Here's some pic's finally

[55PACKARD]

Ok here's some pictures of my 55 packard it might not be what you guys are into but i wanted you to see it anyway ...so i guess i can get ready for some bashing i can take it <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> http://members.cardomain.com/geespackard

[Guest AlK]

At first I thought it was stock until I read the description. At least you didn't sub-frame a chevy under it. It looks nice. Good work.

[WCraigH]

From the pics, your Clipper looks to be in the "spirit of" the period customs. It looks "fine", as they used to say. I agree with Brian, get it in a garage ASAP.

[55PACKARD]

I had to put it under something they didnt have packard so i put it under something funny well i didnt my friend set up the link..Thanks for the complmants my friend did all the kustom ideas he is a real 50's buff so i did the car to look like it did come out of the 50's that was his idea and mine the hood is louvered too but thats not the stock hood i still have it that was an extra one i bought..thanks <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> again

[RO]

Looks real nice. I like the color combo.

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

Beautiful! Tell us more about the grill. The only thing i would do is remove the dummy tear drops.

[55PACKARD]

Thank you for the nice words...Well the grille is radiator screen from home depot painted sliver ..We covered the stock grille of course i painted the stock grille semi flat black so you wouldnt see the grille thru the screen then i covered it in about oh i would say 100 chrome bullets i think it look real cool..I dont know if you noticed the parking/blinker lights ,my friend made them out of white lusite and we put an amber buld back there so at night or when i use the blinker bulb it lights up amber color...So far i get alot of people looking at it at shows 1 wondering what it is 2 the people who knows what it is the love it because it is so different..My next kustom add on is going to be the 56 bumper im going to put wish me luck on the fitment....

[Guest 1956Packard]

Well, I like bone stock/original cars, but I have to say you've done a nice job. I'll second RO's comment about the colour combination. I think that's what does it for me.

Geoff

[55PackardGuy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do you have side pipes AND tailpipes?

The brightwork along the bottom edge is a nice design trick for giving the "lowered" appearance you were looking for. The grille is stunning, and in keeping with the period, I think. All these mods appear to be reversible as well. Nicely done. I wish somebody would've had something like this at the last "Nationals" meet here in St. Paul, instead of trying to outdo each other on who had the shiniest lipstick red paint.

[55PACKARD]

Thanks 55PackardGuy, <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Yes i have lake pipes they arent hooked up Yet..they are for show..Thanks for the complimants on the car I think it does look good too.. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />Im very suprised though you guy's like it i mean i changed it from the stock apperance a little...but i think i gave it a little charm in its own way....Thanks again guys's ......

[ChicagoPack]

A really nice job! I like the grill and the paint particularly. Plus you have a real eye catcher without mortgaging the wife and kids or do irreversible changes to the car. Years from now, when someone finds it and wants to reverse it back to stock, it can be easily done. Congratulations.

[55PACKARD]

Thanks again for the kind words....Is that why the door panaels on my car have a v too is because its a v-8??? just wondering...i will take some nite shots for you when i get a chance..thanks agian <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[55PackardGuy]

It'd be fun to "count the vees" on the '55 and '56 Packards. They pop up in a lot of places, and move around from year to year. For example, the little v emblems on the '55 tail lamps were replaced by red hexagons in '56, and a great big v was used on the deck lid. I think both years had v's incorporated in the round emblems on the "c" pillars, at least on seniors. The grill emblem changed from a v inside a circle on '55 seniors to an elongated v stretching outside the circle in '56.

I remember the inside door trim on the '55 Clipper had a chrome v design incorporated in it. However, the dashboard v (or more like a "check mark") was reserved for seniors.

You could even make a claim for the '55 senior hood ornament having v-shaped wings.

I read somewhere that there was a plan to make the v-inside-a-circle badge a permanent design piece to rival the three-pointed star of Mercedes. Packard would've had to survive many more years to pull that off. And it didn't look promising, as the emblem had already changed between '55 and '56. I can see why they went with the big v in '56, though. It really looks sharp.

[55PackardGuy]

Brian,

You're right about those hexagons, of course. Six sides. (will correct the post) Did those debut in '55? I remember the Clippers used them inside the "ships wheel" design in '55, so they were common to juniors and seniors. Interesting that the v's on the roof disappeared in '56. I guess that would make the '55 seniors the "v champs"-- a total of 5 v's on the exterior, 3 on the interior. Or am I missing some? It seems Packard wanted no one to mistake these cars as straight eights. I'm not sure about the Executive back end. Did this also have the trunk lid v similar to the '56 seniors, and did it have others?

[ChicagoPack]

Here is the back of my executive.

[55PackardGuy]

Thanks. One big v like the seniors. And none on the roof, it looks like. Interesting how closely the back of the '57 Clipper "Packardbaker" resembles this, in miniature.

[Pierce66]

Brian - NO way Packard could have survived. Bottom line - it had so ruined its reputation with poor "build quality", towards the end, you couldn't give em away. If you look at the yearly sales figures, you will see there was a big but very short "jump" in sales, when they started to advertise the '55's, with the big advertising campaign focused on the "Packard Is Back" theme. Trouble was, when the actual cars got into the hands of the public, word spread about how much trouble they were, and that was it.

What is so sad and unnecessary about all this, is that Packard pioneered so much of our technical history - their engineers literally "set the standard" for engineering drawings, along with so many other contributions to automobile technology, INCLUDING the V-8. Packard was a pioneer in V type engines, and its legendary reputation for quality and performance served them well. That's the tragedy - they came out of World War Two fat with profits, that COULD have been plowed into product development. Instead, they elected to "muddle thru" with products that were neither technically nor qualitatively competitive. Yes, I have seen that "promo" movie of how superior the torsion ride was. Great gimmick. Trouble is, most people dont buy a car to "jump" it over a railroad grade crossing. New car buyers want a trouble-free car. New car buyers are typically NOT automotive hobbyists who are willing to "tinker".

The traditional Packard slogan "Ask The Man Who Owns One" served them well when the product was something to be proud of. Tragically, that same slogan was what killed them when the increasingly poor product quality made them a laughing stock.

Sometimes, a clear-eyed view of history isnt pleasant. There is much to learn, and much we can benefit as individuals, from a review of the rise and fall of the Packard Motor Car Company. Of course we all wish it had a happy ending...

"Dog Spot"

[Pierce66]

Hi Brian:

Are you SURE you want to limit your interest in automotive matters to the time periods you specify ? I suspect you will find many of these guys in here will agree with me that it is fun and educational to enjoy as wide a range of automotive matters as you can.

Yes - there are a number of books and stories floating around with all kinds of theories as to why Packard died. So many people with so many "axes" to grind. But the "bottom line" is...if you cant sell product, you cant keep a factory going. In Packard's case - again, they came out of the war fat with cash, that COULD have been plowed into product quality and development. No point in getting mad at me for simply reporting the REALITIES - I was personally present and saw the ever increasing sales resistance to Packard products as the 1950's unfolded. So many of us loved the Packard and all it represented so much, it was (and is ! ) practically a religion for some of us. But liking a particular car is only one way to enjoy our hobby. Other ways include trying to learn what we can about the industry and how these products came to be. It's fun to study this stuff.

Incidentally, I dont have to READ about Packard's history...I LIVED a part of it..small part indeed...but I was "there".

Best Regards

"Dog Spot"

[Guest]

Pierce 66: Just how much cash did Packard have in the bank after WW II?

[55PackardGuy]

I don't know where this discussion about Packard's demise came from, either. But I do know that Packard did EXTENSIVE re-tooling for the war effort and they were not compensated for the enormous task of converting to peace-time automobile manufacturing. The estimated cost of the re-conversion? $1.5 million 1945 dollars. (Packard: A History of the Motor Car and the Company, Kimes, Automobile Quarterly 1978, pg 516)

Build quality was definitely an issue with the '55-'56 models (I have some personal experience with this because my family bought a new '55 Clipper which had a few body problems, particularly with door fitment.) One of the reasons often cited for build problems is the infamous "Conner Plant" which was much too small and was referred to as a "cracker box" by many. Delivery of cars was also a problem because of lower output at this plant. Packard dealers received their '55s later than the competition, and quantities were limited. The interest in the cars was high due to promotions, but the public didn't necessarily want to wait. Another problem often cited is a sparse dealer network. Since many dealers carried Packard as an additional car line, and they were definitely different "animals" than their other lines, one could also expect dealers to be less apt to find every bug during prep.

Everything I've read about Customer reaction to the TL suspension says that it was overwhelmingly positive, with the result that many '55 cars that did not have it standard were ordered with the option, and it became standard equpiment in '56.

One anecdote from the history of our Packard: when the windshield started to rattle after a short while, my dad, who was a mechanic, called for a visit from a "field rep" who obviously felt he had better things to do. He suggested something like "whaddaya expect with a big heavy windshield like that? It's gonna rattle." Dad had a feeling at the time that, with customer "service" like that, Packard couldn't last long.

I'm kind of tired of the debate over what "killed" Packard. It was the result of many factors, not the least of which was management problems. The cars are what they are--people who get "into"them seem to become fascinated and often concentrate on them with a passion. I don't see anything wrong with deciding what you like and sticking with it. There's only so much time and money available to "experience" different cars in depth.

Long live the '55 and '56 Packards! They have a character and mystique all their own. And many is the time I have spoken with former owners who bought them new as "transportation" and who waxed eloquent on their durability and performance, as in "best damn car I ever owned."

There was even one guy who said he liked to give "demonstrations" to his passengers by turning off the highway at speed, hopping the ditch, driving through a plowed field, then hopping the ditch back onto the road again--just for fun. True? Maybe not. Possible? I think so.

I guess the cars were, to an extent, built for people who might like to jump things once in a while, even if that wasn't important to the majority of the motoring public.

When reading Packard engineering papers in the Summer '91 PI, I'm struck by the frequent references to how the cars are built to specifications that "far exceed" the durability and performance capabilities of other cars of that era. And the references are backed up by data.

I sometimes wonder if the engineers had a feeling that this was going to be their "swan song" and wanted to make a statement with the last Packards.