Sand the spots you're painting with a very light grit sandpaper. Marine coatings tend to require 220 grit for proper adhesion (and no sanding mark print-through!), so with automotive coatings I'd go with 400 grit or maybe higher. Mask off immediately around where you're painting; the masking tape will protect the part and keep the grit from harming the finish, so long as you aren't a gorilla about it.

I was struggling with this when I was messing with the overdrive on my 48. HH56 is right, the easiest way is to energize the solenoid. You can also use a standard telescopic parts grabber magnet to pull the solenoid back to the released position when (not if, when) you push it too deep.

Thanks Dell! Lemme know what you find.

@Fish'N Jim

The reason I wanted to use fiberglass is because a) I'm quite familiar with it, and b) it allows me to make a hollow shell that can be filled. Like you said, the knobs are moulded on; if you take a hollow shell and fill it,you can fairly easily squish it onto the old fitting and paint it in place.

I don't know if it'd be possible to get the fine detail, but I wanted to give it a shot. You are right, it'd be hard to match without painting, but for a small batch it'd be fine (and it'd be an interesting project!).

@humanpotatohybrid

3D printing could be a good choice! I didnt think of that.

Nevertheless, something tells me that I'm barking up a tree that others have already tried, possibly decades before I was born lol.

Hello! I'm currently looking for the interior plastic knobs for a 1948 Packard super eight. Air, no air, heat, OD, etc. I need a full set, mine are completely rotted. If I could get a high-quality set too, I could pop off some molds for creating reproductions out of fiberglass. Let me know if you have some!

Thanks,

Icarus

Well, in July I bought my car for $4500. Running and driving, but needed brakes, floor pans, and interior. If it's rust free and you REALLY want a Packard, I say go for it.

I can't be there this year, but hopefully next year! Miami to Sarasota is a fun trip in a Packard.

Well, if you know the length and width then you should be able to source *something* that will fit. I had a 2001 Mitsubishi mirage that I had to do that for, took be a good two days to find a suitable belt.

So, I've determined several faults (via a game of telephone bomb defusal with my cousin):

1) the overdrive solenoid is not functioning, either because the governor is non-functional (contact is apparently normally open), or because the solenoid itself has open windings.

2) the electromatic clutch is *fully* functional. There's no significant vacuum problem, the solenoid is engaging and disengaging correctly, and the dash button cutout is still properly working.

3) the car is still freewheeling in all gears, *but* it can still be shifted into reverse, which according to the OD service manual means it's not stuck active.

4) the manual cutout knob is frozen (and my uncle broke the knob off trying to get it moving). However, my impression from the schematic is that this isn't actually a serious issue; that is, so long as it's not stuck in cutout, it should function.

It seems the electronics controlling the overdrive have died, though it's also possible there's an internal issue with the unit (the pawl could be worn, etc). I'll try to source new ones, but frankly after looking at a few pictures of their internals, I'm pretty sure I can rebuild whats in there. Winding the solenoid looks pretty easy.

It seems the entire system needs going through, because the transmission is freewheeling at *all* speeds and conditions! I'm gonna tear into the solenoids and connections and see if cleaning things up helps; it seems like the OD is stuck on.

How do I disable the freewheeling? Is it a feature of the solenoid, is there a switch on the dash?