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It's a great color and looks like it was well cared for-- buying a vehicle from Amish people would seem to have advantages. Looks like the storage area was clean and dry. No bird droppings visible. Mice and other rodents might be a different story, but you'll soon know about that. If you DON'T have rodent problems, thank the stars and be really careful not to let them get started.

Can't wait to see some more pics.

Car restoration seems to be a remarkably good learning experience for a lot of kids. An outfit called Newgate School has been operating in my neighborhood for years and is very successful, taking donated cars and rebuilding them (they started long before car donating got to be big business). Very nice success story in Minneapolis, and would probably be a source of good ideas on how to organize your efforts with the crew.

Having a Packard mascot for your Packard Institute can create a great sense of identity and name recognition, as well as fun and a sense of accomplishment.

Looking forward to seeing more.

completely off topic, but i have that same tractor at home. Old cub lowboy! i think it has about 60psi of compression on a good day, but it still runs great.

On topic, that car is looking great! good luck with her! Rstoring cars and trucks and tractors has been great for me, and i hope if i have kids smeday, there will still be some old classics left around for me to teach them too!

A quick update. We've located a garage space just off of the Tallmadge Circle in Tallmadge, Ohio - and will be moving this 1949 restoration forward this month. Any consultation or other support is deeply appreciated. We have a (small) budget... and plenty of elbow grease.

Welcome to the Packard family. I seem to have soft spot for the Bathtub Packard body style (1948-1950). If your radiator is damaged I would donate a radiator from my 1949 parts car. If you need other parts I will donate them if I still have what you need. I have been picking parts off the 49 for a few years but still have most of the parts. Let me know if I can be of help to your project.

Packard taximan
Roger Lamm

This project has me completely baffled. You know nothing about fixing old cars. Your young charges know even less. The Packard company went out of business years before they were born and probably before you were born.

I can't see anything about this whole thing that has the slightest relevance to you, the children or your work.

I'm not being smart here. I wish you and the young people the best. I just can't understand why you are doing this, or what the point is.

Rusty O/'Toole wrote:

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C'mon Rusty, surely you're not serious with such commentary.

Are you telling me that people who don't know anything about fixing old cars are prohibited from working on them with their own two hands?

Are you telling me there's something wrong with troubled youth channelling their energies into a constructive learning experience? Would you rather that, upon finding an old car in a barn, the woods, or some back alley, they use it for target practice?

Are you saying there's no value in people learning about history which predates their birth? Heck, we might as well close all the museums and archives, then. Anyone up for a good book burning?

Don't you think that maybe one of the kids involved in this project might, then, be inspired to pursue a career in the automotive field or even the hobby?

How is this project any less worthwhile than restorations that countless vocational schools across the country have taken on in their automotive curriculums for decades?

What baffles me is all the whining that goes on in club circles about the graying of the hobby. It's gonna take a lot more than taking a kid to a car show or getting them signed up in a club to fix that problem.

Meanwhile, I look forward to hearing more on this project as it progresses.

I find this "project" interesting as well. You'll find the "tubs" to be a fairly simple and straight-forward car to work on. I have 2 younger guys 21-25 that come down to learn about working on my old cars, Packard included. Someday, I'll teach 'em how to drive 3 on the tree, it's a lost art.
BTW, Packard was a memory long before I was born too.

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The point is simple: A few interested adults want to help a few receptive kids learn about something new and, in the process, learn something about themselves.

I first cut my teeth on a neighbor's '47 Ford. He didn't really offer much hands-on training as his time was limited, but allowing me the chance to tinker, his support of my interest in the car and his enthusiasm in seeing my progress was enough to spark my passion for old cars. More importantly, that experience (which didn't really involve a 'finished product') helped me to build trust in my abilities and to learn from my many mistakes. I can't imagine how different my teenage years would've been had he turned me away because I had no working knowledge of cars or because Ford stopped producing flatheads nearly 25 years before I was born.

I wish the everyone involved in this project much success. Most folks here will be happy to answer your questions and support your efforts.

Well, we had the 49 flatbedded over our work space - a garage just off of Six Corners in Tallmadge - down from Summit Auto Racing for all you auto buffs. We've drained the oil (several quarts of clear water drained first?). I'm looking for new plugs. The kid at Autozone stared blankly at the Auto-Lite P4s. Even their computer drew a blank. Any recommendations here? For a car than has been sitting in a barn for a quarter of a century - the old girl seems remarkably solid. The engineering remains largely tight. The belts and hoses seem OK. While the old battery still held a couple of volts, we'll need a new 6volt. Can they be found on the cheap? Next Sunday we'll flush the radiator, gas tank, and oil. If she holds tight we'll try to crank her up. For THIS I will upload a video - stay tuned. Thanks for all the support here. The kids are really fired up on this. At least it's one day a week they're not out smoking pot. Oh, and Mr. Lamm thanks for the offer of the spare radiator. We'll know next Sunday.

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Thanks for the update and I wish you well on your project. When/if we attend the joint Studebaker/Packard cruise at Summit Racing this year, we can drop over and see your project first hand.