Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I found a thread from about 3-4 years ago about the padded dashes in 55-56 senior cars. It was fairly informative but thought I'd ask again to see if any new info has come to light. My main questions are:
Did all 55-56 senior cars come with padded dashes or was it an option?
More specifically--Was it standard for all 55-56 Caribbeans to have padded dashes?

The 1955-56 senior cars all came with padded dashes. The 1955 and 1956 model padded dashes are not the same. The 1956 is a thicker "puffier" dash than the 1955s. Also the 1956 models have a chrome end cap on each side where it meets the A pillar.

Yes, all 1955-56 senior Packards had a padded instrument panel. And 1956 was different... with a seam along the rolled edge.

The sad thing is that many people see these things today and in recent years all shriveled up or foam gone and think they are unsavable. Years ago when I had an interest in a trim business we probably re-did at least 30 of these to look like new.

In Southern California, the usual problem was simply that the sun baked the daylights out of the old foam in the pad and it went adios muchachos. The air space left inside became even hotter in the sun and expanded and contracted when in and out of the sun-sometimes stretching in the day... sometimes shrinking at night or in winters. So the pad ended up looking like a shriveled Dorito. The look was worse when the pad faded.

Our simple refurbish method was as follows:
? Unfasten the skin of the pad at the base of the windshield and peel it back (if it is stiff, don't fold back hard. Soften it first if possible. Try using a professional trimmer's heat gun or a hair dryer to soften the skin). SOME skins are too far gone to soften and have reached the "potato chip" stage, but you will be surprised how many come back.
? Then clean out whatever was left under the pad skin (sometimes a sticky mess, sometimes what looks like dried cornmeal). A ShopVac helps in this operation.
? Install a fresh pad of premium foam, cut to fit the instrument panel top. Make it as thick as possible.
? Reposition the vinyl pad skin and use a heat gun or hair dryer to fit and smooth out wrinkles. Hold it in place with screws and then reinstall the trim at the base of the windshield.
? If the pad cover is faded, clean it with professional cleaners and then refinish in vinyl color dye.

You'd be surprised how many times this method worked and resulted in a beautiful original-looking padded dash top. This does not mean that the skins were always soft again-sometimes they weren't. But visually and dimensionally, they were usually returned to a beautiful appearance.

So if your looking at a Caribbean without a padded dash where do you get the correct replacement and how much will it cost?

"just dashes" is a supplier (only one I'm aware of) of reproduction dash pads and skins for Packards. I've seen quite a few of the installations - very, very nice indeed though not quite an exact duplicate of the originals with regard to the surface texture and the simulated stitching. Quite expensive! - I've sent an email to the last person I know who bought one and had it installed and if I get a response I'll add it here but as I recall the cost including installation was a bit short of $1000 though I don't remember if that included other dashboard removal and restoration work as well.

I used Leeedy's technique on my 56 about 17 years ago and when finished it was very presentable though by this time the foam has begun to deteriorate (I used a closed cell urethane foam) and needs to be done again. As long as the skin remains pliable you can do a very credible job with patience (see photo below).

justdashes.com

UPDATE: As of about 7 years ago the cost just for the dash pad without installation labor was about $700.

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Please excuse and permit a question. The padded dashes, how were they assigned colors? Would the trim code dictate ?

Believe so. Parts manual says to state trim # when ordering. Not sure but think the darker color of upholstery dictates. Had a Patrician with trim 62 and that dash pad was dark blue. My Carib is trim 296 and the dash pad matches the dark gray.

Thank you HH56.

And with that understanding, my trim is 84; which is black cloth with gold thread running through it; so the dash should be black in color?

Hopefully maybe someone in packardinfo land can attach or send me an image of such an interior (black cloth with black dash)?

Much appreciated.

Anyone have some hints on removing the chrome gauge bezels on a 1956 dash? It looks like the were pressed in at the factory and they are die cast. I have new ones and am not worried if the old ones get ruined. Then the issue is how to install the new ones. Any suggestions from someone who has gone through the agony before?

Kev: Your 400 has black cloth, but the sides of the seats are turquoise,no? Therefore the dash should be turquoise. I think this was the general rule although cars with white leather side trim got a black or grey dash.

I can't recall seeing a single black dash on a 55 senior car, the clippers got them if they had either black, yellow, or white side trim.

As an historical side note: after 40 years of screwing around with these cars I have often seen '55 cars where the column and or wheel were repainted at the factory to make them match the rest. They seemed to have a real problem coordinating that in the new plant.