Re: Interesting '55 Packard 400 on Ebay

Posted by BH On 2010/11/20 10:53:53

I once owned a '55 Pat that, judging from its serial number, was built somewhere in the first half of 55th Series production. It had the ribbed side trim aft of the courtesy lights, as in used '56, and even used all of the factory-correct related fasteners. However, the holes appeared to be drilled, rather than punched as the factory would have been. Also, there was no ribbbed trim on the rear, below the trunk opening, like other '56 Patricians and Foru Hundreds.

Thus, I concluded that it was done by a Packard dealer for someone who wanted a '56 but (for whatever reason) couldn't get one. It's really not difficult to accomplish when you had access to all the right parts, new. Yet, I suppose the parts could have been obtain from a wreck, and the work done even much later.

Regardless of manufacturer, I've heard all sorts of tales about and even seen some evidence of parts from the next model year being used to help finish the current year's production run, as supplies of existing parts were exhausted. However, I've never heard that the 56th Series ribbed side trim was one of them.