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Hello everybody,
My name is Sam, and I am a student at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology studying Mechanical Engineering. While not studying (which is very rare), I am in the process of restoring my family's 1941 Packard One-Twenty. As of right now, the car has been completely stripped and is about to make a journey to the media blaster. My overall plans for the car are to keep a stock appearance while adding some modern comforts such as a 12-volt electrical system, improved sound system, etc.

The car was delivered to Edward Solbrig Packard in Chicago, Illinois, on April 1, 1941. The car has never left the Chicagoland area, and my father acquired the car in 1975. He is only the third owner of the car, and the Packard has just over 48,000 original miles to it. Due to a combination of lacking funding and shop skills, the car sat around in various states of disrepair since he purchased it. Finally with the proper funding, we took the car to a restoration shop in Wisconsin five years ago hoping to have a frame off restoration, but after getting jacked around on work and billing, we decided to use the car as a project for me and some other engineering students. For example, our Internal Combustion Engines class will be tearing down the 282 CI straight-8 engine to diagnose any problems such as a cracked block or rusted piston.

Below are some pictures on what I've accomplished since I obtained possession of the car this past July. So far, I have stripped the entire interior, removed the exhaust, fuel tank, engine and transmission, and have disconnected the body from the frame except for the steering column. The car is entirely complete, and will be trailered this month to Indianapolis for blasting. Any comments, questions, or concerns are greatly appreciated.

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Here are some more pictures of the work in progress.

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Sam,

I'll be following along as your restoration of the '41 progresses.
And, for including your '41 One-Twenty 4-Door Touring Sedan in the Packard Owner's Registry.

I'll be following, too, Sam. You can get a lot of free advice here that is very valuable from knowledgeable people. And moral support from people like me. The Duchess is a family car, too. My first bit of advice is for you to ask, Which parts should go to a metal cleaning (rust tank) place and which parts to a media blasting place? My second is Do not through ANYTHING away, not matter how rusty, crusty, bent, or beat up. Good luck.
Joe
The Duchess Project

Nice car. I like that it doesn't have sidemounts.
My first suggestion is to keep it 6-volt.

Ah.... brings back memories of my first Packard, also a 1941 "120" sedan, Chicory green metallic over Grove green; bought about 1958 or 59 for $25 from the original owner. Lots of great memories of that car even though I only had it for 3 years. I agree with West, do your very best to keep it authentic.

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looks like it has the color tone interior trim (dash painted, colored plastic) which was in my opinion an attractive option. be aware that some parts interchange between 110-120-160(swb) - the crew here can help with specifics.

Your blog looks so similar to mine! I will be following - also avalible if you have some questions.. Great looking project!

Time for an update. The steering column is still not out of the car, but I have made some progress in other departments. I rented a steering wheel puller but stripped the threads out of the two smaller holes in the wheel, so I was unable to remove the wheel. This week I'm going to tap new threads into the holes that will match the diameter of the puller screws, and we will try it again.

However, all of the electrical is out of the car along with the majority of the brake lines. I have also removed all of the pedals as well as the under-the-seat heater mechanism. We are that much closer to our date with the media-blaster but are not quite there yet. Some pictures are included.

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After the debacle with the steering wheel puller on Sunday, I spent today retapping the two holes in the steering wheel to a 5/16" diameter. The two pressure bolts fit perfectly inside these new holes, and after attaching the rest of the puller mechanism, I was successful in removing the steering wheel.

Afterwards, I turned my attention to removing the pitman arm from the gearbox. I rented a pitman arm puller, and without any issues, the arm disconnected, and I now had a free steering column. I slid the column out of the hole in the firewall, and afterwards, I went ahead and was able to somewhat lift the body upwards an inch or so on each side of the car, proving to me that there are no connections between the body and the frame. My work thus far is complete, and I am reconfirming the dates with the mediablaster tomorrow.

Thank you guys for your interest in the project as well as your help and expertise. I'd be extremely lost without the forum and its members. Some pictures from today are below.

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