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Ride Nickname:
Jezebel

Make:
Packard

Model:
200

Year:
1953

Introduction / Overview:
I bought my '53 Packard Clipper Deluxe for 200 bucks when I was 14, almost 3 years ago. Originally it's from Grants Pass, OR, but she made her way down to Eureka, CA, where she spent a good 4 or 5 years in a friends backyard. Mostly all stock, with the exception of a little shaved trim here and there. She's a work in progress, but aren't they all... Had the original 327 straight 8 when I bought it, but of coarse, being young and stupid, I tried to race my buddy in his 289 Mustang... Got up to 80 and spun the oil right out of the road draft tube. Burnt a couple bearing instantly.  I ran it around with a bad knock and a piston slap for almost two months before it finally threw a rod on the highway. Now I'm getting ready to drop in another 327 inline motor out of a donor Packard.

Drivetrain:
As mentioned, it had the original 327 inline 8, but I blew it up. After some trading I acquired another 327 straight eight, this time out of an automatic car which means its slightly higher compression and had a little lumpier cam from the factory. It has the original 3spd column shift, and a Borg Warner R11 OD unit that never worked right.Weird gears in the rear... factory 4.00 to 1.

Chassis:
Bone stock. Similar to early 50's GM suspension with king-pins and stucks mounted in the center of the coils. Leafs in rear with 3" blocks, frame is sitting on the axle with no bump stops. As you can imagine, it rides your on a freaking cloud.

Wheels:
Stock steelies with 8.20x15 BFG Silvertown bias plys by Coker. I change between '55 Cadillac and '59 Rambler caps, or sometimes bare steelies. Some wanna-be gangbanger kid in my neighborhood slashed one of my white walls while I was parked on the street in front of my house, so I run my good whites in front and some old tires with painted whites in back. i'd like to get a set of G78s from Coker by the end of this next school-year. 

Body:

Right now I just have it in some Western Industrial black while I'm completing the bodywork. I am shaving all the emblems and side trim, but can't really decide on weather or not I wanna keep the chrome fins on the rear fenders... They're kinda kool, but kinda obtrusive. Being a kustom painter and pinstriper, this one has definitely not gone un-touched. We had some left over colors at the shop from flaming some mailboxes, so I laid out some quickie flames down the sides.

Interioir:
Really not much in here... Blankets on the seats to protect the perfect green and white striped broadcloth.Haven't really started on the interior yet, except for some stripping on the dash.

Lifestyles:
Builder, Old-School, Hot Rodder, Custom Rodder, Build-It, Drive-It, Classics, H.A.M.B.