Problem Areas

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Problem Areas common to the PA

Overall these are very durable cars. Mechanically they are exceptionally strong for their vintage,
but the real problem lies in the bodies. So cosmetics will be the key issue. A lot of the brightwork
on the car is pot metal and can be quite difficult to come by. More so if you happen to live in
Florida. Probably the biggest problem on these cars has to be rust. I'll get some pictures online
soon of my badly rusted 1960 PA Velox (The Regency Cream one, not the Royal Blue one!) to
illustrate how badly these cars can corrode, but here's a list of places to look:

An example of what can happen!

*Front fender supports (Behind the front fender)

*Sills First the outer sills go, and then the inner ones when things get really bad

*Front floors (Not surprisingly)

*Upper cowl area on 58-59s

*Fuel filler flap area on 58-59s

*Trunk/Boot Floor area, particularly where the boot/trunk floor meets the sides the boot/trunk
walls at a 90 degree angle. Salt and mud get thrown up from the rear wheels and sits... and it rots
it out.

*Rear frame rails. However if the car is this far gone...

*Tops of the front fenders/wings.

Other Problem areas to watch for

The later PADX-Series cars with the 2.6L engine have a problem with exhaust manifolds going
porous, unfortunately replacements for these can be tough to obtain.

Another common problem is the shifter linkage on the 3-speed manual transmission cars as it can
pack up. It's a good idea to keep an eye on it.

Also, without cylinder head modifications, these cars are NOT COMPATIBLE with unleaded fuel.

I am not taking chances and am using lead additive in my car.

As far as spare parts availability goes, mechanical parts, as a rule, are relatively easy to get and inexpensive. Body panels and chrome parts can be difficult to obtain and expensive. Also, some of the pot-metal pieces on these cars can be quite prone to pitting.