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Is the goal of a restoration to make the car JUST like it was when it rolled out of Detroit?

Is it OK to make changes to the vehicle as long as they're correct FOR the particular vehicle (e.g. repaint a '34 Packard in a factory color even if it's NOT the same one the vehicle originally had)?

Or are certain "upgrades" OK (e.g. better rear end gears for highway cruising)?

I see examples of all 3,on this board and elsewhere.

IMHO, the rarer the vehicle, the more I would strive to make it JUST like it rolled off the production line. Guess it's the history buff in me...

And that's why I like to see Packards that are original and NOT restored.

I think there are valid reasons to do any or all of the above when doing a restoration project, other than what I mentioned.

Thoughts?

I guess it depends on what the intent if for the car. Show Car, Museum Piece, Touring Car, Driver, etc.

I find that most "Show Cars" are over-restored and not exactly how the car left the factory. For example, Packards didn't have glossy black powder coated frames. The frames were typically painted in cheap bulk black paint.

If you wanted to be exact you would have drips on the engine paint. Some bodies with no paint on the underside or inside of the car and so on.

These are all just matters of personal preference, like whether a steak should be ordered medium, medium rare, or well done.

In my experience, Packard people (and especially those on Packard boards) usually like it the way it originally was, as close to the factory as is reasonable in context. But that's just the group, not a matter of being right or wrong.

I prefer my vehicles as close to original as possible. I didn't think I was going to like my 400 in its original green and white, but liked it once I got all the chrome back on the car. It is probably my training as a train collector (no pun intended) but originality really counts here. A repainted item is only worth about half as much as a decent original. Changing out main components is really frowned upon.
If the paint code is NOT stamped on the vehicle plate, then painting it any of the original colors for that year would seem reasonable.

not to hijack the thread - but i read an obscure post from 2001 that said packard considered the fenders/running boards as part of the chassis. since chassis were painted black, would that mean it would be correct for my 37' 115c to have black fenders with a different body color...kinda like a model t?

I can't answer your question directly except to say that probably 99% of 35-37 Packards were NOT two-toned, and many of those that are done today don't present well. The body lines just don't usually lend themselves to that treatment, at least that's my opinion.

Quote:G'day jbakerps,
to PackardInfo.

And a request, but more like a deviation than a hi-jacking, could you please include your '37 115c in the Packard Owner's Registry here, together with a pic, any known history and how you acquired it?

thanks for the reply's. i am a restoration shop east of cincinnati, ohio. although i do mostly fords (model t's thru 1950's) i have done a few big body packards in my 30+ years in the business. this 115c business coupe is for a client and my first 30's packard. i want to make sure i don't miss anything that would be period correct for this car.

i have previously recommended he list it in the registry. he is a collector of various cars. this one will be for sale on completion of a full nut/bolt restoration since he also has a 40 sedan coming into my shop behind the 115c. the projected timeline to completion is this september.

fyi - i also have a 50 four door and a 55 clipper in inventory, both needing to be restored but more so needing new owners (before or after restoration).

i can be reached at: jbaker3136@aol.com or 513.616.2124

jb

Quote:
for your recommendation to the 115c's owner that he list it in the Registry. Much appreciated.

And interesting about the Packards you have and are or will be restoring. Any chance of pic's?

Most restored cars are over-restored, and that has become the norm. Some of this is due to the desire for trophies or awards as status, or validation of high value. I recall at several Pacakrd nationals seeing all of the 51-56 cars with their hoods open, the black panel most visible, the panel that directs the air through the radiator and has the hood latch was finished as well as the senders hoods and doors on the bodies of these cars, and that seemed like a of bit over reaching, but they were very nicely done cars!
One hears the old saw about "you could have the car painted any color you wanted for $35 (O-D, it was more like $110 in early depression era dollars, right?) and that is used to justify street rod metallic paints, hues no one in the ear liked (like purple or "auction action red"), those colors seem to go in their own era, one can see a car at a show and peg when the restoration was done by the non-authetic "custom" color. Packards by and large are restored, more or less as original cars, although the number of street rods is growning, and I worry about 15-20 years from now, as we lose the more elder owners of many Packards.
I don't mind if folks add high speed rear end gears or the adapter plates that allow the Northeast cars to run on commanly available point sets, more power to the guy who has all the factory parts and it serves them for how they choose to enjoy their cars.