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To the discussion here about mirrors, it was pointed out that for 1951-1954, they mounted to the belt molding while for 1955-1956 they mounted directly to the door. My understanding is below so feel free to correct me as I am just trying to grasp it.

From what I can gather, the 1951-1954 type had a slot that fit onto the edge of the hole in the belt molding so nothing but the molding held them. They were tightened in place by a set screw which was accessed through a hole in the mirror base.

For 1955-1956, there was a heavy steel strip that screwed in four places to the fender, then the mirror sat over it and was held in place by a special screw that was tightened through a hole in the mirror base. One of my 1955-1956 mirrors also has the slot while the other does not.
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All that said, I have mirrors of both types and I have the brackets but I can't see how the 1955-1956 type works unless the bracket and/or mirrors are incorrect or unless there was some kind of spacer underneath that I do not have, the bracket holds the mirror away from the fender!

Then another question while discussing mirrors of this era. The 1951-1954 type appears to have a screw of some sort through the housing to hold the actual mirror in place as it is blunt with a hole at the front. The 1955-1956 mirror on the other hand comes to a point with nothing visible holding it. How is this type removed short of breaking the glass?

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51-54 a hole was drilled through the moulding and door and the Fastener was secured via to the inside door skin.

The install should be covered in the accessories section of the service manual.

The molding would not be strong/secure enough to hold the mirror alone. It would for sure have bounced around and pulled the molding off the door.

I didn't think so but seeing the slot in the casting and the set screws in the holes, that's how it looked. Thank you for clarifying.

Unfortunately Packard mirrors need a special screw like the one shown on the mirror in the photo above to mount the factory way in the belt molding because on some cars the location may be inaccessible from inside the door. It is right at the top where there are several overlapping parts and not much clearance.

If you find a mirror at a swap meet without the hardware the screw will probably be impossible to find so you would need to make something. The mirrors blind mount in sort of a keyhole slot and use a small allen wrench inserted into the end of the threaded part of the screw to turn from the outside. Left hand rotation threads the screw into the base and tightens to the door.

Possibly you could use a regular setscrew and thread a nut or some kind of disc and washer on the non socket end to simulate the screw head. Just need to make sure whatever used is permanently attached and cannot unthread to drop in the door

Howard, I have the mirrors and the screws (it's one of mine in the photo) and I have a nice pair for 1951-1954 but am just trying to figure out how they all mount. On the one in the photo, and compared with the template drawings, it seems impossible due to how far out the boss on the back side of the casting sticks.

I've been going back and forth with Fred at Max Merritt about the 1956 mirror shown in my initial post which I've linked again below. With the bracket mounted, the mirror would stand away from the door but he insists that it is the proper mirror! Shouldn't the boss on the bottom be shorter by at least 1/4"? What am I missing here?

Hey Don I have one of each style pics below if that helps

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Mike, Am I correct in thinking the top photo is 55-6 and needs the bracket while the bottom two photos with the extra pin are 51-4? If that is correct would you also post comparison photos of the top sides showing the difference between the two as far as the mirror base and support arm shape.

Mike, the one that another dealer sent is the 1951-1954 style but with the 1955-1956 bracket but I understand that the angled bit behind the mirror is also different, allowing for the mounting location and getting the angle needed to actually use the mirror. Here is the mirror side of the 1955-1956 type followed by the type for 1951-1954.

That said, the forward-most point of the mirror head sometimes has a hole where the mirror attaches and sometimes it does not. I have never seen the type with the hole for 1955-1956 but I have seen it both ways for 1951-1954 so I expect it’s a detail that was brought on by having more than one supplier making them, each with its own method of attaching the mirror.

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