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Greetings from South Africa. This is said to be the only 1950 still driveable in South Africa!
I bought this car from a collector that has had it since 1994. Previously it was owned by anothet collector that did a nice restoration but over the years it was left alone and never used. Its condition deteriorated and he agreed to sell it to me. It was quite an adventure to get it home, but has already been registered in my name. We have a special registration option for cars older than 40 years where you dont need roadworthiness and the costs is less. I have started cleaning it and removed the deteriorated carpets. The engine runs very smooth and I replaced all fluids and filters. The chrome work needs attention. Next i will try getting a replacement oil filter...none found here in South africa yet.

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Barries,

Welcome to the Website! I think you are our first Member from Africa! The guys here are very knowledgable so don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Also, if you haven't already, please add you car to Owners Registry.

Barrie,

I 'd also like to extend a warm welcome to a Springbok/Protea. The '50 looks good and as Kev said there are plenty of knowledgeable people here willing to help and assist.

Again

PS - Join in the chat room sometime and we can talk in more depth about things Packard.

Barrie, a warm welcome to a new Packard owner. This a good group and can help you find parts as well as answer questions. Don't hesitate - jump in with both feet!

Barries: I would also like to exctend a very warm welcome to the forum. You will find plenty of information and help in this web site.

Can you tell us a little about the car hobby in South Africa.


John F. Shireman

africapackard -

Nice to see another newcomer from around the globe. Though my primary Packard interests rest with the V8 models of 1955-56, your pix really caught my eye.

I first noticed references to Export models in the factory service and parts information when I got into the hobby, some 30 years ago, but didn't really understand much about them until, ten years later, when I picked up a copy of Brooklands' Packard Gold Portfolio 1946-1958. At first glance, I thought some of the negatives had simply been reversed, until I realized that these were Export models and set up with right-hand control (RHC). I am not a collector of such automobiles, but always enjoy seeing RHCs that have survived.

Hope to hear (and see) more of your progress with restoration in the Project Blogs, but don't be shy about asking questions in the "Post-War (1946-54)" Forum. There are many good people here (and more coming) who may be of great help to you.

Welcome Aboard!

I would also like to say welcome. I thought you might like to know that your car is pretty rare. Packard only make 2,950 export cars for the 23rd series which were made in both 1949 and 1950.

Welcome to the forum. My wife lived in South Africa for several years before coming to Canada. She grew up in Natal Province. It's a country I would dearly love to visit. Good luck with your lovely Packard!

Thanks for the words of welcome. I am sure that I will tap your knowledge exstensively!

I am a member of the Piston Ring Club Piston Ring
The old car scene is alive and well here in South Africa. our best asset is our hot climate and older vehicles are mostly rust free although sun bleached! There are various clubs and meetings held all over the country. We received most American automobiles in SA before the sanction years so you can still get them here. I also have a 1963 vw beetle, a 1961 Chevrolet Apache truck and a 1974 VW Jurgens Autovilla - a caravan built on top of a vw bus here locally in South Africa. Clipper47 - you must surely come for a holiday. It is relatively save for Africa and the climate and nature is probably the best you'll find. Natal especially is wonderfull with its tropical climate.

My standard is a right hand drive version and it is interesting to see the mods to the excelerator linkages and clutch. The excelerator doesn't link over the top of the head which probably makes it less complicated. It also has no heater, dont know if it was removed or just not installed because of our climate. There is no radio as well.

According to the previous owner, a collector of Packards, this is the only 1950 still driveable locally. He owns the other 3 but they are wrecked. He's got an exstensive collection of packards including a rare woody and also a 7 passenger.

During the weekend I did the following:

Replaced all water hoses and thermostat.
Removed and cleaned out the radiator which are surprisingly clean. Painted radiator, fan and water neck with heat resitant paint. Also flushed the head after 2 hours struggle to remove the copper bolt next to the starter. Eventually had to drill it out.
Cleaned out years of dirt and rust from the sill cavities under the doors. Still need to think of a solution to get some rust inhibitor in there. Luckily no rust through.
Removed rear door cards and painted inside of door with a tar like paint to prevent any rust.
Painted boot with rust inhibitor. No rust present.
Problems so far:
Squeling noise from water pump. Thought it was the old dry fan belt, but a new one didnt solve the problem. Probably a dry water pump bearing? No play is evident on the fan and pump.
Thermostat i got is a 82 celsius. Seems I need a 65 celsius? It overheated initially and now seems to settle down at around 90 celsius on the after market mechanical temp guage.
Replaced copper drain plug on block with a stainless steel bolt temporarily. Cant find a copper plug yet.

Next on the agenda is painting the cavities and replacing the door cards and locks/handles after a thorough cleaning. Also need to look at brakes as they are non existant - luckily the hand brake works great.

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Cylinder block water jacket drain plug is brass, not copper, and it's a pipe (tapered) thread so don't ruin the threads in the block by trying to put a bolt into it! It's a very standard hardware/plumbing item, thread is 3/8 NPT as I remember.