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Permalink Reply by Martin on July 1, 2009 at 5:45

Funny story. It brings back my own memories about a Packard ... My father bought a Packard from a very good friend who was in the military -- back in 1958. The car was a '51 straight 8, three on the stalk, Bronze/Copper paint. The original owner had kept the car in storage for about half the car's life, since they were stationed over seas a good part of that time. The car was his pride and joy. He had waxed it so often that he had worn through the roof paint in one spot, down to the bare metal. Shiny, no rust. When I would fill it up gas, other drivers would come over and admire the car and the finish. They wouldn't believe that it was the original paint, until I showed them the bare metal patch.
under the hood all there was was the straight 8, a battery, and a generator. You could have slept a small family of four in there. The only thing that didn't work was the clock. But back then every car clock died within the first year. Had an external sun visor/shade, which meant of course that you had to have a prism on the dash so youl could see the overhead stoplights. When my dad was transfered overseas in the early sixties, he refused to sell it to me. Argued that I needed something reliable to drive. That car never failed to start and run. Trouble free, so long as you kept it in points and plugs. Broke my heart to see that car go.....

Thanks for your story and reviving my own Packard memories.


I have since heard claims that the Pontiac 8 had less power than the 6 cylinder -- the reason for the 8 was that it was a much better balanced and hence smother running engine.

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Permalink Reply by sesport on July 4, 2009 at 19:41

Now Buck, I gotta tell ya', that's not the story that was being told in the kitchen. When Aunt Ina found out the version of this story that uncle was telling the men 'round that 4th of July barbeque, she filled the wimmen in on what really happened ... because, as you know, back in the day, the wimmen's place was in the kitchen.

As Aunt Ina tells it, being terrified of crossing on that ferry once again, she was wide awake leaving the beach. Once boarded on the ferry, she took her post up at the rail, returning to the car once the ferry docked. And what did she find there? Uncle was sacked out, stretched out, on the front seat of that Packard.

Now, Aunt tries to shake him awake, but it seems that RC Cola was a little stronger than usual. So, Aunt shoves him over to the passenger side, he mildly grunting in protest, drool pooling from the corner of his mouth onto the car seat. After Aunt gets him slid over, and mops up the drool pool with her favorite kerchief, she slides behind the wheel, cranks the engine, and inches off the ferry.

Aunt Ina says that she decided to run the Packard through that car wash, to impress her "bring home the bacon" bread winner, hopefully garnering a few extra dollars for a new dress. As Aunt tells it, when the jet sprays hit the window, it was Uncle that jumped awake yelling, "Semper Fi, Semper Fi!" He must've been dreaming of Iwo Jima.

Well, when he raised up like that, those jet sprays were aimed straght at his head, and the rug that was protecting the top of that head from sunburn (because Uncle never went to the beach without his rug in case some lovely young bathing beauty showed an interest). Well, there went the rug, under the high pressure sprays, flopping & flying around all over that Packard like nutria busted loose from their cages on Avery Island after THE hurricane.

Uncle, being terrified of the huge orange teeth of the monstrous swamp rodent, bagan scurrying all over the front seat, vaulting across to the back seat, trying to avoid what he was sure would be a most horrible mauling, and probably languishing death from some untreatable rodent disease. But, as the sprays continued to keep the rodent/rug flying through that Packard, Uncle could find no escape. Hopeless & helpless, he began screaming like a little girl, so loudly that he could surely be heard all the way back to the ferry. The car wash operator had to pull the emergency lever to bring the operations to a screeching halt.

Given that this was back in the day, being that Uncle was Aunt Ina's meal ticket and she hadn't had a new dress in a long while (she only wanted something new & fresh to wear to church on Sundays), she never openly disputed Uncle's version of that story.

But back in the house, in the kitchen where wimmen belonged (back in the day), all the wimmen gathered 'round to hear this version of the story, as they usually did in every woman's kitchen to tell the versions of what really happened. Then they just giggled, and still giggle to this day. And sometimes, when the men are out gathered around that barbeque these days, if they'll just be still in their bragging & guffawing & back patting for just a few short seconds, they can still hear the quiet giggles of the wimmen in the kitchens. :0)

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Permalink Reply by fox on July 5, 2009 at 2:32

Buck and Sesport---That is funny. That is a good read.

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Permalink Reply by Big Daddy, bcnr on July 5, 2009 at 4:16

WOW! Story wars! This is great! The gauntlet has now been thrown down! I'm still laughin' at both of them! Thanks Buck and Sesport!

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