Ross had put '1938 (I think)' in his initial post and I had put '38? as I thought it looked like a '39, maybe even a '40. You're right though Don that it would be pot metal as '38 was the last year of the stainless versions, right? I DID initially think it must be stainless as with the door so rusted, and the handle not looking 'that bad', I couldn't imagine pot metal still looking that shiny!! LOL I personally like the stainless iterations better and they can be had for a lot less than rechroming the pot metal originals. I changed all 4 on my car to stainless - never going to be 'putting her in the show' anyway. Chris.

Those are great pics, Guscha - thanks for posting. Quite the wooden props?!?! Do 'we' know what kind of planes these ended up in?? Chris.

Good find, Ross. That stainless door handle looks like it would be worth skiving too?? ('38?) Chris.

Cool setup Don. I have a similar controller and charging system on my sailboat. Dave: I think your 'charging protocol' is perfectly fine; I charged my battery the other night and the car hadn't run in a while and, as I have been doing quite a bit of testing with lights, horn etc., with the work I'm doing on the car, I thought the battery was probably fairly low. I put my charger on it at the 2 amp setting and it kicked off fully charged in 1.8 hours. I would think in the time you are charging, you'd both achieve a full charge AND allow it to de-sulfate. Chris.

Don, you've just answered the solution to sulphation!! ANY kind of charge, no matter how small, as long it is regular and consistent, will eliminate the plates from sulphating and both prolong their life and make them more efficient in terms of taking a charge and holding a charge when in use. If one does not have a setup like yours, then throwing them on a charger a couple of times a winter and giving them a good, full charge, is the next best thing. Chris.

That is an excellent point, Howard. Anyone know offhand if a #51 and a #55 are the same glass bulb size? I have found that my dash lights seem anemic and I really have to look closely to see readouts at night. I was hoping the brighter #55 bulbs coupled with my repaired dash-dimmer switch, might cure that issue, but I don't want to solve one problem just to create two more! Chris.

Wow, that is an excellent little bulb check list for the inventory of lights on our cars, Larry - thanks for posting. I already printed it and paper clipped it to the 'notes' page in my manual! Chris.

Hey Saffron,

I weigh in here as I too am 'under the dash' in my '39 Six and trying to effect some upgrades and repairs. I did remove my Speedometer and sent it out for servicing and unless you're familiar with the internal workings of speedometers, and that one in particular - would recommend you consider doing the same while you have things apart. (some follow-up posts on this forthcoming) I did find tinned wire in behind there, so I think Dave (Owen_Dyneto) is accurate surmising that is what you came across and mistook for aluminum. Not sure what you're referring to, re 'radioactive numbers'?? Maybe 'glow in the dark', like phosphorescent paint?? Radioactivity is a whole different 'kettle of crawdads' and I don't think you'll find any in your Packard. If these numbers ever were luminescent, my guess is that quality would have long since worn off. I was able to extract my dash light dimmer switch and get it cleaned up and functioning and was surprised how bright it brought up the test bulb I had it hooked it up to. It had been bypassed by a previous owner and I now must trace down the respective dash light wires and reconnect them to the dimmer switch. I suspect this will improve my dash back-lighting considerably. Not sure if yours is there, hooked up, and/or working properly, but would suggest checking that out. Good luck. Chris.

Might be 'getting old' John. One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of 6 volt cells are made way more heavy duty than your average car 12 volt cranker. They often have thicker plates which translates to longer life, provided they are charged and maintained. I have huge 6's ganged together to make 12's on my sailboat and I got 12 years out of the last set and they were cheap Walmart 'Exides'. I replaced them with top-of-the-line 'Trojans' last year, and some guys are getting 15+ years out of them. Those are XHD golf cart batteries, so I wouldn't expect that kind of mileage out of the 6's we're burning in our cars, but they should definitely go a few years... Chris

Sounds like a good approach, without hurrying anything. Best of luck. Chris.