Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

We bought our first Packard in 2009. A 1947 Six we called Pearl. It was super smooth, you'd swear the steering brake and clutch were power assisted, but they're not. At stop lights Sarah would tell me the engine died, but it hadn't. It was just that quiet. Our favorite body style was the 1940, it had al the old styling ques- scissor up hood, stand off headlights, suicide doors etc. We bought our 1940 160 Super Eight in 2011, named her The Great Guildersleeve and sold Pearl. The new Packard had been someones project for years and when they died the the basement wall had to be demolished to free her. After that two successive hot rodders put her barely back together and made her run. With lots of parts thrown inside her and two bolts per fender holding her together we got our new project. In 2015 I tore the engine apart and rebuilt it in place, and rebuilt the mechanicals: suspension, brakes, transmission, wiring etc. In 2018 I tore apart the body and stripped and sanded it . I painted her recently in 2020 and am now attempting to put her back together.


.

Attach file:

---

  (225.99 KB)


  (276.70 KB)


  (296.43 KB)


  (296.21 KB)


  (244.46 KB)


  (314.59 KB)


  (333.78 KB)


  (277.24 KB)


  (304.99 KB)


  (268.93 KB)


  (302.09 KB)


  (256.45 KB)


  (297.85 KB)


  (268.49 KB)


  (392.08 KB)


  (224.26 KB)


  (240.66 KB)


  (244.63 KB)


  (224.22 KB)


  (188.57 KB)


  (197.62 KB)


  (239.17 KB)

Sarah and I with guilder sleeve, when we got him in 2011

Attach file:

---

  (163.08 KB)

Sarah and I with Pearl at the orphan car show

Attach file:

---

  (77.58 KB)

We are missing a few pieces if anyone has spares. Wanted: 1940 160 front bumper bars, I have the two vertical ones that attach to the bumper, but I'm missing the two horizontal bars that connect them. also I need a horn bracket

I believe the bars you are looking for are part of the accessory Grille Guard rather than being a standard part of the base car but unfortunately the only one I have is for a 1941 senior model and even then I believe it was sold long ago.

I am enjoying your blog, though, which is the main reason I'm writing! I'm rather partial to 1940 Packards as I've owned three of them.

painting: Maaco quoted me 3k to paint the Packard. I figured I could mess it up for a lot less. So I bought a 13' by 26' party tent, laid a tarp for a floor, bought 4 foot LEDs to zip-tie to the frame and hooked up a furnace fan to blow in and create positive pressure. Honestly it didn't work out bad. I wish I had spent more time making sure I had complete coverage with color and clear though.
Paint was 550, and the tent was 330 lights were 70

Attach file:

---

  (207.37 KB)


  (310.06 KB)


  (190.08 KB)


  (224.46 KB)

Thanks, I have the vertical bars with new chrome, but not the horizontal ones. I'm attracted to the oldest body styling with the newest mechanicals

Neat paint booth setup! What did you use for a spray gun?

I used a box fan gun, they have very little overspray and no water through the air line.

Here's one. The fancy part on the side of the hood is very complicated. in boxes I found the curved parts with new chrome(score), but I didn't have the top and bottoms that hold it together. I didn't even know what it looked like. I found a very rusted one on eBay and bought it. I took it to AAA metal fabrication up the street and they reproduced it using my pattern out of mirrored stainless. it's basically just an angled piece with slots cut out for the tabs on the curved pieces. Looks perfect, just like chrome. The best part was they only charged me a hundred bucks for all of them. I couldn't even get the real ones chromed for that If I had them.

Attach file:

---

  (286.34 KB)


  (207.65 KB)


  (230.24 KB)


  (205.77 KB)


  (290.37 KB)


  (205.80 KB)