I Bought A Packard!

[bgadow]

Now, I really thought I was more level-headed than this, always over-thinking every little purchase or life decision. Last weekend, with hardly any deep thought, I bought this 1949 Packard Deluxe Eight. I can't decide yet if this was insanity or brilliance on my part

A fellow down the street has owned the car for maybe 5 years; every time I'd drive by his place I wondered why he never used it. Oftentimes I was thinking this while motoring by in my '51 Fordor. (If I drove the old girl any more frequently she'd be a daily-driver). The Packard had been hibernating in his garage so long that I figured he might have gotten rid of it. Then, last week I spotted it in his driveway and a few days later it was advertised in the local classifieds. I had to walk down and take a look, then a test drive. My wife was surprisingly supportive though she did insist that, if I bought it, I had to sell the Ford. Now that I have the keys to the '49 we are both pretty emotional about saying goodbye to the '51 (perhaps the favorite of every vehicle I've owned). A friend of mine, the nephew of the Ford's original owner, had given me what amounted to a standing offer on the car back when I got it. I called him the other day and he was just a little less excited than I hoped he'd be. If the deal falls through I'm not sure which way I'll go as I know he'd keep the Ford in original condition & take good care of it. Anyway...

The Packard has a 288 straight 8 that's as smooth running as I'd imagined. Nice & quiet, and easy starting. (The automatic choke is tuned in pretty good, maybe a little rich for a "cold" start in July but I'd prefer that to the alternative.) The interior is all original and has held up very well for a car nearing its 70th birthday. A previous owner really loaded it up with mothballs & it's terribly strong despite them being long since removed. I've put boxes of charcoal briquets in the car to see how that does. The worst thing about the car is an old re-spray that's failing in places. This brings me to a problem I've never had: I grew up in the family auto body business and whenever we had a project like this we just waited for a slow spell and pulled it in the shop. Well, I closed the doors 5 years ago. Egads, I'll have to actually PAY somebody to paint this car! At least the body is solid, with only surface rust here and there. I'm wondering if it was a problem from the factory as I've seen others online this color that haven't held up.

Most of my work right now is tracing down some little gremlins and such. The master cylinder was replaced in the last year but they never bled the brakes so I guess that will keep me busy for a while on Saturday. Some of the lights aren't working, it needs an oil change, etc. I didn't think I needed something to keep me busy...