Re: 1955 Packard 400

Posted by HH56 On 2023/1/9 13:31:23

I believe the original solid cardboard package shelf material was called cowlboard and it came in several colors. Restoration Specialties carried some of the colors but they only list black now and say to inquire about other color availability. Some of the internet upholstery shops that sell retail might also carry something that would work. If you have the perforated shelf that sort of matches the perforated headliner used in some HT models, there are not too many options in finding original material.

If your panel is not missing or seriously damaged you could cover it in solid color fabric to complement the upholstery or headliner. For a perforated headliner, there are some materials used in European car headliners that are a decent option in matching the original headliner but some are solid material with a pattern that just duplicates the perforations. I believe the material my upholsterer found was a Mercedes item and it was a fairly close match to that in my Caribbean HT. An option for a DIY approach would be to visit a local upholstery shop and see if they would order material from their wholesaler or maybe just have a sheet of door cardboard already in stock they would sell. That way you would probably pay less in freight than would be charged for an individual package. They could probably make you something and cover it in a suitable fabric to come close to your perforated headliner or solid color on the upholstery if you don't want to do it yourself. Another option might be to go to a home center and pick up a wood door skin. That is a sheet of fairly thin plywood which is meant to cover a damaged door. Several have used that material for both door panels and package shelves. It could be painted (several coats to do it properly) for a solid shelf or covered in solid or faux perforated fabric.

McMaster-Carr also carries some 1/8 thick perforated PVC sheet but I do not know how the hole spacing would match up to the headliner in those.