Re: Packard Six Sedan 5-26

Posted by sandy mitchell On 2009/8/14 7:11:49

On color schemes in particular XB.

When I got my 526 2/4 coupe from California in '82 I noticed in hidden places there were remanents of the car being painted Black. The car when received had been painted a black primer and the wheels a grey primer. When I removed one of the wheels I carefully removed the primer and what was exposed was the green wheel in accordance with scheme XB but yet at the time, it was not listed as a color combo in the Salesmans Data book for 1928. When I removed the rumble seat back spring, there marked in chalk from the body shop was etched XB-308..the paint scheme plus 308 for the body code. When attending Hershey some years later, one of the literature vendors had a 1929 Salesmans Data book. Lo and behold..there was paint scheme XB for the 626. so evidently it was introduced in 1928 and carried over to the 6th sereis.

the exact description of XB is as follows:

Entire car Black
Window reveals
LOWER MOULDING
and wheels Baskt Green

Stripe, standard position and
size below the upper moulding
and on wheels, also on 1/8" stripe
through center of moulding Straw

Upholstery Standard broadcloth
Where leather is used in Staionary
coupe and Convertible Coupes
colonial grain # 713

colonial grain # 713 is Green. This is also confirmed by remants in my coupe where the leather was green and along with green leatherette on golf club door and also on the kick panels in th passenger compartment. In addition the floor linoleum is also green. The broadcloth is grey with a bluish/green flour d' lil pattern. and the door panes are solid. Carpet in the rumble seat are is a grey hogshair square weave pattern.

Also note that many folks when painting the wheels do it incorrectly. Where the lugs go thru the wheelm that area should be black..Ive seen this error time and time again not only on the 5th series but on folks who have 6,7,8 and 9th series cars. Examination of factory photo's will show this as being correct, however thats not to say it wasn't done at the local level as described earlier or perhaps by the custom body builders.

regards
Sandy Mitchell