Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

If its reasonably intact but fragile, you might want to consider taking it apart and then painting all the surfaces (inside and outside) with something to strengthen the cardboard while penetrating same, like a polyurethane resin. Or perhaps a dilute cut of shellac in alcohol.

If it was made from folded cardboard then it's a cinch.

Upholstery supply places sell big sheets of thick black cardboard for making door panels.

They also have a thinner grade for the bottoms of chairs.

Make your pattern score the folds on the inside with a dull knife or pizza cutter. Then Origami your way to fame and stardom LOL.

I made a heater duct for a 1952 Chrysler New Yorker this way and it worked great. Even though the original was a molded papier mache composition.

It's at a crumbling state. If you squeeze it, you will put your thumb right through it.

I was thinking about a single layer of fiberglass mat with resin. The resin should penetrate the card board and the mat just to give it a little "backbone".

I would like to see what is involved in trying to pattern a new one out of appropriate cardboard sheet (or foil backed cardboard). Perhaps that would be a good site project to have here as so far I cannot find anyone reproducing these. I guess the question is what years/models does the one in my '54 also fit? I wouldnt think die-cut cardboard would cost that much to produce.

Parts manual says plenum chamber fits all 51-4. The air distribution assy (metal can) is different in 51 for some reason.

I like Rusty's previous idea of making a mold with hydrocal and then the fiberglass part if you're going into business. IIRC, the 55-6, while totally different shape was fiberglass. Suppose all the original car guys would have a fit though--even if it was painted to look like cardboard..

Well I went ahead pulled it out of the car. Making one out of cardboard is not going to be an option. The chamber is made from two halves of formed fiber board what looks more like tar paper than cardboard. The two pieces have compound curves and must have been formed on some type of press. The surface is like I said is more like tar paper. You can wipe it with a rag forever, and all you are doing is wearing down the surface rather than getting it clean. I wonder if they used this because of the heat and possible moisture.

Anyway I have one big broken chunk on the passenger side. So I backed that spot with some duct tape, and laid some fiberglass mat over it. Then I found out my resin had gone bad. Must have been last summers heat. So the rest will wait until I buy some new resin. I will first build up the area with the missing chunk. Then after that coat the entire surface in resin, followed by mat, and then another coat of resin. Let it all cure, sand it smooth, and then paint it black. Hopefully it will last another 54 years.

Attach file:

---

  (45.24 KB)


  (43.75 KB)


  (34.73 KB)


  (33.88 KB)

That's a tricky one, Kev, looks like you are on the right track to fix it.
I had a '58 Willys station wagon as a daily driver before I owned my Packard, when I bought it out of field in rural Michigan the heater was totally disconbobulated inside the passenger compartment. All that remained was the squirrell cage housing and the cable controls. The core, like a Packard was located in the engine compartment and was all there. I found a motor and fan combo at the local auto parts store that fit and turned the right direction. The duct had been a cardboard assembly that probably got wet and crumbled. The shop I worked at then had a little sheet metal fab area, lots of brushed aluminum stock, a shear, hole punches and a bending brake. I figured out what to make by studying a friend's Willys and made one out of aluminum, complete with damper-door for the defroster ducts. as a finishing touch I dubbed the new masterpiece the "Willys Aire" and so labeled it with a sharpie, in a flowing script. I sold that Willys the day I bought my Packard and the guy I sold it to parted the car out (it was ready for that!) The Willys Aire lives on in one of his vehicles.

Kev -

Have you thought about coating the whole thing with POR-15? If you thinned the product down a bit, it might penetrate the fibre more.

Another thought is that you can soak the fiberglass mat in POR-15 rather than resin to repair a hole. Actually, that's an old tip from the makers of POR-15.

Either way, the trick to fixing that spot of missing material is to support the mat in the correct shape with something that can later be removed - that is, unless you wanna form an armature of something like chicken wire and leave it in there.

Well I backed the missing spot with duct tape, and this follows the curves correctly and allows me to stick the mat to something to hold it in place. Before I start the actual resin process, I will stuff that area with some newspaper to give it some firm back to prevent it from sagging or loosing it's shape until the resin cures. It's hard to see in the picture, but that area have serveral compound irregualr curves, so newspaper would be the easiest thing to back it up with temporarly.

Once the resin cures then I will pull out all the newspaper, out leaving just the fiberglass section which should be bonded to the rest of the stucture.

After that the entire plenium with get a single coat of light weight mat and resin. I am also going to wrap the fiberglass around and into the inlet a couple of inches as this is were it take the most brunt of the heat, and any moisture from the heater box, and is the more fragile.

Then spray it with a some flat black paint, put it back under the dash, and no one will be the wiser

Any place you don't want the fibreglass to stick you can back it up with a plastic bag before stuffing in the newspapers. The plastic bag will peel away after the fibreglass dries leaving a smooth surface.

You can use it on the outside too, smooth the fibreglass by smoothing down the plastic.

You can even put the fibreglass on the plastic then smooth it in place.

Plastic grocery bags or garbage bags work well for this.

One more thing. When you first use the heater the air will smell of fibreglass but the smell will disappear after a few days. If you want to avoid this smell it helps to line the duct with aluminum foil.

Otherwise it sounds like you have a good plan.