased back in June 2023. Progress has been pretty slow the first year and a half but I am starting to pick up some steam. I will start with a little background on myself and the car.

About me:
I have owned and restored several cars over the past few decades but I have never owned anything like this Packard. This has definitely been a huge learning experience for me! I have got a pretty decent home shop and if possible, I try to do all of my own work. Obviously, there are some items that a person can't do at home, but I try to keep that to a minimum. I recently retired (26 years combined service between the Army and Coast Guard) so I should have plenty of time on my hands to devote to the car!

More importantly, about the car!!:

Shortly after we purchased the car, a gentleman named Marc Ohm reached out to me regarding some of the history of the car. He had compiled an extensive amount of information on the car and I am VERY grateful for him sharing that with me.

According to the Firewall Data Plate, the vehicle was delivered to its original owner on May 26, 1933 by The Perry Motor Car Company although Mr. Ohm does not believe that this is entirely accurate. He believes that the vehicle was indeed at the Perry Motor Car Company (St. Louis, MO) but was transferred to the Stumpe Packard Dealership in Washington, MO where it was then sold to it’s original owner.

The original owner was the Funeral Director of the Nieberg-Vid Funeral Home in Washington MO. This vehicle was used for his personal transportation. The funeral home also purchased two 1933 Packard Limousines to serve as hearses. The Nieberg-Vid funeral home was sold to a Mr. Miller who also kept the Packard as his personal transportation. Eventually, the vehicle was purchased by a Mr. Bill Beaver. For some reason (unknown), Mr. Beaver sold the rear windshield of the vehicle. No record is known to where the windshield is today.

Mr. William “Bill” McClain then purchased the vehicle (late 1960’s-early 1970’s). Mr. McClain utilized the vehicle occasionally for parades, daughter’s wedding, etc. It was most likely last driven in the late 1970's when it was parked into storage.

My wife and I then purchased the car and brought it back to Virginia.

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  '32 Packard in Barn.jpg (3,783.39 KB)

In an effort to try and track down additional information on the car, I reached out to the Washington Missouri Historical Society to see if they could dig anything up. They were extremely helpful but all of the leads turned into dead-ends.

Notes:
1: The vehicle received one re-paint, new seat upholstery, and a new top. Most likely in the 1950’s.
2: The vehicle is missing it’s original Detroit Lubricator carburetor and ignition switch.
3: The vehicle currently wears 1932 Twin Six headlights, turn signals and bumper. Mr. Ohm believes that they were most likely added by the original selling dealer and have been on the car since new.
4: There is black and white photograph on the wall of the Applebee’s Restaurant in Washington, MO showing the rear of the vehicle in front of a large tent. There is a sign on the back of the vehicle which states:

VIST THE
Washington FAIR
AUG, 8-9-10-11

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  1932 Packard Washington, MO State Fair.jpg (2,381.65 KB)

Overall, the car is extremely solid and very intact. It has never been restored but it was stored in an non-climate controlled environment that also seemed to be the home of many different rodents and animals.

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  '32 Packard in Barn_4.jpg (4,137.63 KB)

The story of how my Sandy and I came to purchase the car is pretty crazy in itself. I have attached a section of the Summer 2023 Colonial Region of the CCCA Newsletter that my Packard friend Al Becker put together if anyone finds the urge to read the story.

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First order of business was to get it cleaned up a bit to see what I was working with. I spent a couple of days cleaning, vacuuming rodent excrement, etc. I spent some time getting the rear brakes freed up and just spent some time assessing it.

The worst part was that the engine was locked up........ TIGHT! I played with it for several weeks (penetrating oil, ATF, etc, etc.) but it was seized hard.

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  '32 Packard LF.jpg (4,042.22 KB)


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  '32 Packard LR.jpg (5,116.11 KB)

Neat story and car! It cleaned up really well.