Re: Vacation Car - 56 Patrician

Posted by Leeedy On 2020/4/24 11:32:54
Quote:

CarFreak wrote:
Just a small update.

Not too much happened in the past couple months. Needed to fix the multiple leaks in the family's old Dodge Charger and that took a lot longer than I anticipated, but it usually does. I finally got that done and took it for a small cruise around town before I started to tear into the Patrician again. I got the dash board and dash wiring and associated engine bay wiring out of the car. In the process I removed the toe plate with the TreadleVac and the column as well. The TreadleVac was sent to Ross Miller to get rebuilt for the Caribbean and the one on the Caribbean will be rebuild and used on the Patrician. We had two spare 56 senior dash boards in the Packard Shed and I took those two and the Patrician dash out to Pittsburgh with me to build one with the best parts.

The main goal is to get the car pretty much stripped of components while leaving it a roller to get all the dirty sanding and metal work done before the cold weather hits. That way I can start the paint and paint prep over winter and spring of next year to hopefully get it running before next year is out. During this time the engine and trans will be rebuilt. While that is being done at the parent's house Ill be trying to get the trans work done in Pittsburgh, dash painted as well as interior trim painted. I also hope to get the seats to an upholstery shop before the end of the year to get some holes in the moleskin patched up.


You will want to be very, very, very careful about mixing dashes on this factory A/C car. HVAC controls are different. Graphic indicators will be different. Cable lengths and routing are different. Electrical harness is different. Ducting is different. Glove box inners are different. AND there are other differences. Best to leave a factory A/C dash alone unless you are very familiar with the car and the system... and most people aren't.

And disconnecting A/C lines at the firewall may seem very straightforward, but most Packard V-8 factory A/C disasters start right here with someone disconnecting lines without using two fitting wrenches (instead of one). Usually the evaporator core is thus damaged and this usually doesn't show up until one goes to pressurize the system. Then the nightmare begins since the dash and evaporator core need to be pulled to do any repairs. All of which could be avoided by knowing ahead of time and using the right tools and techniques. And the workshop manual does not tell you this!

Someone in the past has apparently done a lot of parts swapping in this Patrician. The more you swap parts, the more you invite problems and unintended disasters. I seriously doubt the manual transmission is original-especially on a loaded A/C car. And you'll be sorry if you don't put the steering back to power steering... unless the driver is a bodybuilder.

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