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

Good bit of detective work David. I've never looked at the Servicemans Training Book before. It seems there will be a few answers hidden in there to various questions so thanks for alerting me to it.

It could be possible to replicate this pattern, given more information on how it used to be done, and materials used. Will check my panels tomorrow for clues and post the findings.

Larry - there is a 51 200 for sale in PA. on ebay.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Packard-Sedan-4-door-Trim-Model-53-1951-Packard-4-Door-Sedan-Straight-8-/200880219637?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2ec564e5f5#ht_964wt_1007

look at the door panels - they look like yours. The car looks unmolested other than age. Might make a good parts car for both of us. Wonder how the tail light bodies look......

I'm at work now, but attached a pic of my interior from my blog. There is the panel on the door as well as one leaning against the seat. I'll take a better pic when I get home. Forgot about the extra chrome strip running across the vinyl part. Been a while since I looked at the car! Interesting on the variety of interiors we are seeing on the low end cars.

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This is what my door panel looks like for my 51 Packard 300 granted not pretty but an idea of what the design looks like.

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This is the exact same door panels and seat color configuration as well as dash color as my '51 200 Deluxe.

It will be interesting to see what it sells for.

So it appears so far there are at least 4 patterns for 51 doors.

Very plain, fairly plain with squares and a couple of chrome strips, vertical "pleats" & it would appear with and without chrome strips, and finally in this 400 photo posted by O_D, vertical "pleats" within a chrome rectangle.

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Here are some more pics of my panel. Interesting that the backer panel has holes in it. I believe it is original to the car.

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Charles, perhaps many of those 'holes' line up with the nuts and bolts that protrude through the metal panel? I haven't checked but my panels have similar holes in them and I assumed that was the reason. Some have the securing clips inserted into them also.

Looks like we are getting together a fairly complete lot of data and pics of '51 door panels! Good resource.

Checked my 'embossed squares' and to my surprise the wooden panel has the grooves pressed right into its surface! Must have been a lot of pressure applied to the material for that to have happened because the resulting groove is reasonably deep.

The material is very firmly 'stuck' to the timber. You wouldn't tear it off, it is permanently attached. So looks like heat and much pressure were used.

As Howard suggested, there is a layer of soft material (- difficult to say what it is, but very loose weave and wispy, no strength to it. Not a cloth as such, looks more like very finely shredded paper woven into a mat). This stuff is the only padding. No sign of 'glue' but I'll take a closer look and load some photos in a few days. (Will be traveling so can't load them right now).

David, thanks for referring the '200' on ebay as a parts car. Seems very good - maybe too good to part? As possible parts for my car - I've got most of what I need thanks. Mainly upholstery / trim now to do.

Good to know those holes are supposed to be there! Looks like everyone has a "deluxe" interior except for me!

Here are the extra pics I wanted to post, showing some close-up shots of how the (some?) '51 door trim upholstery was formed and applied.

As surmised by HH56 it was heat and pressure pressed onto the board, and I suspect the board had been coated with some resinous material to act as a glue, thereby bonding the cloth and vinyl only where the pressure and heat was applied, at the same time forming the pattern (- the squares in broadcloth as well as the lines on the vinyl).

Came across an interesting Patent at Decorative Upholstery Panel

The patent describes heat & pressure forming so fits the bill. Scroll down the PDF to see origins etc and details of the process.

It appears that trim for Packards was manufactured by National Automotive Fibres Inc. of Detroit, as Packard /Studebaker is mentioned as one of their clients - see History of National Automotive Fibres Inc

It is still necessary for me to discover whether SMS or other companies can properly replicate the 'embossing' on their replica door panels to create an identical effect, and not just a 'stitched' look-alike.

Can anyone please advise if they know of such a company?

Close-up of my '51 door trim with 'embossed' squares on the cloth



The heat & pressure used has created a groove in the 'masonite' backing . . .



The vinyl is also embossed and glued to the backing in same process