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As you can see the arm has a slight bend and total length is just shy of 8 inches.
Thanks for the measurement! I'll double check the Ford sender prior to installation, just in case of a mismatch.
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The gauges actually work on 5v so if you keep the existing instrument voltage regulator in the circuit and run that off the power supply it should be adequate.
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Am more concerned about using a power supply for the horns. A pair of horns can easily pull 25 amps so "small" might not cut it but more importantly is if the power supply is rated for coils, motors or other inductive loads. Some are but most are not and any inductive load or something that has a large instantaneous current draw could make an ordinary power supply that was built for lights, solid state radios and stuff like that self destruct in a matter of seconds.
I've been planning to measure the horns' current needs, but the 6V, 10A power supply I had in mind as a SWAG starter point will clearly be inadequate. 25A horns? No wonder they're so gloriously loud. Need to think about that one further. Good to know the stock voltage regulator will work for the instruments. I suppose the logical follow-up question is; will the horns last on 12V?
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Also don't forget the heater blower and the stock radio (if you are keeping it). The starter solenoid needs to change and more importantly the starter motor is a concern.
Solenoid will depend on how the starter shakes out, but I don't foresee any trouble with that swap. Plans are in the works for a blower motor. Hunting for a new 12V inline blower or a 12V motor with a similar case and shaft that can accept the original squirrel cage. Long-term plan is to put modern guts in the old radio fascia (several companies do this), so it will eventually be 12V, but it's not a concern for now. Reliable running and driving first.
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If you are planning on using the stock motor on 12v be advised that several posters over the last year or so have had the nose of the starter crack or break off suddenly for unexplained reasons. The only common denominator was all had been using the stock 6v starter on 12v conversions. It is surmised the reason for the breaking is because the extra voltage is providing so much extra torque and speed that it was slamming the pinion into the stop at the end of case hard enough to break the casting.. Some that went thru the experience had their starters converted to 12v to avoid future problems.
Running through those threads led me a on a goose chase for a modern 12V starter that would drop right into the Packard mount. Several different local shops, including a sizable rebuilder and recycler, had no ideas. Apparently the Packard mount was never used anywhere else. One of them did suggest running the stock starter motor on 12V, and shrugged when I mentioned the nose failure problems. No help there.
Struggling to even find someone in the area who will rewind the starter for 12V. I'd prefer to machine a new nose section for a modern starter, if I can find a suitable option (gear pitch, RPM, tooth count, throw distance, etc.), simply because the old one contains a scary amount of copper dust from the brushes. Feels like a short waiting to happen. Another reason for a modern starter is that I could make my original starter available to restorers. Odds are the Knackered Packard will never be fully original (a reliable driver is goal one), but I do want to keep the sheet metal unmodified and any parts I remove stored and available for the rest of the community.
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