Re: 1955 Clipper custom with 2 four barrel engine

Posted by BH On 2008/2/4 15:11:59

Dave -

I once owned a '55 Patrician that had the additional -56 trim added to the rear doors and fenders (back to the taillights). It appeared to use stock fasteners, but (IRCC) the holes in the body sheet metal were round (as would be if drilled) rather than square (as would be if factory die-punched). The fit to the gas filler door was sloppy as they did trim the door as was done by the factory for the '56 Seniors. Also, who ever added this trim did not include the '56 pieces that run across the rear-end, just below the trunk opening.

I can imagine that it was not uncommon for a '55 owner to have their car updated; it's not terribly hard to accomplish - save for a special fastener that was used just above the wheel opening on 2-door bodies.

While legend has it Packard could be coerced to do just about anything to make a sale, there were quite a bit of post-production modifications done by dealers and owners back then.