With all due respect for Howard's profound ability to keep Packards alive, my first thought was that simply and carefully loosening the two straps and dropping the tank might be easier than cutting an access hole, then sealing and patching it.

Now that I have my own 23rd series with a non-functioning gauge or sender, this topic is germane to me. In my trunkload of spare parts from the previous owner I have a NOS box with a King Seely fuel gauge (with a bent needle) that may either be the original, a swap meet part or the old broken one that was replaced. I also have a fuel sender unit of unknown history that looks to be in good shape. But the mystery deepens because the previous owner replaced the Packard tank with a slightly smaller Chevy tank, so which gets the sender unit will be determined by whether it fits or not. One of the 1956 cars also lost a functioning fuel gauge when I filled it up over the summer and suddenly nothing registered. Magically, it began working again for a few days and then quit and apparently died. Perhaps a loose connection or stuck float, not at all moved by slapping the bottom of the tank with a board. Both of these will wait until warm weather returns. The joys of 60 and 65 year old cars!

Our family VW and Audi late model cars conveniently have their high pressure, in-tank fuel pumps located under the back seat, with a convenient body access panel that makes pump replacement a 45 minute job. Our Chevy truck fleet of older pickups tells us that a pump might last 200,000 miles, but the easiest way to replace them is not to drop the heavy 26-33 gallon tank, but to take out and loosen the pickup bed body and tip it up with a couple of boards to gain direct access to the top of the tank. Doing it this way, our guys say it takes them about 90 minutes to replace a pump.

Take a look at YouTube for a start. I believe I have seen some done by Packard but many more a shown for Nash, Chrysler Corporation and Ford. If you're old enough to remember the film strip projectors and record players used in grade schools in the late 1940s thru 1950s, some of the items will bring back memories very quickly. One of my favorites on YouTube is "How Packard Builds a Body", showing the wood craftsmen building a 1928-29 closed body. Another shows how Packard engineered their non-independent front suspensions like no other company.

Going down the YouTube "Rabbit Hole" is a great way to waste valuable time in a fun and educational way.

A Google search gave no clear answer as to when date coding was implemented. Four digits began in late 1999, but earlier combinations of letters and two-digit years might have begun as early as 1973. Because I could not find any, I am wondering if they might be even older than that.

One of our car show buddies will drive his 1937 Studebaker Dictator a few dozen miles, several times a year, on tires he swears are almost as old as the car. No one seems eager to ride with him after hearing that.

Once again, with Dave/O-D's last advice, I owe you guys a lot for the trouble you're saving me. Who knew that the wheel was keyed to only one position? Going to the trouble of pulling it, while risking breaking something, was not something covered in the Service Manual.

But, as a mentor once told me, go back to basics, so I did. I checked tire inflation because the left front of the bias whitewall looked a little low. A little low look turned out to be a lot...it read only twelve pounds. Then I remembered that the previous California owner had mentioned one of the tires has a slow leak. The other three were right at 28, so I brought the offender up to that level and the steering wheel offset got much better. It's now a mere venial sin, not a mortal offense. Plus, the car steers more normally, almost approaching modern.

The Universal whitewalls that came with the car don't show any cracks or external damage and only that one seems to have a very slow leak. This car is destined to be a low speed cruiser to car events, never on a freeway, so I have no immediate plans on replacing the tires until Summer. But the frightening thing is that I don't seem to be able to find a manufacturer's date code just to see how old they might be. When did the date coding begin with DOT?

Thanks to Ross and Ernie for the helpful advice. Once the secret of palming the center counterclockwise things came apart nicely. But the steering wheel would not bulge, even with the steering wheel puller. Hesitant to force it, even with some soaking of PB Blaster, I decided to quit before something broke or cracked. While an off kilter of 15 degrees or so is psychologically annoying, I will await seeing what an alignment might do from beneath. That is, if I can find a good aligner who thinks that they may be up for it, or is old enough not to be frightened by it. These days, even the common GM worm and sector steering boxes are becoming mysteries to those who can speak only rack and pinion. My search will commence, now that I haven't broken anything.

I want to straighten up the attitude of my 1950 steering wheel. I am trying to be careful with the 65 year old plastic center above the horn ring. On other cars it might do with a bit of careful prying on the center, allowing access to the big nut. But my plastic center appears to almost be under and inside of the lip of the metal horn ring. Is there a hook technique that goes inside the horn ring and then lifts up the plastic center? Once again, I am reluctant to just start prying so as not to damage the plastic center. I can see no other release screws or nuts underneath the steering wheel. The 46-50 Packard Service Manual is not of much help in accessing the large nut, but just illustrates how to take off the wheel once you're already there.

Assuming that I get there, I'd also like to access what I presume is the cam that cancels the turn signal. Mine works fine on right turns.but I have to manually cancel the turn signals after a left turn. Can those cams be serviced without taking the wheel out by removing the steering column? I really am reluctant to look like the perverbial old man Florida driver, oblivious to driving miles with a blinker light left on, confusing all who come upon me.

Welcome to the forum family. By coincidence, just a few hours ago I painted the 1950 hubcap centers on my Packard Eight. First, I used chrome polish on the shiny parts, especially the rims. Mine cleaned up nicely and the black paint around the lettering still looked good. I had done a similar hubcap tune-up on both 1956s, so I knew what I needed to do. My first step was to place a single ply of aluminum foil over the center and press the hexagon shape into it. Then, with that pattern made, cut it out with an Exacto knife. That template would then do for all four hubcaps. My closest and most available paint match was Chevy red high temp engine paint. Packard friends of mine now have painted the centers of at least six cars with that single can and have enough left to do another dozen or so when the time comes. The paint seems to hold up well if two light coats are used with sufficient drying time between is allowed.

This same technique worked well on bumper hex over-riders on a friend's 1936 120 convertible. The size of them differs significantly between models, so pitch the foil once you have completed the task at hand.

Garrett:
Years ago, when we were six or seven, we did not always play well together. Now, at sixty or seventy, things might not have changed much, but we do now know what interests us more clearly. On a spectrum that ranges from Fred and Tim, to Howard, Hans, Guscha and OD/Dave, there's enough wisdom about Packards to keep me coming back daily. Crabby, opinionated or just downright practical, the advice is welcome to me, no matter the source. I thank Big Kev and the frequent posters who keep this site helpful and usually entertaining. With three Packards, I am sometimes in great need of both.

Sorry to hear of your head injury, but it sounds like you have a healthy self-awareness and a caring family to watch you do what you do. Have all the fun you can, just as long as no one gets hurt. My own realities are catching up with me. I have been recently banned from gutter cleaning for fear of a four story fall. I recently mis-stepped while walking two strong dogs and fell flat on my face for what must have been the first time in sixty-five years. But, I can still remember the thrill of a new dealer's unveiling of a 51 Packard and a neighbor bringing home his brand new 1954 Skylark. That's the one advantage old guys like us have over our kids and grandchildren. We can still remember the new car smell of our old car treasures. No apologies needed. Stay vertical and do it with a smile. An old Packard to talk to might not be a bad idea either.

In my decades long appreciation of 1956 Packards, I can only recall seeing a few painted in solid colors. One was a black Patrician that I suspect did duty with an Archbishop or a funeral home, and one solid Danube Blue 400 that was being actively neglected by its owner. That blue car really looked faded blue almost everywhere, except for small areas of white vinyl on the seats and doors. Too blue on a big car for my tastes.

My Esquire probably survived because of the previous owner acceding to his wife's preference for the tri-toned MES colors. Six other 56s in his stable didn't, and many may have gone elsewhere because of their colors. His 45 year old repaint still draws positive comments at local shows, especially from older people who remember the colors you could get on a Royal Lancer or Montclair hardtop in the mid-50s. My equally shining Executive hardtop has only two colors, and gets no where near the comments.

I suppose that Packard, especially in later 1956, would paint any car any standard factory color on special request. I remember the forum discussion of a very few solid white or black Caribbeans and the debate that raised. But, a Packard owner with his/her definite preferences, and the willingness to wait for delivery, probably could write their own ticket. Recently, a member of our Corvette club got a great deal on a specially ordered convertible that was "left at the altar" when the owner realized how odd the car looked, and as a result, lost his large cash deposit. That car sat unwanted and was laughed at by many, until the savings were passed onto our club member. He has almost as much fun at car shows as I do with my Packards.

Sean, I can only echo the thoughts and words of others in expressing my condolences to you and your family. Because of his posts and pictures, your father provided an almost heroic example of keeping a family Packard in play. His posts also gave some level-headed evidence that he could put the car and his aviation business in perspective while consistently being aware of his family. He will be missed by many of us, but hearing that you may take up the baton will give us encouragement.

Our hopes and best wishes to all of you in this difficult time. And that expression is probably literally world-wide in its expression.