I keep the nuts on the t-bolts because it makes putting the tank back in a little easier. Less things to line up and hold in place. But definitely need to use a jack to help get the t-bolts back in place. I agree with the vent tube hose. Pain the rear to get it off sometimes.

I do love the 2-door sedans. I would love to save this one if possible. But a lot of it depends on if I can replace the floors, and the condition of the engine and transmission. I'm not sure that I'll do a full restoration with paint and correct upholstery. This one may end up more of a rusty driver. But if I can get it back on the road I will.

@@PackardProjects I have a '53 Clipper Deluxe 4-door, 327ci, 3-spd+OD. Upholstery is split under driver and under back window. No surface rust, but some perforation in left rocker. Shines when I polish it. I probably won't do a complete restoration. It brings me joy.

Nice. Very similar to this one in options. Except this one has no power antenna.

The owner before me had replaced the Bendix TreadleVac with some sort of a dual master cylinder. I can't be certain but I believe it's out of an older Ford vehicle. He shoehorned the brake pedal in there as well. The set up works, but not as well as the factory set up. It takes more force to brake than it should. But the dual master is nice as a safety factor. I may change it back to original at some point but I would need to repair the damage done when the non-factory master was put in.

Thanks, it's a work in progress still. I'm trying to get it as close to original as possible, but there are some things that won't be correct. The paint is not factory colors, but I likely will not be changing it anytime soon. The brakes were converted by a previous owner to a dual master cylinder, which I will probably leave alone for now. Everything else is as original though.

Glad you liked it. I enjoy the POV-type videos also. I'll do some more as time allows.

Clutches on Packards are vacuum-assisted, as are the brakes on some. Power clutches, power brakes, but they hadn't quite worked out power steering yet LOL - and with an engine that weighs about 900 pounds, parallel parking is a challenge!

@@richardkryston2990 thanks👍. I have 52 Mayfair coupe, but love the 1920s/30s styling.

I have a Mayfair and unfortunately my seats were retrimmed in vinyl years ago. It looks ok, but I prefer the cloth. Do you have radial or bias tires? I’m thinking of getting mine on radials to make it less boaty.

Yes, still getting used to driving this car. On my daily driver(Audi 4.2L) they are known to burn oil due to valve seals and rings, so one practice to avoid this is to pop it in neutral when decelerating to avoid heavy negative pressures in the combustion chambers. Muscle memory from driving that car is tough to break.

Point-of-view. Camera mounted on my head so you see what I see.

Thanks! Yes, Panama was the hardtop in 1954 for the Junior (Clipper) line. It continued in 1955. The Pacific was a one year only name (1954) and it was in the Senior (Packard) line. From 1951-1953 the hardtop was called the Mayfair. On the 1951-1954 models the optional backup lights were mounted below the trunk. 1955 is the year you are thinking of that had the backup lights immediately below the sore thumb tailights. Lots of small changes in the 50's for Packard. Many things were only found on a single year and single model.

@@PackardProjects I grew up in Coastal Virginia and we used Naval Jelly and/or Coke to remove surface 'pits' on the chrome from the salt air.

@@jerrycallender7604 I've seen some similar things done to remove rust pits and such on chrome. I've had mixed success. Definitely an improvement, but not a perfect solution. At some point I'm just going to have to have my front bumper repaired and rechromed. The smaller pieces like interior bits can stay the way they are.

Thanks. I'm glad that I've been able to get it back on the road. It would have stayed in that barn indefinitely and continued to languish and deteriorate. With any luck I hope to bring back to original as closely as possible.

​@@PackardProjectsJust watched your interior dismantle, amazing. You have impressive knowledge and outcomes. Just wondering, does this Clipper still have it's fender skirts?

@@neildickson5394 ​ Thanks. I've taken apart much of the interior before (when I first got the car) but had never done the steering column and dash. Thankfully I had other knowledgeable Packard guys give me a few tips. Once I repaint the trim and dash, get the seats reupholstered, and install new windlace, the interior should be complete. I already did the headliner, carpet, and door panels. Also cleaned the entire interior down to bare metal, repaired rust, epoxy primer, and then applied sound insulation to all surfaces. I didn't take any video of those things though (two years ago). I do have fender skirts that I can repaint to go on the car. But the owner before me did a bunch of bodywork around the rear wheel wells. Apparently there was a good amount of rust there. But one of the openings for fender skirts wasn't done perfectly so the front curve doesn't match the skirt. I've left them off because of that. It'll take some serious work to get it corrected.

@@PackardProjects I appreciate your detailed reply. I have owned several Studebaker's, but never a legendary Packard. My 64 Studebaker GT Hawk had stainless headliner bows, I think 3. No longer own it. Anyway, I think this was a feature passed on to Studebaker from Packard from it's hardtop models. I see you redid your headliner, and it looks great. Did it come with these stainless strips originally? I also noticed the seatbacks ropes were missing. I'm not nitpicking, only observing and wondered if the car came to you that way. Most people who watch these videos are already keen on these cars. An example is that Packard script on the blue 200 sedan you did a video on. As it was a 52, and had a 51 hood, most people would never know, but a Packard man would catch it. You, of course kindly pointed that out. I see your models are pre James Nance Presidency 1952. Do you favor these 51-52 models?

@@neildickson5394 The stainless headliner bows were present on the 1954 Packard hardtop (the Pacific) but the Panama's did not have them, being from the lower priced Clipper line. The ropes on the seatbacks were missing when I got the car, and the passenger seat had been reupholstered poorly. I was able to source some original rope and mounting hardware, which I'm currently cleaning up. I'll have it recovered along with the seats. I do like the '51-54 models. They are relatively easy to find and work on, and parts are not too expensive. The '56 model year is also a favorite of mine. I do like prewar models but I have limited experience with them.

Thanks! It's very much a work in progress but I'm enjoying every minute of it. Next up on the list is to clean up and paint the engine, then figure out what I'm going to do with the seat covers.

Thanks, been working on getting back on the road for some time. It's big, heavy, but elegant at the same time.