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1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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Home away from home
 
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I know restorations seem like they're never completed, but after some 12 years, this car is back on the road. Working through a lot of items in order to make it reliable. After sitting for 12 years, there are many mechanical items to fine tune.
I took it on a 300-mile trip to Auburn, Indiana, and back. Did some adjustments to timing and idle speed once I got there. Seems to be working very nicely now. When I got home, the fuel pump began pumping out fuel from the lower seal. I assumed the new gas ate it up, but when I took it apart, everything looked just fine, other than a lot of sediment clogging the screen. It seems that the seal was sucked in, allowing the fuel to pump out. Cleaned, sanded surfaces smooth, and put it back together. All is fine now. Gotta LOVE the old NAPA stores!! They don't seem to have to look in a book to find a part you need for a vintage Packard. Time to take it back to Georgia. Attach file:  IMG_1408 2.JPG (214.19 KB) IMG_1413.JPG (260.89 KB) IMG_1414.JPG (388.04 KB) IMG_1424 2.JPG (380.65 KB) IMG_1435 2.JPG (349.13 KB) IMG_1451.JPG (347.56 KB) IMG_1452.JPG (316.93 KB) IMG_1463.JPG (268.94 KB) IMG_1469.JPG (310.47 KB) IMG_1470.JPG (284.17 KB) IMG_1472.JPG (460.42 KB)
Posted on: 2023/7/21 7:53
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West Peterson
1930 Packard Speedster Eight Runabout (boattail) 1940 Packard 1808 w/Factory Air 1947 Chrysler Town and Country sedan 1970 Camaro RS https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4307&forum=10 http://aaca.org/ |
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Re: 1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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Home away from home
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Beautiful.
Rust in the pump.. Rust in the carbs.. Possible too. Inline filters before and after pump.
Posted on: 2023/7/21 10:08
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Riki
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Re: 1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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I drove it another 150 miles yesterday and it performed flawlessly. Great cars to drive.
By the way, I removed the radial tires, and it handles just as well with the bias ply, aside from trying to take corners a little too fast. No wandering whatsoever.
Posted on: 2023/7/21 12:06
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West Peterson
1930 Packard Speedster Eight Runabout (boattail) 1940 Packard 1808 w/Factory Air 1947 Chrysler Town and Country sedan 1970 Camaro RS https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4307&forum=10 http://aaca.org/ |
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Re: 1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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Home away from home
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Wow that looks great!!
Posted on: 2023/7/23 8:19
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Re: 1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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Quote:
Hello... Whoever did your top did a magnificent job! Really nice and it is very rare that I see such fine work. Rear stainless bow trim is in position and looking good. Top fabric is fitting like a glove and makes this Caribbean look brand-new. Great profile, no exposed side rails, no evidence of ill-fitting and no wrinkles. Now, THAT is a nice piece of work, done the way it ought to be done! A very fine installation. Of course, the rest of this Caribbean is a thing of beauty. So, congratulations and job very well done!
Posted on: 2023/8/6 6:47
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Re: 1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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Thanks... If I remember correctly, it's an Electron top. Their measurements for rear window were way off in the catalog, so I took photos, gave measurements, and we even sent them the old top to show that their window size was not correct in the catalog. Even still... we had to order the top twice, as the first time it was wrong YES!!! I had to pay labor to install and remove the first top. :( I'm only fairly satisfied with the second top, but I think it's the fault of the installer.
Finally, I just tried to put the top down for the very first time, only to find out that the rear-window zipper was installed backwards. In other words, it was made so that the only way to grab the zipper is from the outside of the car... but, of course, that's not possible. Even if they sent me a new window, that means a whole lot more labor to R&R!!! What would you do???
Posted on: 2023/8/6 14:38
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West Peterson
1930 Packard Speedster Eight Runabout (boattail) 1940 Packard 1808 w/Factory Air 1947 Chrysler Town and Country sedan 1970 Camaro RS https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4307&forum=10 http://aaca.org/ |
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Re: 1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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Quote:
Awwww. Too bad. Just goes to show that photos can be deceiving. Still... looks so very nice! I always had good luck with Electron and Robbins. Electron has been around a lot of years and they should know better on the rear window. But I understand that they changed ownership a few years back. So today, anything may be possible. I once had the original factory convertible top patterns for 1955 and 1956. I gave them to a friend who once made tops for me at Acme Auto Headlining back in the 1970s. But he died and things changed hands. Nobody knew what happened to those patterns. Many years ago when we had a trim shop, the only problems I ever had with their tops were poor materials. But I fixed that by having the fabricators like Electron use only materials that I specified. As for the window zipper on your Caribbean– IF they sent you a toothed zipper instead of a modern coil zipper, there is an old trimmer's trick. A toothed zipper (depending on installation and window size/design) can be replaced using half of a new window and zipper. This way you only have to deal with loosening the rear beltline trim and just installing the new window curtain on the tack strip ...without disturbing the rear bow attachment! Unfortunately, this method will never work with a modern coil zipper since (with exception of special precision coil versions). This is because there is no standardization of coils per linear inch. Thus coil zipper halves are permanently mated at one end unlike toothed zippers that can be completely detached. This very issue became a problem during development of Mazda Miata when I worked for the corporation. The zip-out rear window on the Mazda Miata folding top was my idea– credited or not. I had originally intended the Miata rear backlight window to be easily replaceable using half of the old zipper. It was intended to use a tooth-type zipper. But you know what happened. Other people got involved who thought they were smart and would morph my idea the way THEY wanted it. All without bothering to check with me. Too many cooks spoil the meal. They even tried to re-write the Workshop Manual procedure that I had written (after all– who was I?). That's when they discovered that coil zippers are permanently mated! So the entire method I had predicated and designed would not work. I could have told them that... but nobody asked. Maybe this is one reason why I am never mentioned in the histories although I did so much development work on that car! Anyway, for your Caribbean, you may be able to grab the zipper tab with the top partially lowered and then unzip it. Primitive and wonky, but a way to do it. At worst you may end up having to detach the fabric and curtain up top on the rear bow. Then going whole hog on rear curtain replacement. Tough to find a good trimmer who can accurately do this kind of work today. What fabric did you use? I am in the middle of attempting a fabrication and inner face coloring dye of special VERY expensive fabric that looks like 1955. Has already cost a fortune and has taken years...
Posted on: 2023/8/6 18:09
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Re: 1955 Caribbean restoration completed...
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Thanks for the helpful advice. I will run to the upholster tomorrow and see if he has the capabilities.
The exterior fabric is correct for 1955. The inside is tan cloth of some sort. I didn't want black.
Posted on: 2023/8/7 14:35
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West Peterson
1930 Packard Speedster Eight Runabout (boattail) 1940 Packard 1808 w/Factory Air 1947 Chrysler Town and Country sedan 1970 Camaro RS https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4307&forum=10 http://aaca.org/ |
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