Classic/Antique Car Repair: Part stores for 1952 Packard 300, robber barons, max merritt

Question
I recently purched a 1952 PACKARD 300 TO RESTORE.  I am interested in finding a store in Ohio - West Virginia - or Indiana area where I can order needed parts.

Answer
Unfortunately, the last Packard dealer went out of business in 1958, so you'll have to deal with one of the robber barons who make a living selling reproduction parts and used parts, or else shop on eBay and watch for the items you need to come up, which is by far the more economical way to proceed.

You need a parts book and a shop manual for the car - buy those from an auto literature dealer - I use Ed Faxon of www.faxonautolit.com, but there are others out there also.

You need the parts book to be able to identify the parts you want to buy accurately.  As you may know, Packard made many, many different models, and many parts will only fit the right model - you have to know what you are ordering by part number.

If you are in a hurry for something and have money to burn, you can contact the following folks for some parts:

Max Merritt, at www.maxmerrittauto.com
Joel Ray, at www.packards1@aol.com
Kanter Brothers, at www.kanter.com

 The Kanter Brothers  publish a catalog, which is helpful.

None of these are in the states you mention, and none operate a "store", they deal with on-line sales or telephone orders.

You should join a Packard Club - go to www.thepackardclub.org and sign up.  You will find the publication filled with advice, much of it good, and classified ads for many of the items you are looking for.

If you tell me exactly what parts you are looking for, I may be able to give you more specific advice.  There are quite a few items which are still available over the counter at your local auto parts store, but when you walk in and ask for a part for a "Packard" the clerk will not even have heard of the car, so you need to know what part will work, even though it is specified for a Ford or Chevy or some other lesser car.  The only way to learn this information is to ask the man who owns one (like me!)

Good luck with it - these are excellent cars - probably the best engineered cars of the era, and still capable of being driven on modern roads in modern traffic if they are in good condition.

Dick