Packard Forum Index » General

Hi,

My name is Xavier Brulez, I'm 40 years old and I'm living in Belgium ( Europe ) in a small town called Ardooie. It's located near by Bruges ( yeah, the city starring the movie... )
I'm a American Car Addict with allready some Detroit steel in my garage. My first US car was a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Esprit which is still under construcion, followed by a 1991 Pontiac Firebird ( my sunday driver ), a 1987 Chevy Caprice Wagon, a 1999 Dodge Ram1500 Cargo Van ( my daily labourcar ) and since a few weeks... a 1956 Packard Clipper Deluxe.
It's my first real oldtimer, I saw it for sale in a small village and it was love at first sight. The car is still driveable with some minor things to do for passing the technical control. So right now I ordered some things in the US to complete the job. I hope I can drive within a few weeks.
The body is in a acceptable condition, some minor rust at the lower places, the engine runs but makes some ticking noise. Concerning this I will start a topic at the V8 location. The car had been in a barn for 17 years.

I put some pics on the net, located here: Clipper pics

I will pop in here to learn some more about my new baby...

Grtz,

Xavier

Xavier,

Great car! Packardinfo.com is a great place to find info on your car. You can also find other Packard enthusiasts atforums.aaca.org that can help you get and keep your Packard on the road.

(I love the Firebirds too... I drive a 1971 Formula 400 when i was in high school)

Peter

This is the BEST place for Packards and Packard information in the entire internet, bar none! You will find more useful information and more knowledgeable people here than anywhere else.

Eric,

Your check is in the mail!

Welcome Xavier, as Eric says, to the best Packard forum extant.
We are here to help any Packard owners sort out their problems and keep their cars on the road. Please add your car to the owner registry. Glad to have you aboard.

xavier, Welcome aboard. I have visited Bruges a few years ago and loved the old city. My uncle was a Canadian soldier in WW2 met his wife in Antwerp and lived there for many years and my father was at Ostend on a torpedo boat while in the Canadian navy. The torpedo boat was powered by Packard engines. My grandfather spent some time in the Ypres area during the 1914-18 war.

Xavier,

Welcome aboard Packardinfo, a great Site with great people who are only too willing to help. My youngest son visited Belgium only a few days ago on his European tour and provided this quote "Belgian beer is awesome"! So from one awesome product, beer, to another, Packards.



And as Randy said, please add your car to the Owner Registry with a pic and history, if known.

G'day Xavier, Good luck with your Packard project, the ticking noise is either a loud clock or a noisy engine lifter. This is the forum where you will get some sound advice on the matter from some very savvy V8 Packard gurus. My advice is to keep the old girl running and enjoy it during your summer. Come winter time you can worry about the ticking. Best regards and good luck Peter Toet

Hi guys ( and girls? ),

Thanks for the welcome!

I'll check the owner registry and fill in the data needed.

@Clipper47: Hey! So you have some Belgian roots...!? Mentioning WW1 and WW2, these weren't times with pleasant situations. There have been many Canadian soldiers who came to fight during the war, also many couldn't leave the country. Here in Flanders there are many war cemeteries with thousands of Canadian soldiers. It were brave men leaving their family behind for beating the Nazi regime.

I had also an uncle leaving here after WW2, he went to Canada searching for a new life. He found one in Winnepeg Manitoba and settled there for many years, still now we have nephews over there.

Heh, you mentionned Ostend, I was there yesterday... . There was an American Car meeting at the fishers wharf. Approx. 200 US cars where present.

@ Ozstatman: Hehe, Michael Jackson ( the beer expert, not the singer ) was also a great addict of Belgian Beer. The WESTVLETEREN e.g. is a artisanal brewery in a monastery, the beer is exported to... the USA!!
Please ask your son if he tasted the DUVEL beer? This one and RODENBACH are my favourits...

@ Peter Packard: I think the ticking noise is caused by a lifter, the clock doesn't work anymore.

Grtz,

Xavier

Xavier: Welcome to the forum.

One of the great luxury cars built before WWII was Minerva, which was constructed and built in your country. Which was know as SA Minerva Motors of Antwerp and Mortsell.

There are a great many experts on 55 & 56 Packard, here that freely give sound advice and help when asked.

John F. Shireman