Thanks so much! We wiwll try this this weekend between trying to put on a new master cylinder on our recently-acquired 1938 Packard Eight! Too many Detroit irons in the fire...but it's fun!

Can anyone furnish a tip on how to remove the plunger from the master cylinder of a 1938 Packard Eight (120)? Thanks!

Gents...I think we have diagnosed and corrected the problem. Alas, the new battery has conversion posts to make it a top mount and we found the positive post (screw-on) to be loose! Everything seems to work fine now...except my pushbutton transmission. We checked fluid leve, rocked the car slightly, and everything else and she won't budge (just rebuilt by John Lauter). She is going through the gears as the back up lights come on in reverse, etc. Oh well, this hasn't been my week...in addition after topping off brake fluid in my 66 Imperial, I have no brakes!

Thanks so much everyone...the battery (and ground cable) are almost new and posts are very clean, but we'll go through all these items again. I don't understand how the car would do this standing still if indeed there is a loose connection. In the middle of starting the car, everything turned off...including horn and every other electrically-driven item.

OK Guys...here's the problem. My 56 Patrician today repeated a strange syndrome I have witnessed before: When I turned the starter, ALL power in the car went out. I now know how to "fix" this problem temporarily but not for good. Once I take the positive cable off the battery and reconnect it, everything is fine right down to the "Dual Safety Courtesy Lights". Sometimes it is months before she acts up again. Mind you, she has done this while under power or at rest when being started.

I am no mechanic and certainly am no electrical engineer but I wondered if this may have anything to do with a bad ballast resistor? I do remember many years ago a similar problem in my 55 Clipper Constellation and after replacing the resistor, I never encountered the problem again.

I'm just putting this out there for some of you who know much more than I.

Yes, Packard used patterned inserts in 1955-56 featuring matelasses and jacquards. And yes, they had some "shine"--but tastefully so, and nothing like the upholstery fabric witnessed in the "restored" 55 Patrician of question.

Believe me, it is shiny compared to the original fabrics used by the factory on the Patrician. In 1956, there were few synthetics and for seat bolsters, Packard used a very tasteful and understated fabric of mostly natural fibers. Just as in clothes, you can't beat the look of natural fabrics. The "hand" of the fabric is also wrong on this car; it has too much pile; this was fine for Olds 98's of the seventies...but not for Packard in 1955! A car-to-car comparison would demonstrate this without a doubt.

This Patrician appears to be a fine restored example. That is, until one views the interior with all that aftermarket "shiny synthetic" fabric! When are Packard enthusiasts going to realize that these choices are so wrong? Even if one can't afford the actual reproduction fabrics available from SMS, one can use Kanter's $25.00 a yard broadcloths for seat bolsters. These fabrics at least have the "hand" and low sheen of the original interior fabrics. I realize that sometimes cost is an issue--I face it too--but a little searching and careful thought to replacements can make a huge difference. I realize that since I am an interior designer by trade, this issue is particularly important to me.

Wow, is this one great website with some helpful Packard owners! I discovered that it really helps to have your glasses on and to remove ALL screws on the lens housing! I'm back in business now. Thanks so much for the response and help! It was my stupidity that was the problem.

OK Boys...I finally have time today to replace my bulbs in the two front parking lights of my 55 Four-Hundred. After carefully removing all the retaining screws on the housing, I can't budge anything to get to the bulbs. I feel like an idiot because I clearly remember being able to do this in my high school days. The shop manual offers no suggestions that I can find. Can anyone help me today? Thanks!