The letters are red. Its a nicely restored 200 business coupe and lettering looks very close to shade of emblem. I suppose until someone comes forward with an unmolested original, it will be a guess because the sales brochure I mentioned shows both.

Not sure if that important to make big effort. There is the disassembly of a 54 deluxe to get inside a bldg with narrow doors and some shots of just the front end items you were looking for--although detail may not be good enough.

To add to the discussion, the latest issue of the Cormorant (#129) shows a nicely restored 51 trunk emblem and it was painted red.

Check out the latest Cormorant (#129) on how to disassemble your Clipper--.

The 47-50 steering section shows just hitting the threaded end with a hammer but they appear to have something with a fairly large hex head--maybe brass or something that partially goes over threads to protect them. The hammer they are using appears to be a fairly healthy ball-peen.

Thats what I get for thinking the glass was half full. Should have guessed there was a fly in it.

I did a 54 & 56 several years ago. Don't know exactly how much difference between years (probably not that much) but the job was not that difficult. Assume yours is the cross bows, not lengthwise, although don't think the procedure would be that different.

There are some tools that will help the job such as a smooth curved putty knife like implement to push the liner up into the retainer without tearing it and a steamer would be handy to remove wrinkles. An extra body is a big help also.

Important when you take the old out to carefully mark and identify which bow goes where as they are probably all different by a fraction of an inch or slight angle--also the ends that go into roof pieces. Paint or clean them to remove rust. Otherwise you just remove the garnish moldings as required, then old liner, which will probably tear and pieces remain in retainer teeth (if your car uses that arrangement). Clean and repair roof pieces as needed.

To install, insert the bows into new liner Center lengthwise, make sure bows remain upright and straight and push the cloth edges up into retainers being careful to keep things centered. Haven't read your manual so if it says start anywhere particular, then do so. The windlace will also probably have to be replaced if you hadn't guessed. I had already planned on doing this because of damage by dash & lower doors, but mine was so aged and rotted that the slightest disturbance and the cloth flanges tore even by the headliner.

You mentioned Kanters material. Suggest you request a sample because what he supplied for the 56Pat was not very close to original--although it looked better than what I was replacing. Windlace was worse and impossible to find with correct pattern--from local or other mail order suppliers so wound up with a reasonable color but wrong texture.

I think black also. Only picts I can find of 51s are all B&W but the lettering appears pretty dark. I have a good pict of a 52 and it's black although I'm not sure that's correct because I've seen red there as well. Interestingly, Packard didn't seem to know either. Granted, they're air brush renderings but in a sales folder, "Packards the one for 51", the creme colored car had black but the red car had red letters.

I also like darker colors. The Norwegian Forest, to my mind, is very petty and being metallic has different hues in different light plus it's about as dark as it gets in 56. It would also be an option for the upholstery you have, either as a solid or another 2 tone with one of the other greens (which all look darker on the chips than your present color).

Of course, nothing says you have to stick with original colors either. Some of the greens from other years are available also. In mid 54 there was a Gulf Green Metallic made available that was quite attractive. I put that on a Pacific that I did, and while the picture doesn't do it justice, it was really quite nice.

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This ad was in latest PAC News Bulletin. He apparently has several of the reprints I have not seen advertised in a long time including the 36-42 service letters.

http://www.books4cars.com/