Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

On my 1955 400 were the fresh air duct hose (the black cloth wrapped hose) between the heater core and the fan motor tube held on with a clamp, and if so where can i get them?

No clamps are shown or called for in the parts book. The cloth sections were fairly snug on the metal ducts and long enough to slide over the metal on each side a good inch or two. There are some small barb like protrusions -- 3 I think -- toward the ends of each metal section. The fabric portion extended far enough on the metal and over the barbs so they would catch and hold the support wire in the cloth ducting. The blower connection to the fender metal duct has no hose -- just a rubber gasket on the blower housing which abuts the end of the metal duct section and makes a seal.

If your cloth piece has shrunk or become damaged and you need a clamp to keep it on the metal you can buy 5" or 6" modern screw on clamps at Lowes and probably Home Depot too. Look for them in the air conditioning and heating duct section. If you don't want the shiny band to be too obvious, once you get a measurement to about where the clamp will tighten you can mark it. Open it up so the band will come out of the screw. Slide a length of 3/8 unshrunk black heat shrink around the steel to camouflage that shiny portion. It will need an approx 16" length for the 5"+ duct. Reconnect the band to the screw and rotate the screw part down under the duct and out of sight before tightening again.

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THANKS FOR THE INFO ILL TRY THAT.

Max Merritt (and I'm sure others) offer a reproduction black air duct product that I've successfully used in the past without the clamps. Good luck.

One more question the baffle that is mounted to the right front fender that provides air to the heater-can it be taken off?

Not sure what you mean by baffle. If you mean the long sort of odd shaped 30.824 part in the illustration which goes from square to flat rectangular and then round for the duct hose piece mounted on and painted the same color as the fender then no. It is spot welded onto the inner fender. If you mean the flapper or flat movable piece inside the round duct directly under the heater box which shuts off or directs the air then yes. Any other pieces of the heater assy such as the core would most likely need the heater box removed from the firewall unless it has been out before and the screws on the back were left out when reinstalling.