Re: Leather Interior Option for 1956 400
Posted by Leeedy On 2019/2/17 8:07:51
Quote:
Steve.43 wrote:
My 1956 400 hardtop still has the original interior in good condition, except for the leather caps on the seats. They are losing their color (pink) and the interior guy says it's too risky to try to re-color them. It appears that I am going to have to replace them, and I seem to remember that Packard offered a special-order all-leather interior in '55 and '56. If so, I would consider a complete makeover in leather.
Does anyone know whether I'm right about this? And if I am, do the door panels get leather, too?
Present interior colors are pink and black.
Any help appreciated.
Steve in Indiana
In the 1970s I had a Scottish Heather/Dover White 1956 Four Hundred so equipped. It had factory wire wheels (originals-decades before repops came to market) and factory air. The interior fragrance was heavenly.
At the 1977 PAC National there was a dark metallic blue 1956 Patrician (low-miles original) that was displayed with full leather interior (and I think factory air)-all in mint condition. This car was well known for many years in the Chicago area, but seems it fell on hard times in more recent years. Coincidentally, one exactly like it turned up a few years back in a New Jersey wrecking yard. Hope it wasn't the same car. No idea what happened to it either.
I believe the original leather was supplied to Packard from Lackawanna Leather Company (don't think they are still around, but I still have business cards in my files). It was surface-colored leather (not vat-dyed as some people try to use today).
There ARE a few shops who really can do leather renewal and I used one to re-do my English button-tufted custom-made leather sofa. They did an excellent job and were cheaper than an $8,000 re-upholstery job (best quote I got). But they were still not cheap. This is the territory, if you want genuine leather.This Post was from: https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=209416