Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Looking at a 1956 Packard grille being cleaned and see that the area behind the little step does not appear to be bright chromed. I’m not sure if my Clipper’s grille is the same or not but on Packard, is it flat, textured or painted, or is it just bad chrome? Can anyone advise?

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It is a grayish silver color that is sort of a semi gloss finish. I believe they must have painted it or maybe did some kind of plating process that dulled the chrome after the grill was plated. Whatever it is does wear off with wind and weather. With enough worn off, under the surface appears to be dull chrome. I used a so called natural aluminum paint to redo mine and it looks fairly decent. Makes a nice break between the chrome outer part and the original chrome screens and an even better contrast with the later gold screens.

Have never looked at a Clipper grille that closely but the bars are much closer together so it may not be on those.

The late Randy Berger once told me that the dull silver was some sort of plating, applied after the chrome. He had the grille for his Four Hundred and, later, Caribbean done that way.

Metal finishing details would likely be noted on a factory engineering drawing or blueprint.

Thank you both! I suspected as much but wasn't sure.

Howard, you're right about the Clipper grille now that I think of it as the openings would likely be too narrow for such a highlight. If I remember I'll check my NOS one when I get back to my Oregon shop next month.

I did mine a few months ago, it's a silver paint according to my body guy. My grill was NOS with some scratches in the silver paint part. I had them redo the entire grill. It looks great. Pic is of the front, I can take another if you want of the silver paint.

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The step on grill is .032 on the NOS side piece Randy had for Caribbean the grill he had replated and in box when I got the parts had the step ground or polished down to entire surface was flat no step.

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Surprising it's like that with the replated Carib main grille. That sure runs counter to my recollection of his intent, but I fell out of touch with him in his later years. Don't remember it being like that on his Four Hundred, which I had seen often.

That is gorgeous!