Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Hey everyone! Just fixed my lighting issues for good! Now to tackle a saggy door. My passenger side has been tough to open since I've acquired the car. It's getting to where I have to lift heavily while opening. I tried finding a reference before asking but no luck. Any procedure info would be greatly appreciated.

Also, my driver door lock turns freely and will no longer open with the key. Are the door panels removed with the flat clip removal tool?

Year and model? Prewar hinges and latches are different than postwars. The adjustments may be similar enough pre or postwar but there are some differences between models.

Oh, so sorry, I forgot to add. It's a 49 22nd sedan.

Assuming the hinge pins have not worn due to lack of lubrication you might possibly be able to adjust the problem out. You will have to remove the door panel for any work though so we'll start there.

If you don't have a printed service manual I would suggest you download the body section of the 46-50 service manual.https://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/servicemanual4650/Section4.pdf It has a fairly decent writeup and some photos on the procedure for removing the panel. In a nutshell you have to remove the garnish molding around windows, push the handle escutcheons back against springs to expose and remove the pins holding the handles and then use a clip tool or a broad thin but strong bar to pull the clips out of holes in the inner door skin. Armrests may or may not have to be removed before the panel can come off. It depends on model. One caution on the door panel. If original, it is some kind of masonite material and by now may be very dry and brittle. Try to position the tool as close to the clip as you can when prying it out so as not to pull or break the clip out of the slot or hole in the masonite.

Once the panel is off you can see the hinge attachments to the door. One may have loosened or slipped. If pins are worn you can possibly move the bolts in the slots enough to get the door back to some kind of alignment. That is also covered but be advised, the doors are HEAVY so use a floor jack or some means of holding and raising the rear end of door while you loosen the bolts holding the hinge leaf. It is hard but try not to sit or put any weight in the car as you work on the door because your added weight messes things up if the door end is being held up with a jack. With luck you can raise the rear and take care of the sag problem. If the pins are badly worn you may have to find better hinges. There is an oil hole in the center of the moving portion of hinge so a few drops would be a good idea..

The lock may have broken a piece of potmetal on the shaft which connects the lock cylinder to the latch mechanism. No advice until you remove it and see what is happening. The body section also shows the procedure to remove the cylinder assy.

Awesome! The link is absolutely perfect. and the info is much appreciated. Thank you so much. I'm gonna tackle it after work tomorrow.

Alright, so i removed the door panel slightly and found a small metal rod about 6" in length sitting inside the door.... It didn't seem broken... Not sure what it is, but it's enough for me to remove the panel completely... Hopefully I can fix without new parts

You didn't give much description of the rod but if it is an approx 3/16" square piece then it sounds like part of the lock cylinder has broken off.

Here is what a 47 lock cylinder looks like. The retaining method is different but the 48-50 cylinder is about the same in looks. I think the shaft is longer because of the thicker door and may be what you found.

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Howard that's exactly it! Do I need a new locking mech? And if so where can I acquire one?

Depends on what has happened but if the pot metal housing or the flat plate working the shaft has broken most likely you will have to replace the complete assy. If something inside has broken then depending on what it is the vendors Max Merritt or Kanter may have individual pieces or individual assys. The complete assy pairs are available on ebay and probably vendors too but there seem to be some differences in what is listed and offered for 48-50. Here are a couple of examples.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-50-Packard-Door-Lock-Assemblys-Matched-Set-With-Key-/321746011323

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Replacement-Door-Locks-With-Keys-1942-1946-1947-1948-1949-1950-Packard-/400871456678?hash=item5d55ccffa6:g:ShQAAOSwVFlUAFSR&vxp=mtr

Even though they are both identified as fitting 48-50 you will need to measure yours. The shafts look to be different lengths and the one listed for 42-50 may be too short.

It is good you have the key to yours. Hopefully the cylinder is OK and you can just swap it into a new housing so as to keep the same key. If the cylinder end is broken Max and probably Kanter have bare unkeyed cylinders available. Take them both to a locksmith and have the new cylinder keyed. Worst case is you have to buy a new assy but you can still have it rekeyed.

Used are also a possibility but again it depends on what is broken. It also really needs to have a key or if you need a cylinder, be a bare cylinder already out of the housing. There has to be a key to remove the cylinder from the housing. Unless you are good at picking locks or have a good locksmith that can pick the cylinder, buying used with no key may not work out

Apologies for the slow reply about the lock assembly.

There is a small universal joint that connect the lock cylinder to the actuating shaft for the lock in the door latch. This universal can become brittle over time and break up. See attached photos of the 1948-50 lock assembly.

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