Washing cars, opening the pool before a surprise trip to Toledo

| May 25, 2021

This past weekend was a busy weekend and won’t likely let up for a little while – full schedule … and I’m not even really back to traveling for work! It started with getting the mowing finished up on Friday night so that I could spend time on getting the initial pool cleaning and pump […]

Flowers, some Kubota service and waking up the Packard Hawk

| May 11, 2021

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Creatively painting tools and testing a new relay for the Packard

| November 21, 2020

Personally I don’t want my tools looking like this, but I do admire the effort and creative talent it takes to do this. It does remind me of my grandfather who always painted the handles of his tools bright red .. I still have a couple of them. Also the new relay arrived for the […]

Archive: 1958 Packard Hawk electrical issues, schematics and an Indian Summer bike ride for Annalyn and Ellerie

| November 12, 2020

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The new Packard Hawk modified battery hold-downs are great

| November 11, 2020

Tweak by tweak I’m staring to enjoy working on my dad’s Packard Hawk. For the past five years I’ve been unmotivated or shy about calling the car that was my dad’s and before that his uncle’s, mine, … but as the list of non-working repairs and fixes grows, I’m seeing a path to making it […]

Picked a warm sunny day for the Packard Hawk to come home

| November 7, 2020

After a long time in a repair shop, I brought the 1958 Packard Hawk back from some transmission repair work. It came back very dusty, but I didn’t notice any damage to the paint or body (yet). The entire process from initial quote to final bill and slowness was a bit disconcerting.  It was not […]

Made a new car guy connection when discussing the Packard

| August 29, 2020

On Friday afternoon I stopped in to talk with Rick Benhase, the guy looking at the Packard transmission for me. He is a truly old car nut and can’t seem to get rid of his “fleet” once he buys or fixes them. This applies to more than just cars, too (read below if you must […]

Sent the Packardbaker out for some transmission work

| August 21, 2020

My dad’s 1958 Packard Hawk, mine for the last 5 years, has hardly been touched since it was flatbed delivered from Sidney, Ohio. I moved it once … and then covered it up with a battery tender after I noticed a pool of transmission fluid all over the floor. So on the 5th anniversary of […]

Someone’s Tesla is plugged into my 220VAC welding circuit?

| August 9, 2020

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Not recommended: Triangular shade sail for driveway shade

| August 4, 2020

The summer sun makes it too hot to work with the 10 x 12 foot south-facing garage door on the back of the detached outbuilding which is something I’ve struggled with for years. I’ve rigged up tarps, drop clothes and the like in order to cut the harsh sun, but let some light and breeze […]

“Poor Packard” – the old Detroit plant continues to degrade

| January 28, 2019

It seems there is no end to suffering in the rustbelt when it comes to legacy automotive companies like Packard. The deteriorating Detroit plant which has seen years of neglect saw one more nail pounded into its coffin … the crosswalk collapsed and was cleaned up in January 2019 (photos above). The iconic name and […]

Learning about the Packard Twelve leaves me curious #TBT

| January 10, 2019

While reading a few interesting older blog posts at Consumer Guide, my Twitter friend Tom Appel (@Car_Guy_Tom) post got me thinking about the strange company that seemed to be trying to revitalize the Packard car brand. The company built a prototype some years ago and by attending a few shows, generated some attention with the […]

Learning about the odd hood ornament on my Packard Hawk

| October 18, 2018

For years I’ve known the odd hood ornament on my dad’s Packard Hawk (above) was not accurate or something that was original to the car, but had no idea where it came from?  Last week after an online chat and a little digging with a car-loving friend of mine, we did a little digging and […]

Hemmings Tombstone talk: What caused Packard to fold?

| April 21, 2018

It is probably the 1958 Packard Hawk photo on this particular Hemmings Daily post that caught my eye, but the article (and follow-up comments) are interesting too. I’ve archived the PDF of this post just in case it disappears. Photograph by Thomas A. DeMauro No single factor ever sinks an automaker. The struggle between profits […]

For Sale: 1958 Packard Hawk Convertible-auction ends 12/15/17

| December 12, 2017

This 1958 Packard Hawk is a one-off convertible created by Stanley Pridachuk, the chief engineer at Studebaker/Packard in the 1950s. Pridachuk believed that a convertible version of the Hawk would help revive the failing Packard brand and pressured the board to build one, though he was ultimately unsuccessful. Some time after his retirement in 1963, […]

American Packard Museum visited by Mercedes Club of Cincinnati

| May 7, 2017

Taylor and I joined in with a group from the Mercedes Benz Club of Cincinnati on a visit to the American Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday. The tour group was lead by an informative lecture from a long time Packard historian and lasted most of the afternoon. Surprisingly I never visited the museum with my […]

WSJ highlights a 1956 Packard Executive fit for a wedding

| August 24, 2016

The weekly "My Ride" article by A. J. Baime in the Wall Street Journal has become a sentimental favorite column as besides highlighting a Mercedes a couple weeks ago, did the same for a Packard this week. The story plots are almost always as unique as the  cars themselves … although this one touches a […]

My eyes are open for an Approved Packard Service sign

| August 17, 2016

A friend of mine, an automotive journalist, snapped this photo on his way across the country on Route 66 last week and I couldn’t help but crop and copy it for my blog – (above – thanks Wayne, not that you know I’m using your photo).  Although my garage shop is not quite ready for […]

Found an authentic Hawk emblem for the Packard

| July 12, 2016

A week or so ago I posted a "to do" list item that I really should helped my dad with when he asked. He loved all old cars and in particular showing his off. I remember him asking if the Internet could be used to help search for  a missing a trunk emblem for his […]

Archive: Keeping my eyes open for a Packard emblem

| July 2, 2016

The 1958 Packard Hawk isn’t on the "to do" agenda for this summer, but when walking by it in the garage, it is difficult to not think about things that need to be done. One particular item I need to find is a gold "hawk" emblem just above the trunk lock mechanism (sort of like […]

A near perfect Fathers Day weekend: Cars, Sun, Family and Ribs

| June 20, 2016

We had another outstanding summer weekend weather-wise and enjoyed every minute of each day. I spent my Father’s Day afternoon working on the BMW X5 35d and installing a 2" hitch receiver (upcoming post). Getting all the snapped and clipped on trim off was the biggest hassle … but it is done. We enjoyed grilling […]

The 1958 Packard Hawk is still in the family and in my garage

| May 21, 2016

  With a little help from the tow company’s flatbed delivery guy, my Dad’s 1958 Packard Hawk has been safely moved from Sidney, Ohio to my garage. Although I was able to get it started a few weeks ago, something is wrong with the transmission (stuck in gear) and it also has a known master […]

Hemmings Classic Car highlighted the 1958 Packard Hawk

| March 8, 2016

Previously I’ve posted before about my Dad’s 1958 Packard Hawk, but now that it has been passed down to me, there is more of an incentive to pay attention to articles, stories, car shows, etc. Thanks to my high school friend, Greg Fogelsong (a automotive guru), he noticed a photo similar to my dad’s Packard […]

The 1958 Packard Hawk passes from father to son

| January 2, 2016

  Guess what arrived for my new “old” car? Yup … the historical plates after last weeks title transfer. The registration has finally been updated for my late father’s 1958 Packard Hawk (you’ll need to think Studebaker Hawk if you haven’t seen the last Packard badge car). I’ve posted previously from a couple car shows […]

Remembering Dad with a few photos and things he treasured

| August 20, 2015

It has been a long week already and my brother and I are already having conversations about dad’s house and contents. I know it is something we need to do, but it seems so final … and I guess it is? We did talk about this a little bit with dad, but it wasn’t the […]

Archive: A Packard documentary from the History Channel

| October 8, 2013

I ran across a “Packard: An American Classic Car” documentary on You Tube the other day and know it is something my dad will enjoy watching. I downloaded a copy to my iPad (using McTube Pro) and am archiving the 44 minute clip to my blog — might purchase the DVD as it would make […]

A day with my dad in Sidney Ohio at the Applefest and Carshow

| September 8, 2013

My dad and I enjoyed the day together doing something we both enjoy – looking at cars and being together. As usual, he took his 1958 Packard Hawk to the Shelby County Applefest in downtown Sidney Ohio on Saturday and wondered if I was going to enter my Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel this year. I […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog