Having been a car collector for 57 years and owned 500+ cars I've wondered why all the talk about needing an electric pump on cars that performed without one for the first 50+ years of their life. We have one with an electric, a 1930, that we purchased with one. It often sits for a year or two and we use it to fill the vacuum tank.

I read about needing an electric to fill the carb after sitting a few weeks to much longer. We just got in our shop a 48 custom convertible with 23,000 miles virtually original mechanically. It was difficult to start, cranked quite a bit, started a bit then quit. The choke was not completely closed so I rotated the choke cover two marks and it sprang to life and ran at 2000 rpm.

Fast idle screw was all the way in explaining the high rpm.
Other adjustments were way off too so we decided to remove the carb, disassemble and inspect and set it up according to the Carter spec sheets. An hour later it was starting very well after few cranks to fill the bowl, ran fine after mixture screws were dialed in. Has a miss that can either be an old spark plug problem or a valve problem, to be tackled this week.

To determine the advisability/need for an electric I took the top off the carb, emptied the bowl, drained the pump to carb line. Put a can at the top end of the carb to pump line, cranked the engine; it took 3 revolutions of this slow cranking (gear reduced) starter to get enough fuel to mostly fill the bowl.

Poured it in the bowl,put top/float on and screwed it down. The car started on the first short try and ran well.

If a fuel bowl evaporates completely and the fuel in the pump to carb line does also then it only takes 3 revolutions of the engine to being fuel to the carb bowl, hardly enough to "burn out" a starter. We sell starters for all makes and models and get cores back, have yet to see a "burned out " one.
Worn brushes. worn commutator, dead spot on commutator yes. Very seldom bad fields. I've cranked and cranked some cars and never had a starter fail.

The cause of long cranking on the 48 Custom was an incorrect choke setting, had similar trouble with a 52 Patrician (hot), not vapor lock but a disconnected accel pump.

I would look elsewhere to cure hard starting/hot starting before installing a "band aid "electric pump. My summer car, a 66 Eldorado has a hard starting problem, cause is a sticky choke that I have to fix.

You seem to have two unrelated questions here. The first is about voltage regulators.

There are many different configurations of regulators, Some have 3 connections, some 4 and some 5. There are numerous mounting configurations and dimensions. 6, 12 and 24 volt regulators all look identical. Are you trying to identify a particular regulator you have??

Second is about distributors:
Specific distributors cannot be identified by appearance, there are many differences that cannot be seen. Again, are you trying to ID a particular one you have that is missing the ID tag??

It is always easier and more convenient to put the responsibility on others rather than accept it as yours.
Parts and tire valves for a 70 year old cars are not to be expected to be readily available or in stock at service garages. Try going to your local GM dealer for front end work on your 49 Caddy and finding they have nothing to repair the king pins let alone the knee action shocks.

Missing a car show is not the responsibility of Diamondback or your local tire shop, it's just life. Boy Scout motto :Be Prepared.

Thanks for the thanks but I don't think that the 10 degree lash in your rear axle is the cause of the rough shift from fwd to reverse. It is well below what I have experienced in smooth shifting cars. Also, the rear axle is not affected by warming up and getting looser, it is a pure mechanical connection.

My guess is it's in the trans which can be affected by temperature. Some operating seals in the reverse piston servo are rubber.

good luck.

The "pulse" unit as described in the above post send an intermittent signal on/off and the relationship of the on/off times determines the gauge reading. In all other 35-56 Packard systems there is a winding at the top end of the tank unit with a "wiper" that is positioned by the float arm.

While I am not familiar with the electronics I believe the two are completely incompatible like putting a Crosley rear fender on a Packard to replace a front.

As I said, if it were simple I think it would have been solved in the past 70 years. Yes, someone else on the forum has tried but cries of "EUREKA" have been absent.

If it were just the matter of a resistor it would have been figured out already, simple. I believe the 48-50 gas and temp units are "pulse" units and work on a different principle thus just a resistor will not work.

Unless you use a 51-56 sending unit, dashboard tiny voltage regualtor and a 51-56 style gauge there is no option except to repair your old one

Going for service on a 72 year old car is not like taking in your 2000+ one. If I took my 1947 TV to be serviced no way would I expect the shop to have the tubes etc handy, same for a 1947 refrigerator. It is the car owner's responsibility to confirm that the shop has what you need.

I do not recall seeing any original Packard trunk with a sculpted top

Hello!!!

The first Packard Patrician 400 4 door sedan was 1951 and continued to 1953. I believe the 1954 was called just Patrician??

In 1955-1956 "The Four Hundred" was a 2 door hardtop and the script on the front fenders and trunk read "The Four Hundred"

There never was a 46 "The Four Hundred" unless it was made in Japan and powered by 2 D cells.

His inquiry is posted in the 55-56 forum, that's why I presumed he meant 56