When Larry Neman was looking for someone to provide the backbone of his 1940 Packard convertible restoration, he looked no farther than Rich Bickle's Muscle Up Performance and Hot Rod Shop.
"If first met Rich and was introduced to Muscle Up Performance at the Jefferson (WI) car meet this spring," said Neman. "Later, I came down to their shop in Janesville and it really looked like they knew what they were doing. At that point, I said let's go for it."
Neman rescued the vintage Packard about seven years ago after it was destroyed in a museum fire. Of all the pieces left of the car, the frame was the worst of them. Rusted and worn out, Neman took the car to Muscle Up Performance looking to revive the backbone of the unique vehicle.
"The car was part of a collection at Wisconsin Dells and the owner rotated cars in and out of the display," said Neman. "They had a storage building in Lake Mills, WI and it unfortunately burned down and ruined all the cars in it. Everything went up in flames. There was over $2 million in damage."
Shortly after the fire, Neman bought the massive, 126-inch wheelbase car - as is - at a swap meet in Elkhorn, WI. After getting a head start on the restoration, Neman got sidetracked and the project has been on hold for several years since.
"I got into motorcycles," Neman stated. "That meant the car sat for a long time, but recently I decided to start on it again. I wanted to finish it."
That meant taking it to Muscle Up Performance for a new frame. There, the old frame was copied and updated to accommodate rack and pinion steering, an air ride system, and better brakes and tires. Neman, who in past years restored a couple of cars that were worthy of inclusion in enthusiast magazines, didn't take long to decide to realize the quality and expertise of the project.
"I'm really happy with the work Muscle Up Performance did," said Neman. "I wasn't exactly sure how it would turn out, but it's pretty incredible. They used the best quality parts. I'm really happy with what I got for the money.
"I was also really surprised how quickly they turned it around," Neman continued. "It was amazing. It was less than 10 days from the time I dropped the frame off to when I had the new one back. I told some friends I got it done and they were stunned. They turned that out in no time."
Neman, who will finish the car himself, will eventually add a 514 Ford crate motor and an automatic transmission during the car's final road to restoration - all possible thanks to having Muscle Up create a new frame for the vehicle.
"I love working on cars, but I don't always have the kind of time I'd like to do it," said Neman. "When you can find somebody that can do it for you, that's the way to go. At Muscle Up, I found someone who know what they were doing. As good as I am, I could have never produced that kind of quality. And now everything will bolt up perfectly too. It was money well spent and well worth it."
As for the unusual project of creating a one-off frame for what is sure to be a one-of-a-kind resto rod when completed, Bickle stated Muscle Up can handle just about any kind of on-off situation at its Janesville, WI shops.
"We have the ability to do the unique," Bickle stated. "In this case, it was to do a one-off, build it from scratch frame for a 1940 Packard Convertible. You don't get too many calls for those kinds of chassis."
To see an entire photo gallery of this project, please click on the following Muscle Up Performance web link - Once there, just click on any photo to enlarge.
http://www.muscleupperformance.com/photog/thumbnails.php?album=5
To inquire how Muscle Up Performance can create a special chassis or restore your muscle car, hot rod or classic car, please contact Bickle at info@muscleupperformance.com or call 608-654-4545.
