Thank you, between your post and Howards below, I think I have a bad solenoid. I'll try to get it replaced this week along with a coil and a coil>distributer wire.
new points and condenser, volage regulator and OD relay. narrowing it down.

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Awwww. Too bad. Just goes to show that photos can be deceiving. Still... looks so very nice!

I always had good luck with Electron and Robbins. Electron has been around a lot of years and they should know better on the rear window. But I understand that they changed ownership a few years back. So today, anything may be possible.

I once had the original factory convertible top patterns for 1955 and 1956. I gave them to a friend who once made tops for me at Acme Auto Headlining back in the 1970s. But he died and things changed hands. Nobody knew what happened to those patterns.

Many years ago when we had a trim shop, the only problems I ever had with their tops were poor materials. But I fixed that by having the fabricators like Electron use only materials that I specified.

As for the window zipper on your Caribbean– IF they sent you a toothed zipper instead of a modern coil zipper, there is an old trimmer's trick. A toothed zipper (depending on installation and window size/design) can be replaced using half of a new window and zipper. This way you only have to deal with loosening the rear beltline trim and just installing the new window curtain on the tack strip ...without disturbing the rear bow attachment!

Unfortunately, this method will never work with a modern coil zipper since (with exception of special precision coil versions). This is because there is no standardization of coils per linear inch. Thus coil zipper halves are permanently mated at one end unlike toothed zippers that can be completely detached.

This very issue became a problem during development of Mazda Miata when I worked for the corporation. The zip-out rear window on the Mazda Miata folding top was my idea– credited or not.

I had originally intended the Miata rear backlight window to be easily replaceable using half of the old zipper. It was intended to use a tooth-type zipper. But you know what happened.

Other people got involved who thought they were smart and would morph my idea the way THEY wanted it. All without bothering to check with me. Too many cooks spoil the meal. They even tried to re-write the Workshop Manual procedure that I had written (after all– who was I?). That's when they discovered that coil zippers are permanently mated! So the entire method I had predicated and designed would not work. I could have told them that... but nobody asked. Maybe this is one reason why I am never mentioned in the histories although I did so much development work on that car!

Anyway, for your Caribbean, you may be able to grab the zipper tab with the top partially lowered and then unzip it. Primitive and wonky, but a way to do it. At worst you may end up having to detach the fabric and curtain up top on the rear bow. Then going whole hog on rear curtain replacement. Tough to find a good trimmer who can accurately do this kind of work today.

What fabric did you use? I am in the middle of attempting a fabrication and inner face coloring dye of special VERY expensive fabric that looks like 1955. Has already cost a fortune and has taken years...

Sorry for the short notice, pretty desirable 1922-'23 Single Six Sport Model to be auctioned. August 9, 2023, Parkersburg, WV:

bids.auctionbypearce.com/auctions/1045/lot/136734-1921-packard

bids.auctionbypearce.com/auctions/1045-the-adams-estate

And... another request. Ever since we posted a Packard Pedal car in this thread, that got a lot of attention.

So from one of our bicycle catalogues from the late 1920s, here ya go...

This luxurious Packard pedal car actually had a real tail light/stop light, leather seat, detailed simulated controls and real spring suspension!

But that's neither a Cormorant nor a Pelican ornament on the radiator...! The pedal car company that made this little treasure called the radiator ornament an "Eagle" but it doesn't look like one of those either...!

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Thanks... If I remember correctly, it's an Electron top. Their measurements for rear window were way off in the catalog, so I took photos, gave measurements, and we even sent them the old top to show that their window size was not correct in the catalog. Even still... we had to order the top twice, as the first time it was wrong YES!!! I had to pay labor to install and remove the first top. :( I'm only fairly satisfied with the second top, but I think it's the fault of the installer.

Finally, I just tried to put the top down for the very first time, only to find out that the rear-window zipper was installed backwards. In other words, it was made so that the only way to grab the zipper is from the outside of the car... but, of course, that's not possible.

Even if they sent me a new window, that means a whole lot more labor to R&R!!!

What would you do???

Anybody on the pinion?

In the meantime, I need to order battery cables which will probably be 00 ga to handle the two heaters and extra lights but I am not sure of the lengths or the size of the solenoid post. My notes have the negative length as 40” and the ground as 20” but these were just rough measured-in-place lengths from the existing cables in my 1954 Patrician. Does anyone have more accurate lengths?

Also, the parts book shows a single part number for the 1951-1954 negative cable even though the 1954s with the 359 had a larger post on the solenoid. That aside, any idea what the post diameter is on this 1951? I’m guessing 5/16” but maybe 3/8” so need to be sure.

And finally, is there a source for the 00 ga flat braided cable?

The engines are a 1951 288, and the ulcermatic to go with it, and a 1940 282 and transmission with overdrive. Maybe an R9?


I also got a third member center section. I'll count some gears and see what I can decipher.

There is a relay inside the Autolite gear reduction starter solenoid assembly that is powered by the starter switch or pushbutton. When the relay comes in it is what actually commands the solenoid to pull in. If the car still has the safety circuit intact, ground to the relay is provided by going thru the generator armature windings and brushes. One of the brushes is connected to ground which is ultimately where ground for the relay coil is found. All generator wiring must be connected and brushes in good shape for that circuit to work. Some cars have had the circuit bypassed by disconnecting the wire from one of the small relay coil terminals on the solenoid from the ARM terminal of the regulator and connecting it directly to the block to provide the ground. The other terminal still goes to the starter switch.

The solenoid for the Autolite gear reduction starter has two coils that get power from the relay at the same time -- a pull in coil and a hold coil. The pull in coil gets its ground thru the windings of the starter motor so that connection and brushes inside the motor need to be good. Once the pull in coil does its job and has the solenoid plunger pulled in so the copper disc makes the connection with the terminals to provide the battery voltage to the motor, that battery connection effectively puts the same voltage on both sides of the pull in coil so it turns off and is no longer able to work. The solenoid is then kept in position by the energized hold coil which is grounded to the solenoid case. It will keep the plunger pulled in and motor spinning until the start switch or pushbutton is released and relay drops out. The hold coil by itself does not have the power to pull in the solenoid.

If the solenoid has not been reconditioned there is a possibility wear and arcing or burning of the copper disc or more likely, the copper end of the large terminals where the connection is made could be causing the no engagement. The bottom illustration where the arrows point to the switch contact gap shows the area where wear is prevalent. Sometimes there is a semicircular spot worn by the contact disc on one or both terminals that is so deep the disc can no longer make contact.

On the fuse, are you sure it is between the solenoid and voltage regulator or could it instead be between the solenoid and overdrive relay.

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If you shorted between the battery hot termjnal and small lug on the solenoid, they should be at least a click or something noise of the solenoid engaging. If not the solenoid is bad. If you hear the click and there is not starter action, then the starter is bad, assuming the battery is fully charged. Only other issue would be is if you had a bad or missing ground strap between the engine and the body.

Still working on starting circuit for 2126.
Temporarily removed the carburetor starting switch from circuit and wired a push button switch to energize the starter solenoid. Starter was at shop for checkout and bendix was proven. with push button switch connected to solenoid and hot lead and all grounds connected, couldnt get spark out of coil which had been replaced earlier. After about an hour of trying to find spark, the starter stopped responding to the push button switch. Nothing....
arced from the small terminal on hot side of solenoid directly to the hot battery lead terminal on starter by passing the push button switch entirely. got a spark there but no response from starter. The harness sent from Narraganset Wire (five years ago) shows a fuse from solenoid wiring to voltage regulator but I cannot find that fuse anywhere. Any suggestions as to:
bad starter solenoid? (recent development)
bad fuse in circuit somewhere?
any other tests to run to troubleshoot.
We tried with ignition on and with ignition off.
Signed"Sleepless in Seatle"...actually SC.