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(1) 2 3 4 ... 9 »

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History Packard Limo (aka It's an Atomic Packard!)
#1
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Daniel Leininger
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NO, It is not an alternative fuel vehicle! It is a genuine Packard restoration project of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.

BUT, perhaps you saw the news last summer from the
Museum. They recovered a 41 (42?) Clipper Limo from a junk yard. The 15 passenger Limo was used to transport scientists in New Mexico as part of the early Atomic Bomb project in WWII. They plan to have restoration completed by spring/summer 2009.

http://www.atomicmuseum.org/atomiccars.cfm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomicmuseum/2753767735/

I emailed the director recently about their progress and he wrote the following response:

Dan,
We are making good progress on the Packard. It has been stripped and the wood components are being crafted. The engine is done and all the drivetrain/brakes are redone. We got a parts car to assist in that.

The car is to be in the new museum when we open in the spring. I hope you can visit it (us) sometime in the future. The 42 Plymouth is done and should be moved in mid January.

Jim Walther
Museum Director


I think the car has 42 Clipper features, but then many custom stretch-Packards mix their accessories. This one was a custom-build of Fitzjohn Coach Company.

DanL

Posted on: 2008/11/21 17:24
[i][size=small][color=000066]Dan'L in SD
41ParPack
First of the Clippers
[
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#2
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PackardV8
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WOOD!!!!! in a 1941 ?????

Posted on: 2008/11/21 20:04
VAPOR LOCK demystified: See paragraph SEVEN of PMCC documentaion as listed in post #11 of the following thread:f
http://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7245
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#3
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Ozstatman
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Quote:
PackardV8 wrote: WOOD!!!!! in a 1941 ?????


Probably because it was custom built?

Posted on: 2008/11/21 20:12
Mal
/o[]o\
====

Bowral, Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia
"Out of chaos comes order" - Nietzsche.

1938 Eight Touring Sedan - SOLD

1941 One-Twenty Club Coupe - SOLD

1948 Super Eight Limo, chassis RHD - SOLD

1950 Eight Touring Sedan - SOLD

What's this?
Put your Packard in the Packard Vehicle Registry!
Here's how!
Any questions - PM or email me at ozstatman@gmail.com
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#4
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Daniel Leininger
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Yes Wood.

The Flickr link (2nd one in #1 entry) shows 30 pictures of the Clipper before restoration. The roof between the two middle doors was built with wooden support. It was rotted out and collapsed from 50+ years of weather and neglect, as the pictures show.

Acccording to Dammann and Wren in their book 'Packard,'
"Sometime in early 1942, the US Army bought a total of 487 Packards. Of these, 100 were junior chassis-only unitswhich were stretched into 12 and 15 passenger vehicles, similsr to airport limousines, for specoial troop movement within various camps." (page 387).

I think what the museum has is a 42 Packard though they list it as a 41. As a custom it could be a bit of both.

DanL

Posted on: 2008/11/21 22:03
[i][size=small][color=000066]Dan'L in SD
41ParPack
First of the Clippers
[
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#5
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Daniel Leininger
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Picture from 'Flickr' link

Attach file:



jpg  (44.36 KB)
464_492781f06fff4.jpg 500X375 px

Posted on: 2008/11/21 22:52
[i][size=small][color=000066]Dan'L in SD
41ParPack
First of the Clippers
[
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#6
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JWL
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There was an article on this discovery in the May 2006 CNB. The car was discovered a couple of years ago in a salvage yard in Grants, NM. This car, and maybe one other, was/were used to transport personnel from the train station in Lamy, NM to the University of California's project office in Santa Fe for in-processing, and thence up to the project site in Los Alamos. It seems the car was also used to transport staff from Los Alamos to the Trinity Test Site near Alamorgodo. My father's Packard dealership was just down the street from the project office. I would bet that he laid his hands on this car more than once. It is a real beastly looking car. No problem entering or exiting with a door for each seat row. For use at a highly classified project, this was not an inconspicuous vehicle.

Posted on: 2008/11/23 14:46
We move toward
And make happen
What occupies our mind... (W. Scherer)
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#7
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Daniel Leininger
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JW,
Yes, thanks for all the details. So your father had a NM Packard dealership. I'm sure he saw and maybe serviced this old relic. It will be interesting to see what the Atomic Museum's restoration of this limo will look like this spring. I suppose they will repaint it "Inconspicuous Packard Atomic Green." Or maybe the paint is a radiation effect?

DanL

Posted on: 2008/11/23 15:11
[i][size=small][color=000066]Dan'L in SD
41ParPack
First of the Clippers
[
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#8
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BigKev
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Just a follow up on this. I have a friend in New Mexico that knows I like Packards and so I recieved this note in my email this morning.

There was a front page feature article in Sunday's Albuquerque Journal that I thought you might find interesting. It's about a Packard limo that was rescued from a New Mexico junkyard and is being restored for the nuclear museum here-- it almost certainly hauled people like Oppenheimer and other Los Alamos scientists to Trinity Site for testing of the atomic bomb. The body was stretched and modifed for use by the military.

She is going to send me the article in the mail. But just thought I would past this along.

Posted on: 2009/2/17 12:52
-BigKev


1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe Touring Sedan -> Registry | Project Blog

1937 Packard 115-C Convertible Coupe -> Registry | Project Blog
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#9
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Owen_Dyneto
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I don't know how many of you studied the substitute VN plate installed by converter (Fitzjohn) but it's worth a look. It shows the original VN, it was a 1942, not a 1941. And not converted from a limo but from a standard touring sedan (1582). Most interesting to me was the statement "maximum speed 35 mph".

Posted on: 2009/2/17 16:07
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Re: It's an Atomic Packard!
#10
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Daniel Leininger
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Thanks!
Guscha and Owen have cracked the Atomic Packard Code!
A 1578 Touring Sedan is definitely a 1942 model (and not a 1401 Touring sedan of 1941 Clipper fame).

I have always thought they have a 1942 Clipper not a 1941. I suggested that in my original post that started this forum. I also had emailed the Museum Man that opinion before I posted this thread. {Insert Mushroom Cloud here with 'I told you so!" written all over it. }

Wonder if Oppenheimer and Company appreciated Packards?

Owen - The 35mph MAX Speed may be related to the amount of WOOD in the custom papier-mache(?) stretch section.
{Big Kev would never rebuild his Packard that way}.

DanL

Posted on: 2009/2/17 19:19
[i][size=small][color=000066]Dan'L in SD
41ParPack
First of the Clippers
[
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