Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hi, everyone.

I am finally finishing reassembly of my 56 Clipper Deluxe.

The "Deluxe" and "Clipper" scripts have pins that go into holes in the body and are retained by some micro-chip sized pieces of of thin steel with slits in them. The "Clipper" script has bigger pins than the "Deluxe" script.

I need both sizes of these little retainers. I am not sure what they are called and where I can find them. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

They are called speed nuts & used in various types, sizes and places. Photos show a couple of the typical types we use. You'll need to measure the studs to determine what size you need. Restoration Specialtieshttp://www.restorationspecialties.com/ or MrG'shttp://www.mrgusa.com/index.html have many different sizes for sale individually or McMaster Carr has many - but not all - sizes by the box.

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Thanks. The second link took me to a catalog with this page:

http://www.mrgusa.com/pdfs/73flatnut.pdf

Looks like they have what I need. I just need to start measuring.

Hopefully MrGs will have what you need. Too bad they're not closer so you could zip over and pick them up -- although by Texas standards, maybe Fort Worth and Houston are considered driving distance.

I noticed MrGs had a minimum. Maybe Restoration now does as well but didn't last time I ordered from them.

You might download the Restoration Specialties catalog just to have for reference. It's a pretty decent supply place with many items not easily found elsewhere. Much of their stock is not yet on the new online store.

You will also want some small and thin rubber washers to go under the speed nuts so as to seal the holes. You may find something that will work at your local hardware store, that's where I found mine.

(o[]o)

JW wrote:
You will also want some small and thin rubber washers to go under the speed nuts so as to seal the holes.

I recommend using "Dum Dum" to seal the holes. It is also known as 3M Strip Caulk. Conforms much better than washers.

Long ago I worked in a Buick dealer paint shop, don't remember rubber washers being used at that time.

The fender or trunk lid was drilled to rather tightly fit the retainer which was pressed into the hole from the front or outside of the fender or trunk lid.

When the "script" or "dealer nameplate" was installed the pins on it's reverse were a tight press fit into the retainers.

Doesn't seen there would have been much room for any leakage, but I do seem to remember in some cases the "Dum-Dum" being pressed around the retainer on the inside of the trunk lid or fender after the "script" was installed as an extra precaution against leakage.

Jim

Buick may not have used rubber washers, but I can assure you that Packard did.

Check the 55-56 parts book, and you'll see that the seal was used on script plates installed on front fenders (Gr. 30.7815), rear fenders (Gr. 30.7928), and trunk lid (Gr. 31.1893) - P/N 444214. IIRC, some that I removed seemed to be made from something more like a very dense foam rather than rubber sheet.

However, unlike the one-size-fits-all rubber washer, the size of the retainers varied, based on the diameter of the pins on the script plates. Not sure about Clippers, but the push-on retainers for script plates on 55-56 Seniors (including the Exec) that I've removed from original unrestored cars were not rectangular, but round - coinciding with the shape of the seal. Never found a "barrel nut" used on those.

For script plates on the rear fenders and trunk lid, the seal was installed from inside the car - sandwiched between the panel and the retainer. The retainer was also pressed on from inside. I can't recall, however, the placement of the seal on Senior front fenders - whether it weant against the inside of the fender or just the ribbed stainless trim.

I certainly wouldn't argue with the experts, I may well be thinking of something totally different or misunderstanding the item in question.

I could easily see where a washer would be useful under the items shown in the illustration "picture 10" as these seem to screw on from the back side of the sheet metal. I do remember attachments of this type with a washer.

The item I remember being used at the Buick dealer for their nameplate and for many other emblems and scripts on vehicles that I painted was rather like item number 3136 shown in "picture 11".

It had a samll lip and was pressed into a hole in the sheet metal from the front side and the pins on the reverse of the dealer nameplate or script were just a pressure fit.

Jim

Yes, those "barrel nuts" were commonly used on GM cars. I remember them on models mainly from the '70s - from my days in the part dept. at a Chevy-Buick dealer. They provide for easy installation, especially when you don't have access to the back of the panel, but you had to be very careful in removal to avoid breaking the cheap pot metal.

Back in the '60s, many script plates were secured with "self-threading" fasteners, which were often packed with dum-dum (or equivalent) - like those included with the NOS "camaro" front fender nameplate shown in the attachment below.

I once had a script plate from '50 Pontiac with pins that had a machine thread; it was retained by hex nuts with captive star-washer, IIRC. However, the base metal was of better quality back then.

Yet, I digress.

Packard wasn't GM. Also, the retainers used for the 55/56 script plates weren't the garden-variety round push-nuts that you find on-hand at any hardware store. These round retainers had an aperture similar to the flat-type, rectangular speednuts shown in HH56's post. They were simply pushed over the smooth pins.

However, I never had much luck in reusing these retainers. Not sure whether that was a matter of the retainer being sprung or a reduction in the diameter of the pin due "wear-n-tear".

Unfortunately, I don't have a sample at hand. I'll try to get out to my offsite storage and come back with an on-car view.

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