Packard Forum Index » General

One dumb question here:

Which junior models have included the Packard Cormorant crest or coat-of-arms ? It appears the '51-'53 Clippers all had it, and they are, of course, deleted in the '55 and '56 Clippers, but were they on-and-off-again badges in earlier models? The last two years without them make sense because of Nance's ambition to make the Clipper its own line of cars, but I believe this idea of giving the Clipper its own separate image was kicked around for many years before that, too.

'54 Juniors have them on the trunk lid as is part of the trunk lock. They also have then on the Grille shell in the front. There is also a small "Packard" script on the trunk lid.

Is this similar to the '48-'50 models? Grille and deck lid/handle?

In the old MoTor manuals of yore, the line illustrations of grilles for various model years were lined up at the beginning of a section on a particular marque. I believe at one time it was traditional to change grilles yearly, and in addition to a cheap way to make "new" models look a bit new, they apparently aided in identification of the model year for mechanics.

The pictures were fun to look at, and helped me be a "spotter" of more than just a particulart make of car. Now, I usually look at the tail light lenses, which in the '50s and most of the '60 have a two-number year stamp molded into the plastic. This means hunkering down and squinting at the tail lights. Not a particularly good position to be in... it looks like you're hiding behind the car. People notice this kind of behavior. the owner is liable to come up behind you and comment, or kick you. I'd like to be able to identify Packard modes for each year from a less conspicuous stance once in a while. A set of grille illustrations or photos might help us all become expert "Packard spotters," amaze our friends, win bets, etc.

'55s and '56s are fairly easy, which speaks to the efforts to consolidate models and distinguish the seniors from the Clippers.

Am I missing an easier way to identify model years?

That crest is similar to, but further developed from, the 48-50 design.

There was a time when annual model changes involved more than just grilles and taillights. Of course, styling changes on Packards tend to follow the Series, rather than model year - that is, until the 24th Series, for 1951. Sometimes the changes are quite subtle, and even the grille and taillights aren't quite telling enough.

In fact, the SAE code on a lens could be misleading - at least on Packard vehicles. That code actually indicates the first model year of use, but some lenses were used for more than one year on some Packard models.

An awareness of additional styling features is needed to tell some years apart. Consider this confused thread, where an owner purchased what he thought was a '54 Clipper, but the car had a '53 VIN. Respondents pointed out differences in style of side trim, thick/thin headlight rings, even hood ornament.

Personally, I found the Car Spotter's series of books by Tad Burness to be the most help in this regard - a cut-n-paste collection of vehicle images, culled mainly from magazine ads, but sometimes factory brochures. (Understandably, brochures are far less common and more costly to collect than magazines.)

I first picked up the American Car Spotter's Guide, 1940-1965 back in the 1970s, when I was a teen; though its year range was less than my own interests, that one edition was all I could afford at that time. Guides were also published for cars from 1920-1939, and 1965-1980, but later printings were revised and expanded with additional images and models. Eventually, all three of those editions were combined, in hard cover format, to produce the Monstrous American Car Spotter's Guide to cover 1920-1980, which I purchased, but it is rather bulky to carry around. There were even titles for trucks and another for import cars, IIRC. Alas, most of the Spotter's titles are now out of print and can only be had in "used" condition.

Today, we have the advantage of cell phones with cameras to capture digital snapshots from multiple angles, which can then be compared to those in the Model Info feature and, if necessary, brochures available at PackardInfo.

I'll have to admit I'd be happy with just the Packards from the '40s through the '50s. It would be fun to have a bunch of the old MoTor Manual drawings, which seemed to cover that era quite well, with only the front view. Each year had fairly distinctive modifications, which may have been intentionally made for more than styling considerations. Mechanics didn't have a lot of time to look up VIN numbers.

I also purchased the original Tad Burness Car Spotter's Guide in the 1970's when I was in my teens. (BH & I must be close to the same age.) I still have it. The original paperback binding finally gave way through much usage and I punched holes in the pages and put it in a notebook. I also have the 1920-1940 Car Spotter's Guide. I have seen the latest Car Spotter's Guide 1920-1980 in paperback. It is bigger in size but the pictures are in color, which is an advantage that the earlier ones I have did not have, they being in black and white. The latest one is a worthwhile buy if you do not have the earlier ones.

Nat Dawes also got permission to reprint the Motors grille identification guide for Packard in his book Packard 1942-1962, if anyone has that. Unfortunately, I believe Mr. Dawes' book is now out of print. But it too is definitely worth buying if you can find a copy.
Ken

Nice to know someone else is familiar with the MoToR manuals of old. BTW, the spelling has the capital "T" in the middle to make the two small "o's" look sort of like wheels. The original logo will explain what I'm talking about better. MoToR was a contemporary of Chilton's manuals, but I always found them more fun to look at.

Packard 1942-1962 sounds like an interesting book. It covers some very interesting years, and apparently includes Packard in its post-automotive incarnation.

I'd lay odds BH includes it in his Packard Reference Library.

Every entry (including cover image) that I added to rhe Packard Bookshelf feature, here, came from my personal library, and - yes - the Dawes book is among them.

However, I completely forgot about the identification section in the appendices. (Thanks, Ken!) It features actual photographic images of the various grille and bumper treatments, but they only go back to 1949.

The Dawes book is a bit tougher to spot because it has a plain black cover; the cover image for that Bookshelf entry is actually a scan of the title page. I have a fuzzy recollection the the same artwork was used for a paper dustcover on the original edition, but I can't verify that as fact.

Getting back to identification images, I had been thinking more of some line art images (front 3/4 views, IIRC) that I'd seen in some "crash sheets", as offered on eBay. I'm certain that those same images also appeared in some other general automotive repair manual other than the "MoTor" manuals - perhaps Chilton's. Unfortunately, I don't have any of them.

Thanks for a link to the excellent Bookshelf resource you've created here at PackardInfo Brian. I presume that the "crash sheets" you mention are bodyshop guides. The line art makes it easier to pick out individual parts than a photo would. The old SASCO catalog we had for '55 and '56 parts had some beautiful line images of of straight-on views front, side and back, but alas, I believe that catalog went with the 400, along with a lot of NOS chrome parts from them. I never saw the car with all the badges in place ( the "The 400" script and the rear quarter "Packard" script were never put on... my dad probably thought they were better off on the shelf than getting "rim-racked" after they were on the car. I'm sure someone enjoyed them, though.

As for identification details, I think I'll hunt around for any line art from old manuals or other publications that might lurk on the web. You never know.

Thanks to many other members who have added titles (and cover images) from their own personal library, our Bookshelf feature far exceeds any discussion we had on that topic at another forum, years ago. Yet, I should update a few of my entries with some additional details; perhaps I'll add the Monstrous Car Spotter's Guide, as well - in due time.

Meanwhile, those "crash sheets" appear to have come from third-party collision estimating guides that were published back in the day, but have since been "parted out", by make and year for retail sale. Those guides do contain images to identify specific parts, but most were merely republished, with permission, from the manufacturers' own parts books. However, I believe that the front 3/4 model identification views were the publishers' own creations.

The front, side, and rear view line art that you mentioned can be found in the 1955-1956 Parts and Accessories List (aka - parts book) that we have on file, here at PackardInfo, in PDF. Check the Parts List section of the Literature and Manuals archive, and you'll find parts books for many other years, but we don't have them all (yet).

Those illustrations are in a section all their own for the 1955-56 and 1948-54 parts books; you need only download the section on Parts Plates for those editions. However, the 48-54 body illustration are either artistic renderings or B&W photos, rather than line art, and not every model is depicted. Parts books for earlier years/Series have illustrations interspersed in their related application listings of the Body section.

The 1957-58 models had a separate parts book for body parts, but combined Packard and Studebaker models. It's available here, too, but in one large PDF. Images are line art, but peppered among the application listings.

However, BigKev has also provided the parts plate illustrations from some of the more popular parts books, individually, as JPEG images in the site's Photo Archive, in the Exploded Part Plates folder. You can right-click and save those images to your computer.

You might be able to cut-n-paste your own spotter's guide, together with your own notes on the details.