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I am busy repainting my Packard at the moment. I have a huge dent in one of my back doors and this started me looking at ways to fix it. I found this site usefull and will try the heating process during the weekend. Cause the metal is stretced it will be better to shrink it again and avoid using too much body filler. I hope you can find this usefull.

http://www.carrepair-1950.com/

By the way: it is an intersting website name as I own a 1950 Packard! LOL!

Interesting site.

About 15-20 years ago, I picked up a 1940s-era US Quartermasters Corps Technical Manual at a swap meet that had an incredible amount of information on metalworking for vehicles - not just body, but radiator and fuel tank repair. A little over 100 pages, that one book was more informative than my freshman year of industrial arts in high-school; the metal shop teacher came off as informed, yet was terribly misinformed. I stuck to woodshop after that.

Actually, I got my start with body work (with only an eye toward a hobbyist level), back in the 1970s, by reading Autobody Repairing and Refinishing by Bill Tolboldt. It was very well-written and well-illustrated - easy to follow and understand.

I found lacquer to be incredibly easy to work with (and very forgiving for the novice), but it is getting harder to come by with each passing year. Unfortunately, I have no experience with basecoat/clearcoat systems.

Does anybody know of an equally good book on modern paint systems?

That's a very nice looking car you have there AfricaPackard. I have a 1948 Packard 22nd Series Export SIX Touring Sedan (R.H.D)which was imported to S. Africa and I'm looking for some more of it's history. Do you happen to know who were the importers at that time and were they the same people that assembled the cars ? My car is now in the U.K under restoration. Any info. on packards in S. Africa during that period would be appreciated. Best regards meaarch

Here's my understanding of it; prewar until about 1939 when the Packard/Canada plant closed down Packard built both RHD and LHD cars in both Detroit and Canada, though I believe Canada built many more RHD than LHD, mostly for the UK, India and I believe South Africa among others. Canada also built LHD cars for the US market. I've been told most if not all of the prewar RHD cars sold in Australia were built in Detroit.

Postwar, the RHD cars were built in Detroit thru 1954. After that I believe the very few V8 RHD cars made were converted from LHD by Leonard Williams Ltd., Packard's London dealer.

I too would be interested in knowing more about Packard's South Africa distribution and service network.

i believe that book has been updated and rereleased by hp books.

as for the paint, if you are not comfortable with switching to base/clear, try dupont centari or their cheaper line nason. these are single stage enamel and lay down very nice.

I wonder africapackard if you could see your way to posting some photos of your Packard showing the front and rear door opening at the sills area - my car has previously been restored and I think it is not correct - photos of a similar car 22nd or 23rd series Touring Sedan would allow me to restore this area correctly

Best regards meaarch (Michael)

Is Imron still available? I had a Cutlass painted with Imron many years ago and it held up very well. It was painted by some of the students at a Vo-tech, and they said it was very easy to apply.

http://www.mikeandjerrys.com/dImron.asp

Google shopping only comes up with ebay sellers:

Imron Paint

Hi Michael

Sorry for replying so late. I will take some pictures of the sill area tonight and post them tomorrow.

Regarding South African Packards. As far as I know, it was distributed here in Johannesburg by Leon Motors in the inner city from around the early 30's? I will try to find out some more info. There is not a lot of Packards in South Africa left. I know a few guys with wonderfull restored cars, but it is not something I have ever seen, even at big classic auto shows. some of the cars especially limos were used by government ministers as well as some town mayors. Would be nice to get more info on this. Obviously Packard was only driven by the very wealthy as South Africa was mostly a poor rural kind of country with bad gravel roads in the farming areas. As far as is know my 50 is the only running survivor in South Africa.

Imron is not too bad if applied by a roller or brush. Airlines use Imron but it is NOT sprayed on. To spray Imron you must use a captive air system and should be in a full suit inside a very good paint booth. Imron will seal up your lungs and cause a quick death. No body shop that I am aware of will spray it.