Second Wind - a Packard Gasser

[zzrodder]

Here I go again, the last one isn't even out the door but I've been collecting parts and making plans for another 37 Packard coupe. The pics of the body are 4 yrs old so it may look worse by now, sitting in a drippy shed, you can see the body of the one I just finished sitting in front of it before it came to me. I won't be able to bring it home 'till the spring when I come back from Yuma and the Yellow one goes to its home, a swaperoo.
With all this talk of electric cars, climate crisis, doom and gloom, it seems appropriate to me to just throw caution to the wind and thumb my nose at the restoration purists and leaf lickers to make a totally self indulgent, useless statement of defiance.
I'm going to break with my usual shiny car habit and leave this one unpainted, any repaired or modified body parts will get blended to match the patina of the main body. Well, I will paint the frame and drivetrain, but that's it, I swear. For power I have a crusty 1976 motorhome 454 with only 60,000 miles that will be getting a thorough going over. Rear end is a custom built 9" with a Strange nodular carrier, 4.88 Wavetrac posi and 35 spline Dutchman axles, disc brakes. Front end is a Pete & Jakes Newstalgia Gasser unit. A lot more expensive than the Speedway one but way better quality, all US made, uses a bunch of Superbell pieces plus it has Ford tie rod ends instead of Heim joints, comes with shocks and mounts, steering box, drag link, etc., a very good complete kit. The "wind" part of its title will be courtesy of a BDS 871 sitting on the shelf in my parts pile. Tranny is a good 'ol Turbo 400 with 3200 stall converter and a Gear Vendors OD unit to make it more street friendly. Tires and wheels are on the way, held up in production like a lot of things these days, American TTO 5 spokes, 4x15 an 12x15, M&H cheater slicks go in back. Stay tuned


IMG]http://ratrodsrule.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=169187&d=1636249925[/IMG]

[bob w]

Great news, zz. This will be the best build yet. At least more fun to drive. Maybe not testing your skills too seriously. You've been collecting some quality parts there. Think you can get it done in a year?

[lowbudget50]

Ill be watching!!!!

[Old Iron]

Oh yea

[dutch]

way cool! looking forward to this one...

[DozerII]

I'm in the front row

[mikec4193]

Love the metalwork...keep up the great work...

Good luck with the surgery...never fun getting new parts but I guess it is better than having to run the old stuff until is breaks in half....

MikeC

[zzrodder]

Thanks guys, it's been a long time coming, one of the reasons I pushed so hard to get the Hercules done. Hoping to recover in a reasonable time so I can bugger off to Arizona before Christmas, that increases my resolve to do all the physio and work hard towards that goal - like a donkey following the carrot on a stick....

[zzrodder]

The Packard now has a shiny new butt...
Not sure where the bumper holes will go yet, a little different than stock, 'cause the frame is not the same as original.

[Old Iron]

WOW
That's a better fitting piece than you could have gotten from AMD