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Kev, I know I've said it before but it deserves being said again - I continue to be astounded by what you've managed to accomplish! Simply outstanding!!

Kevin,

Super job. Excellent workmanship. Your blog is an excellent resource for those of us who want to ressurect our 51-54 Packards. I will certainly use it as a reference if/when I decide to spruce up the Caribbean. Keep on keeping on

Thanks guys for the good comments! It's been a great learning experience for me.

So some minor progress tonight. I replaced the modern style screw clamps that were on two of the heater hose ends with the correct Corbin Style wire hose clamps. (I have 23 spare ones if some one needs one!).

So with the dash completely out of the car, I was going to put the seat back in so I have somewhere to sit while I take care of running the new wiring and other under-dash chores.

I remembered that a couple of years ago I had bought a set of NOS aftermarket 50's nylon seat covers off of eBay. So I figure I would install them to cover my unsightly rodent destroyed seats. First I used some compressed air to blow off any loose stuffing, cushion foam and rodent left overs. The I double folded a mexican blanket and laid it over the the seat bottom for a little extra support. Then the seat covers went on. These are two piece covers (back and bottom) and are designed to be hog-ringed in place. So current it's just pulled over and tucked in. I will secure everything later.

These are for sure 50's jet-age style! Tacky 50's Jetage aftermarket at it's best! But much nicer that my mexican blankets. They will look better once I am able to hog-ring them in place. These will do me just fine until I am ready and can afford to have all the upholstery done.

Also I changed the terminal boot on the battery to the correct black one. Neither the battery not the J-Bolts are correct style. But they will hold fine for now until I am to get the correct size battery and find OE style bolts.

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Well haven't been in the garage the last week due to the heat. But hopefully I can get back out there this weekend.

Anyone know of a place that sells 20"+ bullseye picks that are not $70+?

They work great for working out small dings and low-spots.

Kev - Looking great!! Your blogs are helping me learn more about my car. Thanks much! I'm putting in new carpet soon but will bag up the old for historic purposes (really torn up but confirmed to be original)

Went to the local mom and pop hardware store up the street and they had small hog rings and cheap hog ring pliers that will work for securing the seat covers.

So back to the garage to get those covers done. There was too much old fabric and jammed in the crack between the seat bottom and seat back, so I removed the bolts to separate the back of the seat from the bottom. That when I discovered about 3 lbs of rat droppings. At that point the seat fabric all most non-existant and all the foam, batting and burlap deteriorated so badly, I just decided to strip the seat to the frame. I just couldn't bear to sit of that old seat material after seeing how bad it was.

The frame is in good shape with just some minor surface rust in a couple of spots. I will give it a coat of gray paint before rebuilding it. Were the seat springs originally painted yellow? I noticed traces of yellow paint on them, while the frame is for sure gray.

I need to go pick up some new burlap, seat foam, batting, and a couple of cans of spray adhesive.

The seat back is it far better shape with 80% of the fabric still there and suitable for patterns. The seat bottom had only about 15% of the fabric still in tack.

Just a note for others. Take your seats apart outside. That old foam literally turns to dust when you start removing it. It took me the better part of an hour to clean all the mess from the garage floor.

Hi Big Kev:

Stumbled across your forum topic today and I can't tell you how glad I am to see what you've done to that car.

I was the original buyer for that car on eBay back in December 2004. It was offered as a package deal along with the 1941 Packard Henney Service Car (barely showing in your first photo). It was the '41 I was after and I probably bid way too much (the last minute competing bidder told me later he wanted to make a hot rod out of the Henney, so it was probably a good thing I got it after all).

When I met the seller in San Bernardino a few weeks later I decided there was just no way I could deal with the '54. I barely have room for the cars I already have, I didn't want to pay to have it towed back home to Santa Barbara and then pay to store it while I try to sell it and I didn't want to leave it down there, pay for storage (though it is a LOT cheaper than here) try to sell it and drive down again for each potential buyer, so I told the seller she could have it back.

I haven't read all 40 pages of your adventures yet, but thank you for turning that poor car around and making it a proud Packard again!

Best Regards,

Neal

P.S. Here's a shot of your car during the few minutes I owned it. The Henney by the way was crammed full of trash. Apparently a few renters in the nearby storage building just dumped all their trash in the Henney when they cleaned out their units. We also found several black widows including the largest one I've ever seen. No rat poop though, I guess they preferred your car. :)

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Neal,

Glad to here from you! I wondered what had happened to the Henney. The seller told me that she had both of the cars up for sale and the buyer only wanted the '41.

Yup that Clipper was very rough. Still is it some places, but slowly coming back together. I think I bought it in Feb 2005 for $500. The trunk was full of trash since it was missing it's lock.

How is the Henney coming?

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Kevin and others, please use a good quality breathing mask when working around deposits like this. These old desert cars are prime places for the Hunta virus (Black Plague). Do not breathe this stuff. After you have removed the interior material from the car, bag it up in double or triple garbage bags to safely contain it. If you used a vacuum cleaner, do the same with the debris from it, including the filter. Be careful what you do with your dirty clothes. Probably the best thing to do is to dress in a paper painters outfit and dispose of it after the job is done. Approach the job like it is an a hazardous material site. It is. All this stuff is contaminated. Better safe than sorry.

(o{I}o)