Teamwork

One thing I learned when I moved from New York City to the Midwest is the importance of teamwork. In New York, everyone wanted to be an individual and a lot of people I knew rarely talked to their neighbors. After I moved ti Iola, Wis., I joined the Volunteer Fire Dept. Little by little, I came to realize that the super human things this small fire department accomplished were all a result of teamwork. Everyone chipped in and amazing things got done.

It’s the same with cars. Dan Hennes saved the 1929 Packard you see in the blog by turning it into one of the coolest hot rods you’ll ever have the luck to see. But he didn’t do it alone. His family and friends helped him with the project and the result of their teamwork is one fabulous car.

Hennes works in a body shop and took care of the sheet metal. His friend Chris Festge handled the job of applying the paint. Fond du Lac Auto Parts & Machine did the machine work on the engine. A retired mechanic named Don DeDolf did the engine assembly. Dave Evans also worked on the car and Hennes’ boss at D & M Auto Body in Slinger, Wis., let him use his shop to finish the bodywork there. Dan’s wife Stephanie supported him the whole way.

Dan bought parts from as far away as Canada and the Packard Museum staff helped him find other parts. In a way, he even got help from the Dodge Brothers. Horace and John made the taillights, but that was a long time ago before Dan got the car!