Well, PTV if you miss the hum you should try my original AWA Pressmatic (valve) AM radio in the Clipper!

Still plenty of AM stations here (which are marked on the dial), but I'd have to say the quality of sound is marginal at best. That's how they were, though, as you clearly remember!

The hush of a Packard seems well suited to musical entertainment but we have become used to a much higher quality of sound reproduction. The Bose unit mentioned here is a good case in point. Unbelievably good sound for the size and price.

Regards

Brian

Excellent music solution ewreck!

Would this work with an iPhone? I haven't seen an iPod for a while but seem to recall they had a different plug. It sounds like the mini-amp unit would not have Bluetooth, but presumably a suitable cable connection from an iPhone could work.

I am lucky in having a 1956 Clipper, so have 12V negative earth. Mine retains an AWA (Australian) AM radio in the dash and has a small JVC multimedia FM receiver/player fitted inside the glove compartment. This is a larger and more expensive setup, but has the benefit of Bluetooth wireless connections and a pair of fairly large speakers fitted in the rear parcel shelf. The pairing between my iPhone and the JVC unit is automatic, so I just get in the car and turn it on. Then I can cruise to my favourite tunes, which is just as well because the radio tuners are nothing special.

Yours would be a better setup in an older car. I'm curious whether it could be connected to an iPhone.

Cheers

Brian

Hello

I had a 1941 120 Club Coupe for some time. I did not change this seal myself, but they have been known to give trouble.

The previous owner of my car replaced this seal twice. Not without dramas! Apparently, they are a press fit. The first attempt failed because the seating surface on the original part is quite flimsy and was damaged when it was being installed. Result. It still leaked quite badly.

Another seal was then fitted (with more care?). Unfortunately, I don't have the details now but seem to recall that it was not the original part. Perhaps somebody on this forum will know what it was. After fitting, it still leaked a little but much less than before. It was on there when I got the car and never got any worse with substantial mileage. Few drops of oil on the ground after sitting for a while, which I decided to live with.

Brian

Well, all was revealed by my (mature) auto electrician.

The problem with the front right park light/turn indicator was a disintegrated lamp socket which had resulted in an internal short between the two circuits. My electrical wizard had a rebuild kit gathering dust on the shelf for precisely this purpose. Don't ask. But it's fixed and works a treat.

Similarly, the dash lights up like a Christmas tree now, with all new LED replacement bulbs. The Ultramatic selector quadrant needed a new lamp socket, but also works now. I was treated to a commentary on how long it took to achieve this transformation consuming no less than nine globes, and also how many years it took off my electrician's life ferreting around behind the dash.

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Guys thanks for all that. Very helpful, as usual.

I don't know exactly how the manual TL ride height control has been wired, but it seems to work fine and coexists happily with the on/off switch which I leave off when the car is parked for any length of time. I still can't get over how well the TL system works. Certainly a match for any modern car, including those with switchable modes.

Howard, I'm still discovering how the RHD cars were shipped from the factory. The Studebaker museum has no build sheets for the export cars from 1956, so I'm still operating in the dark. Regarding the push/pull heater fan control under the dash, I imagine this switch came with the Smiths heater kit which was fitted here new. It's not much like the original switches in your pic and imagine it would not readily fit in their place so guess they just put it somewhere handy. Only took six months and your message for me to find it! Not that I really need a heater here, but a demister is quite handy on occasion.

I have seen dashes with 1956 style pads advertised in the US, but getting something that size here is a major exercise. Leeedy, I'll use your description to make up and attach one here. My dash is currently painted bare metal with a few additional screw holes. I'd rather cover it with a pad than repair and repaint it. Sounds like the key is to get it to fit neatly under the windscreen surround, which is easily removed.

I'm about to fit a bulb to the lamp socket for the Ultramatic gear indicator. Hopefully it will work then.

Cheers

Brian

Howard

I went looking for the lamp socket to illuminate the Ultramatic selector quadrant and found it as shown in your pic. Need to get a bulb which works into that. I did not know this fitting existed. The two "spare" instrument assemblies I have do not have it - must have come from manual shift cars.

While I was crawling around under there, I took a closer look at what else was hanging under the right hand side of the dash. (It's a right hand drive car.). No sign of the telltale lamp for the park brake, but there are:

1 A small push-pull switch fitted to the support bracket for the park brake. This operates an auxiliary electric fuel pump which I have never needed.

2 A rotary switch which manually adjusts the ride height for the Torsion Level suspension. Very handy in practice. This is independent of the on-off switch for the TL system.

3 The usual on-off toggle switch for the Torsion Level suspension.

4 A two position push-pull switch which controls the fan in the Smiths heater unit. It is not fitted with a knob, but has a nut attached to the shaft to operate. Works a treat, though.

This last item was new to me, but means I have an operational heater/demisting system which I was unaware of! Only catch is that the valve which directs warm water to the heater core is not attached to anything, so has to be operated by hand in the engine bay. Does not matter much in practice. It can be left on. The heater unit seems to have little effect when the doors are closed and the fan is not operating.

Perhaps some of this was expediency when the car was being assembled as right hand drive. Certain major items - such as the RHD dash, steering gear etc - appear to have come from the factory as part of the CKD kit, and perhaps some of this other stuff did too. Other items, such as the AWA Pushbutton AM radio and Smiths heater were clearly sourced locally. Whatever, it's surprisingly complete and functional.

And now I don't have to carry a rag to demist the screen and windows when traveling in blinding rain!

Cheers

Brian

Thanks Howard

My Clipper has the Ultramatic column shift. It also has the regular quadrant for this transmission, not the park brake telltale light. I guessed it must have a gear quadrant lamp, but did not know where to look. Will check now for the bulb socket.

I do drive the car at night - or before sunrise - and look forward to dispensing with the torch. I've gotten pretty good at "feeling" where the shift is, though.

Have also gotten into the habit of applying the park brake to avoid the problem of getting it out of Park on a slope. Which I gather is typical of the Ultramatics (and maybe other autos of the time).

Cheers

Brian

Well, tomorrow's job of sorting the front right hand park light and turn signal did not produce the desired result. Given my (very) limited skills as an electrician I called for help.

Found a guy who actually remembers these cars. Did not ask why he remembers them. The problem with one park light/turn signal unit looks like a superfluous ground or perhaps a short in the lamp unit itself. I will report back.

While he's in there, my saviour will update the instrument lamps with some LED replacements I bought a while back (#57 pattern) but have so far avoided ferreting behind the dash to install. Guess I'm getting old/lazy!

Does anybody know if the Twin Ultramatic gear indicator is supposed to be illuminated? I'm getting a bit tired of carrying a torch so I can see it at night. I'm guessing it should be lit, since the fresh air/heater controls have their very own light.

I note that even the clock light on the dash is still working. More than I can say for the clock itself.

Now if I can just get my paintwork guy to come out of virus-induced retirement, I will get the paintwork tidied up.

Cheers

Yes, the video is interesting. You only have to drive a Packard with TL to know how well it works - especially in comparison to other cars of the period. Or even modern cars, for that matter. I don't pretend to understand why it works so well, and don't really need to to appreciate it.

Brian

Yes, a lot of people say they have had good service from Optima 12V batteries.

For some reason, they don't seem to like race cars. Might be heat or vibration, as you suggest. But when they fail, it seems to happen without warning. I guess a load tester would be good for diagnostics generally, but would just deliver the bad news in that situation. An ordinary old voltmeter will do the same thing (ask me how I know). One of my most stressful drives was about 140 miles from a racetrack back to my workshop in a Porsche Carrera race car with the alternator not working and a Chinese wet cell battery fitted (only thing I could find on a Sunday). Made it back with 5.7V showing on the meter. The Optima battery had given up sometime earlier and the alternator had subsequently died. Later investigation showed the battery was shorted internally - most likely a loose plate.

Sounds like you're well on top of this one, though.

Brian