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Guy

You are so right. On and off I have been trying to get a line on the owner prior to the one that I bought the car from. You raise an interesting point though, I will try to look at the engine and see if it codes out to a 374. I have the car emptied and stripped. I got it started this past weekend and am looking forward to getting it on the trailer to take to the body shop after this weekend. Chrome goes to the chrome shop the middle of April, then it is sit and wait time for everyone else to do their job. If money is available, I will have to pay SMS for their correct upholstery material, and get the upholstery shop to begin their work. I fully intend for this car to be in Gettysburg next year...... on display and NOT judged.

Waiting is the worst part, you have a picture in your head as to how it should look and somehow it never seems to come out that way. I am hopefull that time and money will allow for after market A/C to be installed.

Thanks for the update, AL. This car is an interesting mystery... and how does one go about restoring it if you don't know what the original really was. I think you're going about it right, making it the way you want it is obviously what a previous owner had in mind, so carry on that tradition. I think you're going to have something special when it's done, and maybe a piece of Packard history-- especially if it was a from-the-factory effort. But whatever the story is, I'm sure it will be interesting. The Packard "skunk works?"

Guy

The way it was going to be restored was a fore-gone conclusion the minute I heard about it and saw it. I can't be 100% certain until I find the son of the original owner and talk to him. However if I had to form a conclusion based on what I am seeing, I think this was put together at the dealer with the original owner looking on or overseeing the job. There does not seem to be any wires out of place or spliced in to make something work, no odd welding that would suggest conversion, no odd fitting body panals, or parts that look like they don't really fit or belong so someone fixed it or made them fit with a hammer, none of that. So I am going with what I see. I am really chomping at the bit to see how this is going to come out. But I have to have a certain amount of patience and all will come together at some point in time. Pictures will be forth coming when I get them. The way the car looks right now is rough with everything off of it. It kinda looked better before I started even as rough as that was, so the next pictures I post will most likely be the ones where it has been primered.

AL: I have been also planning to attend next years show at Getysburg. My grandson and I will be sure and try to look you up while we are there


John F. Shireman

Well the deed is done. The car is at the paint/body shop. They also have a 27 shot disposable camera. We shall see what we shall see.

Hey Guy

YOU will never be a pest. I got a line on another fellow who has two of these up in Virginia. I will be calling him tonight and I expect I will be running up quite a phone bill on this. Will let you know what I find out.

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AL

Thanks for the kind words. Can't wait to hear how your conversation turns out. Maybe you've found another dealer mod similar to the Esquire.

Since they evidently didn't give it a name, I'd like to suggest Clipexecarib.

the only thing i would have done different would be to have built it with a 3/over insted of the twin. unless i was super serious about racing it. then it would have been a 5647 with standard spring suspension also. Hummm interesting name 55packardguy. i have a 55 i'm calling a
"caribben clipper" so he can't have that one or i'd suggest it!

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Not looking at my calendar, but I think next year at Gettysburg is a 5th year event. They are usually biggest every 5th year. Take the tours, well worth it.

Soda blasting works very well for paint removal, much less scoring of the metal than sand. Theoretically, smooth surfaces (windoews, chrome)don't over any "bite" to the baking soda particles. Like almost all air borne abrasives it is most effective on "hard" surfaces. It will just about bounce off rubber and you have to work hard on latex paints.

Someone mentioned use on a frame, I've never heard of that.

Just a note, most dual quads around the Packard displacement use a pair of 390's. I think in the Packard era 500cfm was more common. I had a Mopar "long ram" set up once, seems to me they were 500's.

Check out Hanks 55 project for a soda blasted frame.

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