This is a 1953 Caribbean. At least that is what we are told. When we asked the owner what day he was delivering the car he said well it should get there Monday...and Tuesday...and Wednesday!
Here is some more of it...we think. Patrick Aldrich will take on projects that find themselves in this state. He is the guy to call when you are ready to take your project off the shelf.
The 1953 Straight 8 sits on our custom stand getting ready for the paint booth.
Here then is the engine all dressed in primer sealer.
Aside from the boxes there was some of the car we knew what to do with right away. Here are the trunk, the hood, the frame and the doors all ready to be prepped for paint. This involves stripping, welding and shaping on the body parts. The frame gets a treatment of sandblasting welding and powder coating.
It is a long way from this pic(above) to the one on the right!
All the rebuilt engine components begins to get mounted into the car and the engine will soon be rolling this classic down the road.
Once painted the engine is put back together on the stand and then lifted into the front of the car. Here is a few shots of the process of putting the engine back on the car and then adding on the components like the fan and radiator and the rest.
The deck lid and the rear quarters also have to line up. All the major components of the body must be mounted to the car and adjusted straight before and shaping, metal work or pre paint processes can begin.
The front clip attached to the rest of the body for lining up the lines which include how the fenders line up with the hood and the doors.
Fit and finish is a vital part of the process. Here you can see the line of the fender on the driver's side is too tight(top left) and so the line is adjusted to the right gap so that the hood closes cleanly and the fenders are straight with the hood. The two lower pictures show the same process applied to the passenger side.
With dramatic effect this shot shows one of our cars on the lift reflected in the buffed and polished glove box face. Each of the pieces will get this final buff to bring out the majesty of this car and the original color!
Here is a shot of the fender jams, fire wall and windshield frame all painted and ready. By jamming the inside rails of the front clip it's easy to tape off the fenders from the engine and to shoot the whole outside of the car in one session.
Jamming is the process by which all the tight corner areas of the car get paint applied. On the top: The top of the fire wall and the window from get color .
On the bottom left: the fender gets color. On the bottom right a shot of one of the door jams. Pieces like the glove box, the dash, the trunk hinges are painted off the car to ensure that they are painted thoroughly.
Here is a current shot of the engine in all its straight 8 glory looking like it just rolled off the line.
When you have know how and tools you can make boxes of parts come together just like new. The Capo Caribbean is starting to take shape.
Top left: The dash piece is taken though it paint process after final sanding. is how the dash board looked before painting.
Top right: shows the primer coat going on. Bottom left: show the color coat.
Bottom right: show how the dash looks after buffing and polishing. The mirror finish is perfect.
After the bow pieces are hung and primed they dry and then get shot with correct color : Ivory.
The convertible top pieces and hung and primed in the paint booth.
Top Left: We use a piece of rolling scaffold the hang all the various pieces of the convertible top mechanics so they they can be fully painted on all sides.
Top Right: A shot of the front head piece all sanded and primed.
Bottom Left: The header is cut into to rebuild the latching system and then welding shut
Bottom Right: a shot of the now working latch control in the closed position.
The 1953 Packard Caribbean Convertible:
A shot of the Capo '53 soaking in the sun and curing a fresh coat of Matador red.
A classic year and a classic color.
The outer face of the spare tire cover gets final color.
Some more pieces of the continental tire package get final color.
