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Does anyone have a picture of a how a 53 Cavalier trunk was finished at the factory?

I believe the inside of the fenders and wheel tubs were flocked.

The parts book list right, left & center "Insulation-Trunk compartment floor" and right & left "Lining-Trunk compartment floor", but I don't know what these look like.

I have the original "vinyl" mats that go on the flat areas on the left and right of the spare. Was there another mat, or carpet, that went on top of this, or maybe this went on top of something else?

Also I'm not sure what went on the hump over the rear axle??

Did the trunk have carpet at all?

Did anything go on the bulkhead, or did just the wood show?

Let me know what you know! TIA

The sides and floor were flocked. Which usually wore after the first suit case was put in the trunk.

The bulkhead is just the fiber board divider.

There was no carpet in the trunk.

The trunk lid had a tar paper like insulation that was sandwiched between the inner structure and outer skin during construction and was then painted as a whole.

Photo from the 54 Fact book but Kev has described the finish well. On a very few of their top end postwar Custom models they offered an optional carpet but usually Packard did not seem to pay much attention to trunks. That changed slightly in 55 when most models got a bit of actual decoration to the sides instead of flocking but even then they only used cardboard with a decorative pattern and the same thin mat for the floor which was in the same pattern as the sides.

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Thanks guys! I kinda think it would be a fun project to do the trunk up as it originally was, which sounds like it's pretty close already.

The trunk lid is in very good shape and I suspect looks just like it did when it left the factory.

So essentially everything that is black, and under that mat would have been flocked. Correct? With the exception of the trunk hinges and mechanisms and I would guess not the spare tire well.

The sound deadening material talked about for 54 in Howard's post seems to only be on the inside of the fenders, but not on the trunk floor or wheel tubs, just the seam sealer.

The mat is die-cut and I'm assuming factory, but maybe that was a dealer option that was added when they relized the flock wasn't very durable? Maybe it's not from 53, but from 54?



On the topic of trunks, my lid has a bit of over hang, about 1/4" and only in the center, which I'm pretty sure is not correct. Maybe the part below has been push in a bit at some point. There is a bit of a dent where it looks like there was a minor impact below the trunk lid, not a rear-end type of hit as there is no other indication of body damage in the trunk pan or the lid. Thoughts?

Problem you will run into today is the original flocking was a fairly coarse and long stranded blend of different colors of rayon fiber. One color was predominant in the blend to give it an overall color but opinions vary as to if it was more a gray shade or brown shade or if they had both and it varied by year or model. If you have enough of the original left in clean good enough condition to get a sense of correct color for your car you are in better shape than many.

There are only a couple of places today that carry flocking material for retail and their offerings are a very small and fine rayon fiber or a slightly longer and coarser nylon fiber. Neither is anywhere close to correct in duplicating the original coarse fiber. When I did my 47 I went with the slightly larger nylon fiber from Flock It in a brown that appeared as close as possible to what I found in a few halfway protected spots. Not entirely correct because it is a much smaller one color fiber and the finish is smoother -- but it is passable.

Flock It may still offer to custom blend a color in their fibers but at the time I did mine the quantity I had to order was enough to start a production line. Applying is a process to get a smooth blending because it is messy and the glue dries fairly quickly. I think someone - maybe it was Ross - might have been halfway joking when he said the easiest way to apply the stuff was to spray glue all over, set an oscillating electric fan in the middle and turn it on high while you empty the flocking bag on top of the fan and then jump back and slam the lid. I did not follow that procedure so it was not quite that messy when I did mine but it came close.

When I removed the gold shag carpet from my trunk I was able to salvage a bag of flock, along with the rope things that go between the fenders and wheel tubs. I would assume it is pretty close to the original colour as it shouldn't have faded much being in the trunk.



I might have to take a set of clippers to some cut pile carpet that's the right colours and make my own flock.

Maybe I'll make a carpet mat, same size and shape as the original ones, to protect the floor for everyday use.

This will be a future project as I have some fender repairs to do first, but always thinking and planning ahead.