Fred,
I think Pres. Kennedy was riding in one of those Lincoln 4 door convertibles when he was assassinated. A good looking car IMHO. Maybe not the same year or style as yours, probably a 62 or 63. You are right, those doors are heavy and the posts will need reinforcement. I had to adjust my doors on my previous Packard (with a roof) as they were starting to sag.
Ken

Rusty,
Sounds like you have put a lot of thought into it and have some good ideas about how to do it. Maybe some hope, if you have the skills and time or have a lot of money to put into it. Some auto body man might have some fun with a project like this.
Ken

Looks like we are looking at parts car status here. Too bad they took off the top.
Ken

Thanks, BKazmer!
I seem to recall that after they quit making convertibles after 1976, I think it was, there were some firms that would custom make convertibles for you. I guess they would know how to do it. But if this particular car was cut in the best way to do that, I have no clue. It is going to take a richer and braver man than me to buy this car with any hope of making it into a 4 door convertible!
Ken

Thanks, Howard!
From a pure economic point of view I expect you are right. I am wondering if it could be done and what would have to be done and roughly how much it would cost to make a decent 4 door convertible from a 4 door sedan. Recognizing, of course, that it would not be authentic.
Ken

On ebay there's a 1952 200 Deluxe 4 door that a guy cut off the roof on and is trying to sell as a ratrod convertible. Frankly, I have never seen a 1952 Packard 4 door convertible, nor am I impressed with the workmanship so far. To be perfectly frank, I am not in the market for the car but perhaps someone here might be. But I am curious as to whether you think this could be workable as a convertible (albeit inauthentic)or whether you would need to weld the top back or just treat it as a parts car. I know convertibles need special bracing for the body. Take a look and tell me what you think.52 Packard 4 door convertible?

Ken

For what it is worth, the 1948-1954 Parts Manual available here shows that for the 24th Series, 1951, there was a code X for black. If you like it black, keep it black.
Ken

Hi and Welcome T-Roy!
I live in Grayson, GA myself, so perhaps we are not too far away. There are several ways we can help you identify your car. One way you can attach some good pictures of it to your email message and that will help us in doing so. Another way is to click "Packard Model Info" on the left part of this webpage and type in the year 1954 and see if any of them look like your car. A third way is to look for the vehicle identification number on a metal plate on the driver's door jamb. If its a 1951, the first two numbers should be "24". If its a 1952, the first two numbers should be "25". If its a 1953, the first two numbers should be "26" Starting with 1954 they changed the numbering system. If its a 1954, the first two numbers should be "54" If its a 1955, the first two numbers should be "55" and so on through 1958. Through 1956, if you give us the first 4 numbers of the vehicle identification number, we should be able to tell you the year and the model of your car. Numbers 3 and 4 tell us the model. Hope this helps!
Ken

FWIW, 1948-1954 Packards don't have any ash trays. They only have ash receivers. So sez the Parts Manual. So I guess we are out of luck.

As the owner of a 53 Clipper (a 200 by another name) I am similarly surprised by the number of those that seem to have survived. Suppose the same thing could be said for the 54 Clipper. Either just good cars or people just liked them enough to save them. Maybe one or the other or some combination of both. Market value on the cars seems to have little if anything to do with it. It has long been the mantra that if you are buying a Packard you should buy a senior model but the juniors keep hanging in there. Looking back further, I suppose you could say the pre-war junior 110s, 115s, and 120s suffered similarly, but now have a better status. I for one hope the postwar juniors will similarly get more respect as time goes on.
Ken