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How much could one expect to pay for a 1956 Carribean dash, good condition, without gauges.

No idea on price but the dash fronts will be the finished the same for all 56 senior models so you do not need to limit yourself to looking for only a Caribbean dash. The difference is in a single switch and the small name plate that says "Custom Made for xxxxxxxxxx" and placed on the Caribbean glovebox door.

As to switches, on a Caribbean the top switch is installed in place of the rear speaker control that would be in that location on closed models. Caribbeans also had the electric shift as standard so you would want to change the shift indicator plate to the red BRAKE indicator plate if the donor dash came from a car with conventional lever shift. Everything else is the same although you would also want to be sure the donor dash did not have the holes cut out for the factory AC switch and ducts.

Awesome information. You really know your stuff!

Just a random musing -- it seems like there are more Caribbeans nowadays don't have the "Custom Made" plaque than those that do. I'm assuming that either the original owners did not install them, or else subsequent owners removed them?

If you're instrument panel shopping, make sure you get one with the gold mesh insert in very good condition, and also a very good dash pad. Both with cost you a pretty penny if they need to be redone.

G'day Herbybug,
to PackardInfo. I see from this thread and your other one about the 36/37 front fender you seem to have an interest in Packard parts.

But, if your interest extends beyond parts to entire Packards, I invite you to include it/them in the Packard Vehicle Registry.

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Owners did not install these plates... dealers did. But the owner had to send in and order the plate. Most owners never bothered. So most Caribbeans never got these "custom made" plates for the glovebox door to begin with. They just were not there in the first place. While a couple may have been removed over the years, it is more work to remove the plate than to just leave it or replace the entire glovebox door. But I highly doubt any significant number went away this way. They were just never there.

Leeedy, I think you'll agree with me that, based on the document below, it was the dealer and not the owner who was to do the mailing. Of course it was all dependent on the owner being offered the plate and then as you say his deciding that he wanted it.

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  Carib GB plate.jpg (254.63 KB)

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And... surely you know I have that form, Owen. One Caribbean owner I interviewed in the 1970s still had the form... and the dealer gave it to him to decide to mail in. I still have notes. I'm betting he wasn't the only one. Otherwise all of these forms would have remained in the hands of dealers.

But as I said... it was the customer, not the dealer who had to want the plate in the first place. The dealer could only order the plate if:
1.) The customer was aware of the plate...
2.) The customer wanted the plate and directed the dealer to order it.

And as I said... it was the dealer who did the installing, not the customer.

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No such thing really as a "1956 Caribbean dash" since it was the same thing as any senior 1956 Packard with the exception of the Executive. Caribbeans normally had certain colors (unless custom ordered) but even those instrument panel colors were shared with other senior 1956 Packards.

Ask any of the folks who have 1956 Parts cars and they ought to be happy to make you a deal.