PLANS HAVE CHANGED FOR THIS PROJECT: I am giving this project to my Childhood Buddy Jim Jackson who is actually a custom car builder in New York and he will be retrofitting the car with a modern drivetrain. He will be picking it up after the bodyman compete's the body repairs as I already have paid him for his services.  I now have way to many cars and will be focused on maintaing my Packard, Other 50 Jeepster and of course my 95 Miata.

July 29th - Additional progress is not possible till the engine rebuilder finishes the engine. The most stressful item I am dealing with is the body man! Through no fault of his the poor guy lost his shop and my "Rusty" Jeepster body is sitting in the year of his friends home! He has found a new shop but it looks like my body will not be available till spring of 2022.

The following video shows the car burning oil even though it was rebuilt less that 5K miles ago. The car's body tub is chock full of rust, yes the Tin Worm had a real feast! Not a concern because I was planning on a total body off frame restoration and everything will be addressed and corrected

The above video will show you the car's engine burning oil, and the next video is the reason, yes bad rings!  Rockville Ring & Bearing will be taking on the rebuild and this video will show you the Owner "Doug" inspecting the engine. The upside the engine is rebuildable.

11-5-2020 Up Date

The above pictures shows the progress which is focused on stripping the car to steel. 

After I complete stripping off all the paint the car will be heading to Bernardo's shop; then he will remove the body from the Chassis and repair all rust then paint the body. 

Bernardo will also sand blast the chassis then return the rolling chassis to my home. I will then remove the drivetrain and take the engine to Doug at Rockville Ring & Bearing to rebuild the engine. 

Next I will use POR 15 and paint the chassis and completely recondition all moving parts on the chassis.

11/6/2020 Up Date

More rust exposed! not surprised at all. This car is definitely a "Rust Bucket" The prior patch panels were not installed correctly and were just slapped on and used lots of "Mud". Hey this car has so much plastic "Mud" that it pre dates the Corvette! What a MESS!!!!!   

11-7-2020 Up Date

The "Tin Worm" strikes again! you can see some minor rust in the spare tire well. As if today I have all the paint removed and all I need to do is wire wheel the surface to remove all disk grinder marks. This morning I ordered entire rocker replacements for both sides and drivers and passengers floor boards

11-11-2020 Up Date

The "Tin Worm" was well fed ! there is not one panel on this car that he did not have a feast on! all floor boards will be replaced, all rockers will need replacement and many various other area of the body will require patching. I have already ordered all replacement panels and thank goodness they are available. It is not unusual that these cars rust out so the aftermarket has the majority of panels. All the paint is now removed and next step is to remove the body from the chassis.

As soon as Bernardo is finished with my Packard fenders I will take the car to his shop and pickup the Packard, but between now and then will continue cleaning up various body parts and coat the brackets with POR 15.

It took me a total of 42 hours to strip off all the paint, not bad and really easy job because most of the body panels are flat and was easy to use the scraper after the paint remover did its job 

11-14-2020 Up Date 

Completed removals and of course found additional rust that was under old patches and that was expected. Next I will remove all wire harness and then continue to strip the inner fender liners and other old painted areas that were not accessible. I will be using POR 15 under all fenders, then after the chassis is blasted will also POR.

After I remove the drivetrain I will be taking the engine to Doug Barbour the owner of "Rockville Ring & Bearing, 301-762-5542" to have reconditioned. Doug has rebuild many engines for my friends and this guy knows his trade! stands behind his work and just a nice guy to work with.

Bernardo who just completely rebuild my 1937 Packard fenders will need to fabricate body mount plates, lower cowl panels and other "Tin Worm" damaged areas. Fortunately above the rocker level metal is solid

I will not be bored over this winter! Life is sweet!! 

11-16-2020 Up Date

Cleaned up under the hood, fenders inner and outer panels using a wire cup on grinder and received all the replacement body panels from the Jeepsterman today

December 4 2020 Up-Date  

Bernardo picked up the car this past Saturday November 28th and then removed the body from the frame yesterday December 3rd, the above pictures show how the underbody where the car was mounted to the frame were absolutely rusted out and the body was actually just sitting on the frame without any type of support. What a MESS! I was seriously thinking that this car was not repairable! but Bernardo said "NOT TO WORRY" he will be replacing all the structural steel and will have the body patched correctly and as made by factory. He is sandblasting the chasiss today December 4th and will deliver to my house tomorrow. I will then remove the drivetrain and take the engine to the rebuilder, then begin the process of restoring all the bushings and mechanical items on the chassis after that will apply a cost of POR 15. This car will be like new when finished and will be a very dependable driver that I will definitely use daiily in the summer .

December 7 2020 Update. 

Bernardo sandblasted the frame this morning and delivered to my home. Fortunately the frame is in great condition and has absolutely no rust! Tomorrow will be pulling the drivetrain and will drop the engine off to the rebuilder.

December 9 2020 Update.

Pulled the engine this morning and tomorrow will take to Rockville Ring & Bearing to recondition the engine. Look at the flywheel! that darn "Tin Worm" was also feasting in it! Amazing!!!!!  

December 10 2020 Update

Dropped off engine at Doug's Rockville Ring & Bearing

December 11 2020 Update This morning I disassembled the front end, found the upper control arm bushing shot and the lower spring bushing also shot. I also disassembled the steering box and will be replacing all internal components.

December 12, 2020 Update This morning I cleaned and painted POR 15 on all the passenger side suspension  components and then had some left over POR 15 and painted the frame where the components will be re-installed.

The prior owner is mailing the new parts he already purchased and will assemble this side then start on the other side. 

December 13, 2020 This morning I removed the left side suspension and leaf spring, cleaned all the parts with the exception of the tie rods and drag link which I will do tomorrow. I then painted the parts using POR 15

December 14, 2020 This morning I cleaned the front suspension linkage, front spring, and drums. I then painted the linkage and the top and bottom of the front leaf spring using POR, painted the leaf’s with standard enamel so the POR will not lock them together. I painted the drums using black header paint. I now need to find the rubber leaf spring retainer insulators

December 15, 2020 I am using POR 15 for all my chassis and suspension components. I strongly suggest you use this type of a cap that will prevent paint from getting into the seams where the lid seals. POR will lock the cap if even a small bit gets in the lip. The last picture is the spring shackles with new bolts and painted with POR

December 18, 2020 This morning I installed the new bushings in my leaf spring using my "Trusty" vice since I do not have a press, as you can see it was a successful project

December 19, 2020, I used the engine hoist to lift the frame up to make it easier to paint the POR 15 with great success.

December 19, 2020, this morning I reinstalled the front leaf spring and then started to install the rest of the front suspension. Then while installing the king pin stanchion I messed up! How? it has a 1/2" threaded rod that threads through the axle assembly to the control arm and the end where it threads into the control was striped badly. I did have a difficult time removing this but did not notice the threads were damaged. 

Just called my friend Lee Brown and he has a tap and die I can use so will stop over his place Monday morning.

I did finish installing the driver’s side without any problems.

December 20, 2020, this was a very productive day. I stopped over at my friend's Lee home and he and I cleaned up the threads on the Knuckle support arm bolts. 

Then back home and everything went back together with ease! I now have the entire front suspension installed and yes even greased! 

Tomorrow will be installing the brakes on the left front and put drums on, all temporary so I can then drop the rear end and replace the shackles and paint the frame and rear end assembly!    

December 23, 2020 The above pictures are the replacement "Front Spring to Frame bumpers". 

The replacements being sold are not like the original and required modification.

The 1st and 2nd pictures show the difference. The 2nd picture you can see the scoped-out area, the 1st is if you do not scoop out the new bumper you will not have a correctly working bumper

I drilled and tapped a hole in the center of the old mounting bracket, and they scooped out the back of the new replacement bumper so it will fit like the original. I then used gorilla glue and the screw to hold the bumper secure on the old mounting bracket

Also this morning I installed the two new front wheel cylinders and brakes. The front suspension is now completed and tomorrow I remove the rear end assembly and then replace all the mounting bushings after I complete painting the frame using POR 15.

December 24, 2020 This morning I pulled the rear end assembly and like everything else on this car all the mounting bolts were rusted badly "This car must have been parked in the field for years!" I had to use a "Saw Zaw" to cut the mounting pins that are used to hold the leaf spring onto the frame. My next step is to finish painting the frame 

December 26, 2020 This morning I used the engine hoist to elevate the rear end assembly to make it easier to paint. After that task was completed, I finished painting the top surface of the rear portion of the chassis. The rear is now ready for reinstallation but before that is done will use the hoist once again to raise the chassis so I can paint under it

December 27, 2020 This morning I completed painting the chassis. Using the engine hoist really saved time and made it so easy to paint the underside of the chassis. 

After that task was completed I removed all the old paint from the steering column and now have ready for paint. Very productive morning.

December 28, 2020 This morning I re-installed the rear end assembly. Before I installed the new rubber bushings, I used a wire brush drill attachment then installed the rear end assembly. The car now has all front and rear suspension bushings replaced. 

I will now stop over Bernardo’s to pickup my hub puller which is in the trunk of the Packard and then tomorrow I will pull the rear hubs,  paint the backing plates and the following day replace the back wheel cylinders.

December 28, 2020 – January 5, 2021 – I made quite a bit of progress the past couple of days, the 1st three pictures show you the steering box that I rebuilt, I had Doug of Rockville Ring & Bearing install the new bushings for the steering worm gear follower arm, which was also replaced, the next couple of pictures show you my hub puller that was used to pull rear hubs, I then painted the backing plates using POR 15. The other pictures are Doug inspecting the engine, timing gears look perfect and the inside of the engine was clean as a whistle!  and the last picture you see is the parking brake cable retainer which an original type is no longer available fortunately "Tim" at my local parts store found others that are compatible and work as original. Must say a BIG THANK YOU TO TIM! he went well beyond of the average vendor! I am still waiting for more parts and when they arrive, I will complete the rear end reassembly.   

January 5 - 7, 2021 – I Received the replacement parts I needed to finish the installation of the rear brakes and received the replacement steering shaft that got bent when the body was removed from the frame. I then removed the bent shaft from the rebuilt steering box and installed the new steering shaft after that installed the steering assembly temporarily. I also received the body mount insulators and installed all body mounts just to make sure I do not lose any. The chassis suspension and steering are now completed I still need to install the new brake and fuel lines. Today I will be dropping off the clutch and brake pedals to have bushings installed which will remove the slop in the pedals.  Originally the pedals did not have bushings; they must be drilled out to accept the retrofitted bushings. 

If you look at the right rear drum you will see the emergency brake cable in the incorrect location, I will be pulling the drum to relocate in the right position

January 7 - 18, 2021 This morning I picked up the brake and clutch pedal that had the bushings installed. My parts arrived yesterday and I then had the crush washers and then installed the master cylinder. After I paint some parts I will next the new brake lines. 

Had to pull the right rear hub again to relocate the emergency brake cable so it resides behind the retainer.  My Friend Lee Brown sand blasted the heater box and primed – Thanks Lee!   

January 19 – This morning I painted with spray POR the steering column cover and all supports, the heater box , brake and clutch pedal arms and the air cleaner housing .

January 20 - 26 - Started to install the new brake lines and needed to order some additional fittings.

January 26 - 31 The past couple of days I spent restoring the headlight and parking light assemblies, yes, they both had rust but not as bad as the rest of this car.

I then used POR 15 on the rear surfaces of the front grill and the spare tire carrier. 

The chassis is now 100% rebuilt and completed all I need to do now is adjust the toe and camber but need the weight of the drivetrain on the chassis to do that. 

I am waiting patiently for the engine rebuild to be completed and as soon as I have that back from Doug of Rockville Ring & Bearing I will install the drivetrain.

I finished installing all the new brake lines and bled the brakes; used DOT 4 so that hopefully will be the last time in my life that I will need to replace brake fluid   

Not much more to do in the meantime so I will just organize the parts and clean the shop.

January 31 – February 2 – My friend Gerry and I purchased a Hurricane used engine last fall that was locked up figuring we could free it up, well no luck. But the upside it came with a generator, distributor, Carburetor and all bolt on accessories with the exception of the starter. I tested the generator, and it has new brushes so it.

tested okay. I then cleaned up the distributor and generator and painted. After that I installed the rear spare tire carrier on the chassis. Next on my list was to remove the transmission throw out bearing carrier and replace with new assembly. Both were completely worn out as you will see in the pictures. The fork was also repaired at some time in the past, so I ordered replacement today.

February 8th - Till the engine and body are ready I will be doing small but necessary tasks. 

Today I installed the throwout bearing carrier, fork, return spring and the shift lever bushings. 

Then I disassembled the vent widow stripped and primed and will paint and  reassemble with the new rubber gaskets and adjust.

February 15, 2021 - Today I spend about three hours installed the new rubber on the driver’s side vent window and really did learn quite a bit. It seemed like a real easy job and in the end if you did it before it would have been less that one hour to do. 

My suggestion is use Silicone on the rubber gasket where is goes into the frame channel and use a puddy scraper to push into the channel, that works very well. 

My next mistake was not installing the vent window glass before I secured the bottom plate, not a big deal all I have to do now is drill out the pop rivets and install the glass, you need to move the bottom bracket down slightly so the top window female receiver accept the top pivot pin, will do that tomorrow and then on to the next window, 

Actually this is working out not having the engine or body ready because I am getting all the small tasks completed.