Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

If u blow this photo up u can see the DARK GRAY LINE around the harringbone so pretty sure we can say this is an orig untouch plate considering the fine originality of the rest of the car.

Heres a crazy thought - Wonder if they were trying to match the dark brown on the steeing wheel and radio knobs?
Just hit me that '33 didnt have a Brown Steering Wheel. Radio was an option so its a long shot they were thinking of matching the Knobs. Bottom line is this is a bad idea.

AND is this su8 DARK BROWN a chemical thing or is it paint? One would have to assume they had paint out to do the strip line so why not paint for the harringbone. Dwg just state "COLORED DARK BROWN" and nothing about how. For '12' states "OXIDIZED" for its insert.

As promised earlier, here's a photo of a 33 Super 8 dash from an entirely original Super Eight club sedan. With the exception of an engine rebuild it's a remarkably well-preserved vehicle. The instrument panel fascia finish appears to confirm the other photo recently posted.

The treatment is not paint, it's a chemical treatment of the metal. You can enlarge this photo quite a bit and if you do so, you'll notice the pattern isn't herringbone.

PS - this appears to be the same car as Tim Cole posted in this thread with a photo by Tom Laferriere.

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Great photo Dave. Thanks again! That DARK GRAY LINE is a very clear on this photo.

Interesting u cant see any harringbone pattern. Packard drawing has only 3 part numbers (8-su8-12). Wonder if the whatever BROWN is blanking out the harringbone. Maybe the harringbone was only there for an adhere surface for the BROWN stuff?

Always figured the DARK GRAY LINE STRIP was done by hand but it looks to even for that.

Have you considered that what you're calling the "dark gray line strip" is in fact an optical (reflective) effect, perhaps enhanced by light debris or dirt within the groove?

Take a good look at the section of the enlarged photo to the section to the left and below the cigar lighter where the flash illumination was more at a right angle to the surface.

Really doubt that its not a line installed by the mfg.
Drawing states for the su8 :
DARK GRAY LINE
ABOUT 3/64 WIDE AROUND ALL
UNETCHED SUFACES
FOR PC. #213866-*

Area for the harringbone or whatever states:
BACKGROUND TO ETCHED AS SHOWN AND
COLORED DARK BROWN, ETCHING TO APPROX.
.005 DEEP FOR PC. #213888-*
The "AS SHOWN" area shows the harringbone pattern.

Just going by what I see.

Hi folks:

As mentioned earlier, you really need to view the panel in natural light - preferrable sunlight - to appreciate the opalescence present in the oxidized/annodized finish.

The camera can't capture it the same way it can't capture 3-D. When you look at one of these the underlying bronze sparkles through as smokey brown. It really is very sophisticated and much higher quality than, say, Duesenberg's motor turning. It is like jewelry.

Herringbone. In the mechanical world often encountered as a gear pattern, especially where extreme strength is needed because you get more gear-tooth surface contact area than with simple spur design. Commonly used in high speed steam turbine reduction gears where it had the added advantage of limiting fore-to-aft movement of the gear members. Somewhere I had a photo of the herringbone turbine reduction gears from the WW II battleship Massachussetts (BB59). I'll see if I can find it.

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Ran accross this site, 34 su8, this morning

http://www.rmauctions.com/CarDetails.cfm?SaleCode=MB10&CarID=r154&Currency=USD
http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/582948,11872/1934-Packard-1104-Super-Eight_photo.aspx

Looks like they did a great job on the restoration on the Inst Pl.