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We have much experience with sheet meatl work. The arches are no problem as are the rockers. We have sheet metal quality tools at our disposal. I personally fabricated the curved rear middle section of the rear tail pan of a 53 clipper, an dmy bro welded it in This same part would have fit all the cars those years. These were made from 18 gauge steel welded in place. We also have the rollers to put the strength channels in the floor boards to look original. Check out pic's. Many more pic's available. For god sake fix it right for ever. Don't settle for cheap quality

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Well, since I have been asking on the forum, and around my neighborhood shops here, I've gotten a lot of options... I'll give "classicparts" a shot, and if the parts don't satisfy me then I'll chalk it up as "Lern Geld" (education money) and fab the parts locally. I think the work will be done in the fall either with parts I ship from the US, or made here.
Tobs
I also learned how to say "bondo" in german, "spachtel" in case anybody was wondering

packprince -

Nice metal work! Would love to see more of the progress on the rear fender.

As for the rockers, most of the aftermakret ones that I've seen look like a simple "box" that was formed on a pan brake - YUK! The OE had more of a curve to their cross-section (plus a series of "vents" along the bottom).

Here are a couple of pictures of the finished product of the metal forming work that Mike Watson of Mucy Penna. did on my 53 Packard. Mike and his father are the owners of Watson's Body Shop.

From the chrome belt line to around the back corner below the reverse light is all new metal. Mike also made new doglegs and rocker panels for both side.

All the metal forming and body work including sand blasting and paint job six years was done at a cost $2500.00. Mike also did quality body work and paint job on my Chevelle three years ago for less than $1300.00.


John F. Shireman

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Cheap quality? Sounds like an oxymoron, but packprince is right. Do it right the first time around even though it costs more. It is cheaper in the long run. And you'll feel better knowing the job was done right.

Brian, here are some more pic's of clipper repair. Also I forgot to grab my Digital camera to take pic's of total hand made Caribbean sides. I need to take pic's of some 35mm pic's as I was not digital then in 06. One pic shows huge chunk cut out of Caribbean wheel well and looks as though it was getting ready for wheel tubs for a set of big slicks. I did not relize member was from Germany. Can't help you from here. Have some one cut it out and do it right. It is cancer. Also about the hand made Rockers... We have built three sets of them and used them. I think I have a pic of a set on the Caribbean 35mm. One week after we were done with the last set, a set of NOS ones popped up on E-Bay. I did not even bid on them. That will never happen again.

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John -

Though I've not seen your car in person, the fender repair looks good in the pix. I'm looking forward to seeing the car at Warren when you get her all put back togther ( though I know it won't be this year).

Generally, you get what you pay for, but sometimes if you know the guy real well and have plenty of time, you might get lucky like this.

packprince -

Thanks for the additional pix! There sure is a lot of detail put into the floor pan repair, for something that will be hidden by the floor covering. However, I'm the kind of owner who wants that level of metal work.

I bet you could have restored my dad's old Executive hardtop from the condition it was in when I found it resting in a field in 1976. Alas, there's not much left of it now, though, and I probably could not have afforded the work then or now.

Thankfully, my Carib Hardtop spemnt most of its life in AZ, and neither of my two Patrician need that much rust repair (hoping to tackle it myself).

Although Tobs (Mike) and his car are presently located in Germany, this is good reference info that may help him find the right shop to fit his needs and budget.

Brian, here is the metal work on a 54 Carib. Basically this was reworking a more cost affective shop's work. Remember the pay me now or pay me later slogan. Rusted up classics do not bother me now as I know my brother can repair just about anything. The last pic is of Caribbean being judged at an invite only Concourse Show. The was a lot more done to Caribbean than I showed in these 35mm pic's but you get there was alot of repair work. Thanks for the interest in our metal work. Al

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Packprince: It is nice to see that your shop does that kind of work. I took my Packard to some of the so-called top body
shops in my area, couldn't find anybody that wanted to do the body work.

I just about gave up hope of finding someone of quality that I could trust to do quality body work on my Packard. My neighbor told me to talk to Mike Watson. I visited his shop and he showed me some of the work he had done in the past. Mike gave me some names of people to contact that he had done work for. He had my Packard for better than a year
and work on it during their slow times.

Some may laugh at the price it cost me to have my the body work and paint done to my Packard. $ for $ Mike is dam good at what he does.

From the pictures you have posted packprince you seem to be a pretty fair metal bender yourself.

John F. Shireman