Just as you would expect of any good automaker, the Packard
Motor Car Company published shop manuals and parts books to assist dealers
in the maintenance and repair of vehicles they sold. However, to communicate
updates and corrections to the servicing dealer body, the factory sent out Technical
Letters on an as-needed basis - each covering a single topic. In 1927, the
factory also began publishing a newsletter, the Packard Service Letter,
that was issued, essentially, on a monthly basis - each containing a variety of
articles on service, parts, and administrative matters. In 1944, this
publication was rechristened as the Packard Service Counselor. While
the Technical Letter format, printed on general letterhead, continued
address important matters that arose between issues of the newsletter, it was eventually
supplanted by the Service Technical Bulletin, with its own dedicated
letterhead.
It was business as usual in this regard, following the
formation of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation in 1954. Supplemental
service information continued to be published by the offices of the Packard (and
then Packard-Clipper) Division – even for several months after
the end of Detroit production in 1956. However, the story didn’t end there, as Studebaker’s
South Bend offices and remaining dealer network assumed service
responsibilities for Packard vehicles for years to come. Articles on Packard
equipment would appear in the Studebaker Service Bulletin through 1961.
Whether you are repairing, restoring, or improving your
Packard, these publications contain a wealth of excellent information that
can’t be found in any other book. However, sorting through all these
publications for answers can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Indices
were published by the factory for some, though not all of this information, but
styles varied greatly and none were issued for the 1956 calendar year.
To better reference this material, we set out to prepare a
master index to the publications for each related Series and linked to material
archived at this website. Topics have been edited to improve clarity and be
concise, yet permit recognition of the title in the original document. Topics
have also been organized by subject headings that more closely follow the
service manual layout.
While the model application information was drawn from the
original text, it has been edited for uniformity, using a convention similar to
that of the factory shop manual and parts book. Articles published for earlier
Series and models should also be reviewed, on a case-by-case basis, for
relevance to their later counterparts.
Enjoy!
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