Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Thank you again as our posts crossed! Fred at Max Merritt sent some photos of his 1955 Caribbean with a 1956 dash which shows it well but he also said that it silver padding behind which makes it “pop” to use his expression. I don’t know if that means that gold dashes always had the gold padding and the silver had silver or if silver was sometimes used behind the gold to highlight it.

So back to the color itself, is it an actual anodizing or it is a dye?

Photos courtesy of Fred Bruner at Max Merritt

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This, I believe, based on all the details and descriptions here, is the 1955 mesh but I can’t determine the color of the padding behind it although it looks a bit gold-ish. I couldn’t find any photos of my 1956 Clipper mesh.

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As others have chimed in when I was away, there is a good amount of fade that can happen on the gold. Here are 2 close ups of my 400 that I think will resolve any questions.

Ross, I noticed that the 56 Senior vs. Executive ones have a different part number (group number 10.00023). I thought the color was different from my quick Googling but I trust your experience that it is not. But then, does anyone know what is different? Did they do the crests on the passenger side differently or something? I’m not familiar with the minutiae of Executive changes.

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From what I can see they used the Clipper type mesh on the Executive but with provisions for the Packard name, emblem and gold color. That would have needed a new part number.

The photo in the 56 Clipper OM is poor quality but looks like it has the wide rectangles. The 6 page Executive supplement that was issued to replace pages and be added to the Clipper OM shows the Packard name and what I think are the same type rectangles only the mesh would have been gold.

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56 Executive dash close up, note pattern
Definitely gold colored
cloth under the dash front, was it silver, but now faded?

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The 1956 senior pattern was certainly interesting, to say the least! As for brochure and service manual photos, they are often not accurate as they were generally produced before the vehicles themselves but they should at least give a general idea.

In any event, with all these photos and the descriptions, it appears that the 1956 Clippers had much the same as, or very similar to, all the 1955s although I saw some that distinctly had little squares rather than rectangles or round holes. Maybe that pattern was specific th Caribbean, though.

Here is a close up of the decorative panel on my 56 clipper parts car.....if it helps

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Great, thank you! Mike Dulinsky also just sent the 1956 Clpper mesh closeup that should finalize the question for anyone who comes across it later.

Photo courtesy of Mike Dulinsky

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Here’s another showing the 1956 senior models.

Photo courtesy of Mike Dulinsky

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