Packard Forum Index » Studebaker Built Packards (1957 - 58)

Was looking at a reasonably complete looking 57 on ebay and one thing piqued my interest again. The owners manual mentions and has instructions for power windows & they are also shown in the parts book. I don't recall ever seeing them on an actual car -- Packard or Studebaker. Were they really available and if so, any idea how many cars had them. Was it a pricy option and that might be a reason for so few takers.

For their top of the line car they were trying to maintain which was supposed to come complete with supercharger (not sure they really did), seems like windows would be a no brainer.

I have parted out a 57 that had power windows. Stude didn't seem to push them as hard as Packard did so they are rather rare and were snapped up the minute I had them off the car. Somewhere I have a price list--I think they were in line with everyone else's.

Then also, not that many 55-56 Clippers came with power windows. I see them pretty much only on the Constellations.

But every 57 came with the supercharger. The 58s of course did not.

Quote: But every 57 came with the supercharger. The 58s of course did not.

Not true. The Hawk came with a supercharger.

Sorry, I had sedans on the brain.

Hi HH56

I've noted the power window option on every '57 Clipper I've run across for the last 25 years, it's pretty rarely equipage. I parted out one with power windows twenty years ago, sold the set up to another fellow for his car then.

As to the price of the optional power windows, in the SDC Turning Wheels August 1993 article by Fred Fox detailing the 1957 Sedan and Wagon models, the options list gives the following:

"Power windows, 2dr: $54.00"
"Power windows, 4dr: $102.00"

Now, one would think maybe the power windows for two doors applied only to that body, not so. Shortly after reading the article, I ran across a '57 Clipper Town Sedan with power windows on the front doors only! The rear door windows were still crank operated. I thought this was an anomaly, knowing that S-P was desperate for any sale it could get, would build whatever was ordered. However, the more I noted the power window equipped '56-'58 Studebaker and '57-'58 Packard sedans, the more frequent that powered front/manual crank rear showed up. While all four powered windows is the most common of a rare option that powered/manual is out there too!

Steve

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I'm just unfortunate enough to have never seen a car so equipped.

I'm still amazed that it wasn't a standard or highly pushed option in the Packard version. Such a low cost item to spruce up or elevate a line from a company trying to make an upper range car out of one not so top end. If they could throw in a supercharger, seems like windows along with half a dozen other inexpensive bell and whistles they could come up with would be no brainers.

The two door approach is interesting. I could almost see it in a family with only two people likely to ever be in the car or a single driver who occasionally needed to roll down a passenger window.

I've heard there were hundreds of sets of power window mechanisms left over when Studebaker went out of business. They were "inherited" by Newman and Altman and their successor Stude parts businesses.

For all the difference it would have made, they could have made power windows standard equipment.

Came across this thread and began to wonder how hard it would be to install power windows in the front doors of my 57 Packard?
Doors are bare right now, no panels, no windows or regulators , just bare shells.
Could Studebaker International have these parts still?
Just thinking out loud...?

Based on the number of 57 photos that have come across the web showing cars with regular windows and what the other posters above said, PWs appear to have been a fairly rare option in the 57 Clipper -- and Studebakers too for that matter. S-P was unable to supply the original Packard window motor in the late 50s and came up with a replacement which is also no longer available. I kind of suspect that might be true for a complete Studebaker window setup too.

Because of several failures and high cost and limited parts availability to repair his Packard setup one poster elected to adapt a modern universal street rod window setup to his 55. Perhaps one of those kits would be an option for your 57.

It takes a couple of extra relays to adapt the modern motors in the kit to the original switches but is easy enough to do. Craig did it one way and I have done it another way using inexpensive cube relays. I don't know if 57 kept the same style switch as 55-6 Packard. If so used 55-6 4 position drivers door and single door switches are available. They can be problematic with high current of the original motors but more than sufficient with relays. If you used those switches no one would know what was inside the door. Some of the mid 50s GM style switches are available too.

Thanks Howard,
I'm still thinking this over.
Studebaker folks in South Bend say they have found a pair of power window assemblys in their warehouse. They are in the process of checking them out to see if they're useable.
If they say they are good, maybe I'll jump.
Then comes the issue of correct type switches?
Guess we will see what plays out.