Re: vinyl roof in center of metal roof.

Posted by Mr.Pushbutton  On 2013/8/14 8:49:28

Rick, Welcome to Packardinfo, you have a great car.
The reason the top is not all metal is that Packard did not have the ability to stamp that large a roof pan in 1937, GM has the distinction of having the first all steel top with the 1935 Chevrolet, other GM brands followed suit shortly after and so did the rest of the industry. The manner in which your car's body was made was standard for the industry until the development of the large presses needed and the industry-wide chage from wood framed bodies to all steel bodies.
I have seen dressing used, I have seen nothing used, if the rubber insert was new enough (re-covered within the last 10 years or so. The dressing helps the appearance and can aid in the waterproofing. Some modern herse body manufacturers still use this rubber material, so for the time being it is still readily available.