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Hi, my starter button on my 1939 Super-8 died on me so I got a new one to replace and wondered if anyone replaced theirs or your light switch which is next to it. It seems my dash was made into 2 parts - the large part and the small central part which holds the starter button, light switch, the lighter, ignition switch and hand throttle. At the top of this small central piece is the ashtray which I slid out. My question is does this small central part of the dashboard pop away from the main dash cleanly, so I can easily get at the two 1/4" nuts to remove the starter switch or would the small plastic dash part break into millions of pieces because it's not supposed to come apart. It's almost next to impossible to remove the nuts from underneath and behind and pretty much forget trying to attach the 2 nuts back on (it's so dark and tight in there!).

Thanks for any info!

Steve

G'day Steve(DrMorbius),
Although a PackardInfo member for a long time, your first posts so

I invite you to include your '39 Super 8 in the Packard Owner's Registry.

Do you know how to remove the instrument Panel. The wiring behind mine caught fire and I can't get the instrument panel off. I took out screws at the bottom but it's still secure at the top. Can you advise me ????? e-mail stever1931@aol.com. cell 708-525-4424

G'day stever1931@aol.com,
to PackardInfo. I invite you to include your Packard in the Packard Owner's Registry.

Those old dashboards are a chore. Nothing snaps together.
When they were built the dash went into the car with the harness feeding through the cowl. They were assembled on the bench and installed before the interior and steering column.

So you have to get under and behind to get at the screws/nuts. You need a magnetic socket/bit or a little strip caulk to keep the fasteners in place and not fall off.

Whenever I handled bad starter switches I also added a 6 volt VW headlight relay to change the switch to a low load device.

Quote:

On some dashes the individual sections will come out but as Tim said that is usually a chore and sometimes the nuts and bolts are covered by something else so you cannot get an angle or access to the fastener with the dash installed.

You might remove the garnish molding around the windshield and have a look. In addition to the large screws at the bottom corners plus whatever attachment to the steering column, handles, linkage etc on the bottom edge there might be, every Packard I have worked on has a row of screws across the top of the dash hidden by the garnish molding. Once those are out, with the help of another body the entire dash will generally come out.

If the car still has the original wiring, the insulation will be prone to cracking which could cause a short and fire. So you will want to disconnect the battery. If you find out that you need to remove the dash or a part of it you might want to consider a new dash wiring harness.

Steve(DrMorbius),
for including not only your '39 Super Eight Convertible Sedan but also your '54 Pacific Hardtop in the Packard Owner's Registry!

I never had to remove the dashboard to service any of the components. A mirror and safe lighting will help, some creative vocabulary, and manual dexterity. As I recall that switch is held in place with slotted screws. You can buy a KD screw holder for reinstallation at a good auto parts store like NAPA, or use strip caulk, or a magnetic bit.

However, I have normal body mass. If I was too big to get under the dash I would unbolt the seat (if applicable) before trying to remove the dash. I also covered the upholstery with blankets to prevent soiling.

As well, there was a service bulletin advising to fabricate studs from 10-32 screws and reinstall using nuts for hard to service components.

I need more like a nut holder, not a screw holder since the screws are imbedded into the dash.