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This dialogue prompted a little more digging. Discovered some interesting things:

1 The wheel covers are Packard rather than Clipper. They are exactly the same design, but the Clipper covers had a ships wheel emblem in the centre.

2 There is no evidence of different rims being grafted to the centres. If they were, it's a masterpiece of welding skill! Most likely they are Packard wheels. But off what?

3 The rim width is more like 6" than the standard Clipper 5". Hard to believe cars this size would have run on rims that narrow, but that's what the book says. Specified tire size was 7.60x15 tubeless for 1956, which would also have fit a 6" rim.

4 The dimensions and offset of the wire wheels are exactly the same as the steel wheels.

Brian

Quote:That's because it is! Just used your pic again because I'd referenced it!

I have just discovered that the standard 1956 Clipper actually had 5.5" rims. Recommended tire was 7.60x15 tubeless.

The tires on my steel wheels are 215x75x15 B F Goodrich ribbon whitewall radials, on what appear to be 6" Packard rims. The tires on my wire wheels (which are the same dimensions) are 235x75x15 ribbon whitewall radials. These are very difficult to fit on the rear wheels, even with the covers removed. The car has to be jacked up very high. And no doubt the larger tires will make the non-power steering even heavier at parking speeds.

I'll take a leaf out of Don's book, and find some narrower radials to minimise both these problems.

Brian

Yes, 7.60X15 is what the Clipper should have while my 1954 Patrician has, as I recall, 8.00X15. I also have a set of original wire wheels that have 8.20X15 tires.

That's interesting Don. Do you know how wide the rims on the Patrician are?

I presume your Packard wire wheels have centres which fit the senior cars (ie 5 1/2" stud spacing). Do you plan to use them?

Where are you now? Still up in Oregon?

Cheers

Brian

I only just recently got the wire wheels (five of them) and they do fit my Patrician's bolt pattern but I've not decided yet whether I want to use them on my car or not. PM me what you think they're worth to you! I already have a set of NOS wheel covers for my car so perhaps I can be persuaded.

They came with tires mounted so I'm not sure of the rim width but I can try to estimate it when I'm next at my shop. Here's a photo of one loosely hanging in place on one of my 1954 Patricians.

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Hello Don

Sounds like you're down south now. In self isolation? What do you do with no cars to work on?

Not sure, but I think your 1954 Patricians are senior models? If so they would have the 5 1/2" wheel stud spacing, and would not fit my Clipper which has 5" stud spacing per junior cars. That's where the problems started for the previous owner. He purchased aftermarket Packard wires in the US, then found they would not fit. So modified the centres (Ford?).

When I bought the car, I retrieved the wires from a Patrician-owning friend of the previous owner, who had also discovered that they would not fit his car so still had them on the shelf. A set of five with good tires. My good luck.

Cheers

Brian

Yes, the Patricians are senior models and, in fact, were the top of the line sedan and yes, the bolt pattern is quite different than that of your 1956 Clipper unless you install senior hubs and drums which you could do to increase your stopping power. You asked about them so I thought that perhaps you had another Packard.

No cars to work on here but it's been too cold off and on at my shop to get much done anyway. Also, I was staying with my elderly parents which didn't seem a good idea so I came back home on the 18th as planned for their safety and to not leave my partner here to go through it all alone. I'm not wanting for things to do as I have plenty to keep me occupied although being able to work on my cars would have been nice.

Don

Good to hear you're taking precautions with your parents. It's getting ugly in the US. My son lives in New York, and hasn't been out for a week. Seems to be turning the corner here, though.

I'm a one Packard guy now, having sold my 1941 120 Club Coupe. Still working on a space problem, which I have with the Clipper, three modern cars and something over a dozen motorcycles.

My wife complains about how much space the Clipper occupies, but I'm not listening!

Brian

I also have a space problem which is one of the reasons for the lift that I had installed when last there as I can park a car under it too. There are seven cars in the shop (even though it was designed for six), two large touring motorcycles and a small tractor. I have no car at all here at home, though.