Packard coming back

[littlebittybobby]

okay---update on my VERY solid 58 Packard Project. See---the elderly gentleman who owned it for many years evidently crashed it into stationary objects before he stopped driving it. The front fender extensions, which are made of fiberglass were damaged, especially the right-side one. i was preparing to patch them up & reuse them, but guess what? i found a nearly-perfect set of used ones on ebay for just $25 plus shipping. so, that will be a better way to refurbish my SOLID old car, of which only 2000 were made. Yup. So yeah---i have a nos steering weel, nice used gauge lenses, nice bumpers, have straightened out the curbed fron lower valance & grille, etc. one major hurdle is an upholstery job. i believe i can do the door panels & headliner & carpet & dash cover; but prolly will require perfessional help on the seats.. Hope that helps you some.

[littlebittybobby]

okay------here's some old Packard parts I bought offa EBay.(see photo). But yeah----these pieces are scarce, especially in good shape. see----they were only used on a total of 1,875 cars. 1958 only--before anya you kids were even born. Yup. hope that helps you some. thankk mee.2024-09-15 (3).jpg

[littlebittybobby]

okay----I know you kids couldn't care less about anything IMPORTANT, but guess what? Packard was about the first brand o' car ta offer Posi. Yup. Not Subbaroo, not Toyoda, not Volvo, not 'Cedes. Nope. It was Packard. Just about every 58 Packard has Posi; maybe every 58 Packard has Posi, unless someone took it out to put 'er in another Studebaker-Packard. But yeah---it even says posi on the trunk lid---"TT"---which signifys posi. AFAIK, no other brand put an emblem signifying posi on the outside of their car, besides S-P, though I know for a fact that in '58, chevy put a posi emblem on the dashboard, on cars so equipped. I have posi in one o' my 55 chevys, but it came out of a 64 chevvy. So, anyway---i put a posi in both o' my vans, too. And a posi in my 77 Chevy Pickup. And i just acquired a posi unit for a 7.5 GM, but haven't decided which car to put it in. Will update you on this situation. But yeah----posi. Gotta have it. My 17-year-old cheap economy car i got from the wreckin' yard 7 years ago, DOES NOT HAVE POSI. Mosta the time, that's OK. But let it snow and get mushy and muddy in the side yard, and should I be tryin' ta drive in and out, again----you may have a lotta, lotta trouble without posi. Ask me how I know. More on this, later.

[littlebittybobby]

okay---wing vent seals. I know you kids prolly never even had a car with wing vents. But yeah---millions and millions of vehicles were produced with wing vents. Anyway---my 58 Packard 4 door sedan has wing vents in the front doors and also in the rear doors. The essential part of course is the hinged glass, but a critical part is the molded rubber seal that keeps everything quiet when the vent is closed, and water out. So anyway---the seals on my packard are in bad shape, and not only are they not functional, it looks bad. The glass have plated steel frames that are rusty and pitted, but some work with 000 steel wool and chrome polish makes them look presentable. Yes, they COULD be replated, but guess what? Plating nowadays is VERY expensive, and not only that---the plating quality is worse than the original plating, so you'll be back to square one in a few short years. Next thing is---you can buy the front wing vent seals for $$$$$, and they are questionable quality. The rear door seals are all but unobtainable. If I had a Cammmerow or a Rustang or a Shevelle, what not---vent seals are available new for dirt cheap. But hey---not Studebaker-Packard or AMC. They are the stepchildren of the U.S. auto industry. I was able to get windsheild and backlite gaskets for $$$$, but that's a different story. But here's the VERY interesting part---I was looking my vent window assemblies outta my 58 Packard and comparing them to the ones outta my 1991 chevy van, and guess what? even though the glasses are shaped somewhat differently, the components of the vents for both vehicles are nearly identical designs; just differ in dimensions for the respective vehicles. This leads me to believe that the same outside parts manufacturer made them to supply both companies over the years. See? And the seals are pretty close to the same shape. I got to thinking MAYBE on of the sets made for various 60's Chevy pickups might be close enough to fit in a Packard rear door vent. We'll see.....gonna order several different sets for various years. Wish mee luck. Yup.

[littlebittybobby]

okay----well, my supplier came through, and I received a nice, new set of rear door vent window seals & a new-in-package 58 Packard door molding aka "piece of chrome". It is not actually new, but over 65 years old, left over from producing just 1200 cars(!) and still in the factory wrapper. Yup. Only $45 for the "chrome" piece, plus a little for shipping. Actually, it is stamped stainlesss steel; something they don't use much on cars, any more. Too expensive; though it is used on some exhaust systems(mufflers & pipes). Bu8t yeah---the original piece on my VERY solid 58 had that part smashed flat; probly scraped against the garage by the elderly previous owner, backing out. Yup. That all said, it made my day ta get aholda that stuff. I can just i9magine the horrors of being a vintage AMC owner, having a car that needs work.