Mr Pushbutton should be along shortly and am sure he will have some suggestions. In the meantime, if you would like more information on the system here is a service article by the manufacturer of the unit. It contains much more information and troubleshooting than will be found in Motors.https://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/AutoLite_ServiceManual.pdf

This is a 54 senior. It sounds like the bushing or gears is still a bit dry and magnet can't spin freely.

Would suggest you remove from cluster and clean & lube all worm gears and lightly oil the gear train as far as odometer. You may have to work oil down into bushing from both sides of the cable drive shaft where oil hole is as well. Important there is free and very smooth spinning of the magnet and pole shoe. They are attached so essentially one piece and set up an eddy current in cup suspended between them -- Important no dirt or any touching between the magnet & cup. Try and not get any lube on the cup either and also make sure it is secure--no wobbles.

There have been a couple of failures on the forum where the shaft right at the front bushing before the point needle attaches has broken off.

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The only machine stamp appears to be the CE denoting what was inside. I would surmise they had general service engines available at the warehouse in each size and ordered appropriately from those until stock ran out. There was an instruction on putting a postwar engine into pre 17th series so probably no pre war engines were available. They were probably un-numbered with production serial on paper only. Year of mfg was apparently not important as long as cust was OK and size was close.

There is a Stude bulletin to that point on the V8 engines stating they had a number of 55 production 320 and 352 service engines suitable for use in all 55 and 56 that were available at a discount if the dealer and customer wanted to take advantage of the reduced price. There was another later bulletin saying that a new batch of service S8s were made available but the previous 4 engine choices had been reduced to 2. From that, I would bet that the letter and even size was not that important in a replacement engine.

Logically, until proven otherwise, to me the N is for new and CAL is for Calif where the dealership was since that was the abbreviation used then. The number is probably what was on the production paperwork. If the car was registered under the motor number, I am sure there would have been some detailed instructions & procedures. Too bad we don't seem to have any old timers left who might remember procedures but guess remembering that stuff would not be very important to a 90 or 100 year old.

That's the one. I spotted it half a block away as he was driving up the street pointing out the different sights. The owners of these cars really don't mind being noticed.

I'll admit, there are worse out there and these colors are somewhat dignified. There was an episode of Bob Vila's TV show filmed in Miami with a 58 parked in front of an art deco hotel. The brightest lavender and something car you ever wanted to see.

I've heard it described as bug eyed, and with Nance's bulls nuts tail lights, and the sore thumbs, and then the 58 Hawks Martha Raye grille, Packard had quite the styling trend going.

From Motors Manual, Second Vintage Car Edition.

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We know there were at least two types of BTV--the poppet valve type we use and the hydraulic reaction type that Chev apparently used. If anyone knows Ed Strain or any of the other BTV rebuilders, wouldn't it be simpler to call and ask if there is any other internal differences in BTV units -- size wise, cup wise or any other wise rather than endless guessing.

IIRC, the rubber seal on the ram is backed up by a fiber and steel washer held with a snap ring in back, and of course, the ram and bore on the sides. I don't think it could be dislocated in the conventional sense--leaked past, yes.

Thanks for the suggestion and friend Chris is right, it is a PITA--even more so when after not being under there for years, you find that you don't bend in all the places you used to and need to.

Are you saying Kanter does not have them at all or just does not make them? At any rate, Tucson Packards (Chirco Automotive)http://www.packardpartsonline.com/lighting.html also lists them as marker lights at $45ea.

If they are no longer available there then about the only other option would be to check some of the guys who also deal in used parts like Mike Dulinski MnPACSLER@aol.com 218-721-4631 or Seattle Packards in vendor directory and see if they have any good ones.