Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Although I've been around Packards most of my adult life, I need some help. My neighbor a few streets over received a 1956 Clipper from his elderly uncles estate.
The car hadn't been run since 1967 when it was put away in a garage.tThe new owner contacted me about getting it running. Which we did with some difficulty.
I digress , on this car it has "dog dish" hub cabs with these really cool trim rings. When you look, you don't see valve stems, they are hidden by these extra wide trim rings. To access the valve stems you have to pull on the trim ring in a outward effort. They are attached to the wheel by four little hinges connected by four short arms which must be spring steel.
I have never seen this equipment before or since. Is this common on the Clipper models in 1956?

Quote:
While I've not seen them up close and in person, such trim rings are featured in a showroom catalog on dealer-installed accessories. You can download the 1956 Accessories Booklet from this site's extensive archive of Literature and Manuals (it's FREE). They also appear in the Accessories section of the 1956 Salesmen's Data (Fact) Book.

These trim rings were even available as optional equipment in regular production - as noted in the 1956 Build Sheet and Production Code Chart that I compliled form factory-issued Trade Letters. However, they're only listed for Clipper Deluxe and Super models, where the small (dog dish) hubcaps were standard equipment. Full wheel covers were standard fare on Clipper Custom and the Senior line, but optional on Deluxe and Super.

I never noticed it before, but the illustrations don't shows any opening for a tire valve stem on either the chrome or white enamel trim rings. Perhaps others with more experience will chime in on the hidden details of these trim rings.

My 1956 Esquire hardtop has the optional "wire" hubcaps and they have the valveless trim rings that are held on by spring steel clips that clip directly onto the wheel lip. They also have black rubber bushings on each clip, presumably to be an anti-rattle. These wire wheel covers are beautiful, but they're a PITA if you like things kept clean. As a result, I will do most anything rather than drive this car in the rain because the clean up will take hours.

But these caps do pull nicely away from the wheel, presumably to do something like check air pressure. You just pull the whole unit away, then snap it back when you're done. With the "dog dishes", I'd presume that the rims are not held at all in place by the center hub caps. Most unusual but it works well enough for me. There was a set of the wire caps on ebay recently for a Buy it Now price of $1200. That means I will be very careful with mine.

Thank you for the information!
They really work well, just have to watch your fingers!
This Clipper has the chrome version trim rings which works well with the hub caps. Really looks smooth with no valve stems showing. I noticed that there are slots in the wheel where the clips connect. I guess the wheels would be part of the trim ring accessory package.