Thanks very much to West Peterson and HH56 for the good information and pictures. Apologize for the delay in responding but it seems like I can only get to these things on weekends these days!

I checked out the under dash switch again. After scouring the car, I found one of those cream colored knobs under the seat. The knob fits over the light bulb and onto the switch. As your turn the knob there are several positions for activating the speeds of the blower fan that is part of the heater complex. The light turns on when you turn the knob on for several of those positions. I was able to turn the switch off so that the light was no longer on but the body of the switch still stays burning hot. I can't seem to get it turned off so I am not sure if the switch is faulty or if the wiring is not connected propery. Need to do more detective work because I am always concerned about electrical parts overheating. I am attaching photos of the heater. Thanks again!!!

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I will go back and check if we missed anything on the steering including the center link but unfortunately I don't have a lift available for about two weeks...

Regarding the switch/light unit that is burning hot, it looks like the wires from the switch go to the back of the heater and blower below the dash but I can't see exactly where because the wires disappear behind the unit. So I am still trying to figure out how to turn the thing off. I suppose the easy way would be to disconnect the wires at the switch and tape them but that is not a permanent solution and the heater would not work. Maybe that switch mechanism is just faulty and needs to be replaced but I can't find anything about what these things really looked like originally.

Does anyone know what kind of controls the heaters in the 1940 had and how they functioned? Anything like the picture at the top of this series or is it really an aftermarket add on?

By the way - to inject a bit more into the "circular" arguments about the tires... guess what? I bought radials!!! oh no!!!

Turbopackman is right on the mark! Purchased the car in St Louis and am working out some bugs - steering, carburetor, tires that were too big, missing trunk lock, etc. Fred at Max Merritt has been very helpful. Hope to get it in top shape soon!

Thanks very much to all for your prompt response, shared experience and advice.

We had the car on the lift last week to check the steering linkages, shims, suspension and steering wheel play vs the front wheel movement. We made the adjustment at the top of the box. The fluid in the box was low and dirty so we took care of that as well but after all that the steering still had a lot of play. I will go over all your suggestions to make sure we have not missed anything and will keep on plugging!!

Thanks also for the observations on the unit that is heating up under the dash. It may well be an add-on switch of some sort but I can't find anyway to turn it off and it burns if you touch it when the car is running. I see the wires coming into the back of the little unit but no switching mechanism so I will have to continue my detective work!!

Thanks to all. Any more thoughts are very welcome!

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My "new" 1940 Packard 160 (model 1377) has a lot of steering play - about six inches. I think it's too much and have started looking for a rebuilt steering box. Does anybody have any experience (including diagrams, etc,) installing a rebuilt unit and how much play is still acceptable. Right now it feels like I have to anticipate the turns in the road rather than drive properly!

Also, I have a metal light bulb unit below the dash and to the right of the steering column that gets very hot to the touch. Based on my reading of the manuals it seems that it might be the econo-drive indicator but I thought this indicator goes on at about 22 miles per hour and does not stay lit when the car is at rest. This light goes on when I start the car and stays lit. The entire unit holding it, which is made of metal, gets very hot. I am very concerned as to why this unit gets so hot. Is something wrong here? There is a knob between the steering column and the light which looks like it may be the econo-drive control. I am attaching a picture of that light assembly. (not sure if I am attaching properly)

Thanks for any help!

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