This was a '49 Nash and I actually used LEDs for Stop / Tail and Incandescents for Turn. The LEDs are available easily in 12V but, if you look around, you can find them in 6V as well and in both Pos or Neg ground... gotta make sure you order the right configuration for your car. You should be able to find a supplier online but let me know if you need a link or two.

Thanks for the tips Howard. I actually did have a faulty brake switch and got all happy about licking that problem... until coming back after a few days to another weak battery. No trunk light but hopefully I'll find time soon to do some systematic testing. Got a neat tool to break in when I do and it's designed for just that kind of work:

PowerProbe II

I'm not completely sure it'll work properly on a 6V system but I'm hoping...

Just thought I'd share my latest success: The tray on my 22nd Series was rusting pretty badly so I came across a sharp billet mount for the Optima 6V batteries from Speedway for $60 and mounted it to a pine shelf that I mounted where the original battery sat. I ripped a notch in the underside of the pine to lock into the lip of the stock battery tray and the whole thing is kinda rough looking but quite stable. Now I just need to track down my current drain and remove that quick disconnect...

Attach file:

---

  (13.79 KB)


  (14.42 KB)


  (14.79 KB)


  (14.37 KB)

Helmar is top-notch. I've purchased a handful of different Pertronix units from them for various vehicles and they've done a great job taking care of business. I've found them consistently lower priced than most so I don't even bother shopping around at this point.

I'll also rave about the Pertronix units themselves. I've installed them in several of our trucks over the years where they get a daily workout... not a single problem yet.

I've played with those LEDs a bit and am feeling the next gen will be about right. So far, I've been disappointed by the hotspots rather than the broad glow across the lens of the car with you get with incandescents. I did go with Red over White and that was brighter but I'd suggest trying those LED bulbs that emit light in all directions to take advantage of the car's lamp's own reflector. Those LEDs have pretty darned focused beams.

Thanks for the reassurance and good news Howard. Looks like someone did make that change; my ammeter reads as expected and there's plenty of electrical tape on the harness. A little like amatuer hour actually but I'll see about making improvements as I go.

Now, the one type of device I can't get my head around is the relay/solenoid. I'm assuming that a reverse in polarity would have them acting, well, in reverse: pushing instead of pulling, etc. Am I using faulty logic here?

When I'm all done with repairs to the overdrive in this car, I'm gonna post a flow-chart for testing R9 OD systems but here's what I'm thinking: If I ignore the Ground Out circuit at first, I'm down to 3 terminals on the Relay:

1 is Hot
4 goes to 4 on Solenoid
5 goes to Ground

I'm thinking if I get that "machine gunning" from the Solenoid then I'm safe to continue on to the Ground Out circuit, eh?

Thanks,

Hello Everyone,

Thanks to a healthy dose of ADD, I'm jumping all around on my 2272. Tonight I dug into the R9 OD. My harness is a mess but all the parts are there. I can push & pull the lockout knob under the dash and get into & out of overdrive at a standstill but as I studied the schematics I'm grateful to have found on this site, I see clear as day that they show Positive Ground while my car is clearly Negative. I triple checked this: Neg on battery goes to the block, Pos on battery goes to the starter.

Aside from my OD, all works on my car as expected. What do you all think? Previous owner switched to Neg. Ground? I think the generator can be re-polarized easily enough and bulbs & horns don't care. How about the starter? Am I safe to assume this is currently a Neg Ground car?

More importantly, what's this mean for my OD control? I actually don't mind wiring up a switch or two under the dash for manual engagement if need be but maybe the OD control isn't polarity sensitive either. If anyone knows something about these circuits, I could use a little guidance.

Thanks as always,

Good thinking and I will double check to be sure but my steering is tight. I'm still thinking tires as the wander only happens when I'm rolling over road irregularities; gimme a smooth stretch and I get a taste of what the Packard ride should be.

I'm familiar with the feel of loose steering with some of our old trucks... now that is a nerve-racking issue to wrangle with.

I do think I might have shock issues too but one thing at a time...

Attach file:

---

  (25.93 KB)

Hey PackardV8,

It'll wander at 15 mph! Always kind enough to come back in line eventually so it's not a hair-raising ride down the street; just annoying. I'm resigned to go shopping.

JW, thanks for the lead on a possible deal out there.

Fred, you threw a whole other tire size into the ring with your 700R-15. Wonder how that stacks up to 225/75R15? A little shorter?

(On a totally unrelated note: made a few twists to the carb mixture screws - noticeable improvement!)

Great info Fred. I had no idea such a longstanding figure in the community was checking in here. Kudos for setting the record straight; I won't hesitate to throw questions your way...

Michal