Re: Interior restoration question

Posted by Loyd Smith On 2010/12/20 10:29:17

There is a great deal of difference in the Bedford cloth interiors in earlier cars and the Jacquard (I believe that's the right term) that's found in the 55 & 56 senior cars. The cloth material with the metallic threads that came in these cars was much more durable than the Bedford cloth in the older cars - if, to me, slightly less comfortable. It is also quite expensive nowadays but holds up extremely well especially when compared to most of the modern materials used. At age 55 the rear upholstery and seat in my 55 Pat is in better shape than that in many two or three year old modern vehicles.

As to your seats, Packard used coil springs, thick horsehair padding and quality underlayment between the springs and upholstery rather than the interlinked flat "spring" assemblies, foam and artificial underlayment commonly used in cars of today (and most of its competitors in the day).

The seats in my 55 Pat are constructed, spring-wise, like quality furniture and were upholstered for maximum durability in high quality leather and TOUGH material. When my upholsterer examined my front seat he remarked, "This is my first Packard but I've never seen seats like this in anything but a Rolls."