Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Were the fabric seat inserts for the '56 Executive Touring Sedan of the same material as that of the Custom Clipper it replaced? Is there any good source for it - other that the notoriously undependable SMS? (I hear too many horror stories about them from other Mopar folks...) Anybody have seats redone in original materials?

As far as getting original patterned material, SMS maybe the only game in town.

They were willing to remake a run of matching material for my '54, but the price was well out side of my budget.

What about leather? Wasn't leather an option on all Packard models throughout all the years? Wouldn't leather be correct then?

I had SMS match the cloth and bought the hides (white and green), and also the haircell vinyl for the door panels and kick panels for my 400. They matched everything and although not cheap, it was not overly expensive. Things may have changed in the last 15 years, but everyone in the Packard club that I talked to said you couldn't buy that material. I wasted a couple of years because I believed them. Contact SMS on your own and judge for yourself.
My seats have a good bit of leather on them, but are a combo of cloth and leather.

While the 56 Executive's instrument panel and steering wheel and column controls are a mixture of Jr. and Sr. elements, I believe the upholstery was same as 56 Clipper Custom. A quick check of the parts book seems to confirm sharing of soft trim assemblies between 5662-5672A and 5667-5677A models

Yet, did you know that we have the 56 dealer showroom album on file here? I'll be adding it to the "Recommended..." list in the Model Info pages, later, but for now try this link:

Packard and Clipper Paint and Upholsteries for 1956

Though this album was not updated by the factory to inlcude the Executive (a mid-year entry), you may find the "Clipper Upholstery" section interesting. Trim set numbers are explained in the introductory section of the factory parts book (also available here).

Thanks all for the info - I'm amazed by the resources here, both people and reproduced manuals etc.... it does appear the Exec fabric may be the same as Custom Clipper, red/black is the color combo, it could be all leather apparently. I like the idea of black cloth as it seems to have some type of silver thread in it which gives it kind of a nice 1950s sparkle. I may have to get the cloth from SMS if it comes to that, but hoping to find an alternative if there is one. I once had some luck with Original Auto Interiors in Detroit with a Plym Fury, maybe they have Packard fabric as well?
Roger in NY

Regardless of your decision, please report back with your opinion of the company you choose and why.

By all means contact Original Auto Interiors, the worst thing they can say is "no, we don't have that one", and then it's time for a call to SMS. They get a lot of money for what they make, but there isn't a big market for this fabric and they are the only game in town. Oh to be doing a tri-5 Chevy, where you can almost shop price!

Mr. Pushbutton, you really suprise me. Where would the challenges be in doing that Chevy? Nearly one-stop shopping and you can damn near have a new car.

Quote:

Well, that's the idea behind this site. The information is worthless if not available to owners.

According to the front matter of the parts book, both the 5562 and 5672A sedans offered six trim sets, three in all cloth:

41 - GRAY & BLACK
42 - LT. BLUE & DK. BLUE
43 - LT. GREEN & DK. GREEN

...and three in all leather:

122 - BLUE & WHITE
123 - GREEN & WHITE
125 - BLACK & WHITE

...which seems to match with what's listed in the showroom album.

With Tangier Red (Code J) exterior paint including two-tone combinations, the factory choices for a Custom (or Executive) sedan appear to be limited to gray/black all-cloth or black/white leather.

I should add, however, that the swatches shown in the showroom album only cover the seating area. There may be variations of the materials used elsewhere in the interior - like back of front seat, door panels, kick panels, and quarter trim. Headlining is in a class all by itself - as is the padded dash cover. In those cases, an unrestored original car is the only real refernce you find.

That's why places like SMS have to rely on owner-supplied swatches.

Let us know what you find.