Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Can anyone help me with the description and name of the correct carpet type for my 1955 Packard Clipper Custom Constellation? Also would appreciate any recommendations for a source or supplier of this carpet material if one exists.
Thanks
Mike

AFAIK, the only true to original Packard carpet reproductions is bulk carpet sold by Neal Porter (248) 693-1907. He had it reproduced in 4 colors but he lists it for 55-56 seniors and no mention of junior cars.

Looking at the parts book it appears Clippers may have used a different carpet material than senior models and for some reason there was no bulk carpeting made available or at least listed for 55 Clippers.

Here is a photo of what was used in seniors so if you have any of your original to compare you can see if the texture looks anything close. I didn't look thru the complete material cards section in the photo archive but there is a chance some of the 55 cards may be in there.

If you want to check, you can select the photo archive from the left menu and near the bottom right column is the heading for parts plates, diagrams and material cards. There are quite a few pages of cards and I don't know how to narrow it down to finding any particular card other than going thru them all.

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Then 55 Customs had a peculiar diamond textured short napped carpet. I have never seen anything like it. It held up about as well as excelsior packing material.

A reasonable substitute would be the solid short napped carpet used in the Supers and Deluxe. That is readily available as "Daytona Weave" in many colors as that was used in Pontiacs, Belairs and even Studebaker Presidents.

Thanks for the information about the carpeting. Has anyone had good luck with any of the vendors that offer cut and sewn carpet? Any recommendations?
Thanks Mike

A kit I bought about 15 years ago from Kanters for my '56 Caribbean convertible was a proper fit, trimmed and bound, and with all the pieces. It was quite acceptable to me though of course the material itself was not a match for the OEM material. They offered plenty of colors and a good color match to the OEM was easily obtained. If I had it to do today I'd buy the bulk '56 senior material from Neil Porter and have it cut and bound, but that wasn't a choice back then.

PackDaddy:

I own a 1955 Constellation. My car was restored during the 1980s in Minnesota and I bought it in June 2012. The carpet in my is heavy-duty short-napped black. There is no diamond pattern in it. The guy who did the restoration was more concerned about function than authenticity. He used a heavier duty solid black cloth and vinyl for the seating, rather than the non-durable pattern with silver stars. That cloth apparently wears out in a matter of months!

If you are trying to restore your Clipper to concours expectations, then you can go ahead and search for the exact carpeting the Packard put in the car in 1955. If you plan to use your car as a driver on tours and for fun, I would recommend a strong, good quality auto carpet. Unless the folks riding with you are totally anal, no one will be able to tell the difference and you will be a lot happier in the long run.

Thanks again for the information and advice, I'm trying to keep it as original as possible. I will check with some of these vendors to see what they offer. I did not have any carpet in my car when I bought it to use as a comparison. I appreciate all the help.
Thank you

I am not sure if this is still true, but I bought the carpeting from Neil when I was doing my Caribbean. He had a guy available to cut the carpeting and install the proper edging and heel pads.
My only serious problem with the carpet set supplied is that it did not come with any of the jute padding that normally is attached to pre-made sets that I had purchased for other projects which required acquiring padding and building up the matting to get something approaching an original appearance.
If I were doing it again I might elect to just buy the carpet and allow a professional to do the cutting and finish work.