Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

HH56 wrote:
Out of several vendors who used to offer them on ebay I only see a couple now but I think they just have the standard boxes. Here is one of them. I believe Ron Carpenter also still makes the boxes but AFAIK, he has not offered his on ebay. No idea where you can find the thinner cardboard with the prefinished gray flock like interior in a one or two sheet quantity -- or even in bulk for that matter -- but I sure wish you luck. All my upholstery guy could provide was much thicker-- the stuff used for door panels. Since he dealt only with cars in his catalogs maybe the other stuff is available thru regular furniture upholstery shops.

When I needed and could not find the approximately 1 inch shorter box Packard provided for a car with factory AC I decided to make my own. I first tried photo framing MAT board which I bought at a combination frame and crafts shop but it also was slightly thicker than the original material and was a chipboard like stuff. Like you said, quite a project trying to get the bends to not tear. I finally abandoned that and with steam and use of a sheet metal brake and many tries I managed to finally get something mostly satisfactory using the door panel stuff. Not as much tearing but wrinkles on the inside fold was the issue with that material. Once the box was made came the flocking to duplicate the original factory finish. That was another fun project so if you can find the proper finished cardboard like the ebay vendor uses you would be so much ahead.

Because the AC takes up most of the under dash space I also decided near the end of the project to make it easier to install and remove the box. I modified one of the finished pieces so the back is removable. Once the box is unscrewed from the dash the back can be released and removed. By leaving the top unstapled but flaps still firmly held by the screws to the dash, after the back is out the sides can be collapsed inward and box folded so the smaller form can be tilted a bit to go in and out via the glovebox door opening rather than trying to maneuver a large rectangle around the radio and AC components.

For inspiration for you to do much better, here is a photo of a few of my early attempts and rejects and what looks like maybe one original box. For some reason I still have them piled in a corner of my junk room.