Mike bought his 1948 Packard Station Sedan at the Arco Arena Sacramento Auto Swap meet in 2014. It was a total rust bucket at the time of purchase. The wood was all rotted away. What little wood there was left could fit in a 5 gallon bucket. There were/are no kits, instructions, or patterns available for replacement. This meant that Mike had to do all the restoration work himself, based solely on photos and other cars he had researched. There are 30 pieces alone, just in the steering wheel! The steering wheel was originally 17-18″ around, but is now 2 inches smaller.
The original stock motor was a flat head straight 8, with a 3-speed transmission, but is now an LS1 motor with a 4L 60E tranny (stock for a 2000 Corvette), and air bag suspension. As mentioned above, Mike did all the wood work himself, and he did it simultaneously to when the body was being done, which meant he had to remove the wood, while the bodywork was being done, and then reinstall it once the bodywork was completed. The wood is ash. There are 10,000 miles on the restoration. Mike also did all the upholstery himself. The woody sits on Maclean wire wheels, with Packard hubcap inserts. To accomplish this, Mike had to trim the caps down to fit inside the Maclean wheels, which adds a very nice touch to the overall appearance of this beautiful machine.
Mike shows the wagon around various car shows, including, Woodys on the Wharf in Santa Cruz; Grants Pass, Oregon; and Pleasanton, CA. Mike is also in the process of restoring a 1929 Model A Woody in maple. Hopefully, we will get the opportunity to see that one in the near future.
