Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

PACKARD Dwgs. state the harringbone on the 33/4 Su8 Inst. Pl. is to be "COLORED DARK BROWN". I figure the best place to I.D. what the brown is under the Packard Crest on the 34 Radio Finishing Plate. Has anyone got a look at this area and what did u find?

Dear Barry:

Packard was really into some esoteric finishes, although your car is a lot easier than, say, an early twin six.

What you will find is a tobacco stain bronze, molassas bronze, dark amber bronze, or whatever which is a compound oxidized annodized process. I don't know the gloss when new because that never holds up except in a vacuum. The only place I've have seen anything authentic looking is on original cars.

I suppose you could have a decal made which, when applied using Solvaset, could mimic the actual finish without a lot of drama.

Unfortunately I never handled a case where patience was on the agenda and the results looked like crap.

One place you might try is the Nethercutt Collection. Jack Nethercutt liked to spend money on cars and would have happily paid a fortune for the right look. Ask for Skip.

Tim - Have u seen under one of the '34 Crests and there is a DARK BROWN?
With all the restored plates out there that just have the harringbone in a natural, im wondering if the "COLORED DARK BROWN" was noting the color of the material used and it never did get a chemical treatment; seems like the su8 matl is a copper vrs the 8&12 which looks like brass. Whats makes me wonder this is the plate for the '12' is the only one that states "OXIDIZED" - 8 states "NICKEL FINISH" - su8 is the "COLORED DARK BROWN". If there was a chemical treatment is must have been a light one that came off with a light rub because there are so many that are just the copper and if it was orig. natural it would have gotten darker with age.
Guessing this is one of those things we will never know forsure. ITS FUN TO SPECULATE !!!!!!

This is a question that's also interested me over the years. Good picture of the 34 Eight dash attached. This from my almost entirely original 703. Surely some fading or discoloration over the years but certainly not nickel-plated or even nickel-colored overall, an almost tarnished light bronze color with a brighter, dull niokel-like finish to the ring around each instrument. The metal texture is simple vertical grooves. The "Metal Finishing Handbook", and old standby, gives dozens of chemical coloration formulations for producing such effects on various metal substrates. I spent some years around the edges of this business and most of these chemical finishes were reasonably permanent.

I have a friend with a very original 33 Super Eight club sedan and can get some pictures of his dash if wanted, I've seen it but just don't recall the details. There are a few pictures of this car's interior (but not the dash) atpackardclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=686

Any other good detail photos of original details would be very welcome in that thread.

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This is a photo of the dash insert from an 1104. The dash surround has been restored, but the insert is original. This was taken during restoration, shortly after the dash had been reinstalled in the car.

Unfortunately, the colors are weirdly distorted. The area on the radio head is the closest to the real color.

p.s. The little Packard hexagon pin is covering a hole someone drilled in the radio face plate sometime before 1953 (when my father purchased the car).

Tom

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Good photo Tom! Thanks for posting. The metal texture (ribbing) is quite different from the Eight, though apparently not so different in coloration.

Now, anyone got a good photo of one from a Twelve?

However, I don't think that is right unless the flash has siginificantly lightened the color. I have seen untouched panels and the color was definitely brown oxide. Then away they went and a thousand dollars later weren't anything near what they were when they started.

Usually the moment a buffing wheel touches the original finish the oxide annodizing is wiped off and the finish becomes golden. Today's bling minded restorations seem to prefer it that way. Okay, but the question here is what should be used as a document photo.

What is needed here is a photo of a bone stock original dash panel.

You can see in the picture that something has been altered because that little hexagon thing is covering a hole someone drilled in the dashboard.

However, I'm not ruling out variations because on the ninth series open twelves they had several. You can get a good idea of what I am talking about from page 99 of Turnquist's book. That one is a twelve however. The parts book shows two photos and the panels are different I assume because one is an Eight and the other a Super Eight given the Eight is visibly lighter tone.

Below is my idea of original, but it is an Eight. I should have taken photos of the Supers I've seen, but sometimes those things just don't happen.

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I'll try to get a couple of photos of the dash panel on that original 33 Super Eight which is a couple of miles away. I'll try for next week.

Below is a photo I rustled up of an original 33 Super 8. I don't think anything has been done to it because the interior has moth holes and the pedal pads are gummy.

What the camera can't capture is the oxidized bronze effect Packard put on the panel. When viewed in person the panel will have a smoke over brown opalescence which, when polished or buffed becomes brass color. Light solvents will turn the thing a lighter brown. In actuality the nickel on these panels was high enough quality that parts taken from a sedan are better off left alone.

There are two areas of the 10th-11th series dashboards that should not be tampered with unless they are damaged: This instrument panel, and the power brake selector. I don't think there is a metal finishing shop anywhere that understands these two parts.

Hope this helps

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The above picture is an all original interior from a 1933 Super Eight Club Sedan. More pictures below.

tomlaferriere.com/1933_packard_super_eight_club_sedan_for_sale.htm

This car is sold.