Good to finally see one of those RR units. Very solid construction, and I really like the bronze cam riding the micro switches. There just isn't that kind of space on the Packard to allow that.

My experience with the console contact fingers is "when they are good, they are good" (and the inverse). My numbers indicate that more are/were good than bad. My test panel has probably logged more shifts than any '56 Packard on the road today, and it's all original.
When I can take a breath, I want to look into a retrofit deal like the micro switch solution, I have a basic plan.
The button assembly itself, not including the contacts is a very high quality unit, and I have never seen one fail mechanically.

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I'm working on a similar mod to offer as a core exchange, with new wiring.

Start by cutting out the rusted metal and patch in new.


Disclaimer: body work is like Italian cooking--ask 5 Italian Nonna's how to make Sunday sauce, you get 5 completely different answers, and each one of them is absolutely right and the other 4 are wrong. Body and paint work is the same. Ask 5 different professional body men how to do a particular task and you are going to get 5 completely different answers. Which answer is right? They all are.

Well, I think that is going to be a difficult apples-to-apples comparison to make, since passenger cars (what Packard made) aren't 19 feet long and two-and-a-half-tons heavy anymore.

A guess a Chevy Suburban is the closest thing to any Packard, and for what a new Chevy Suburban costs you can buy a pretty nice Packard these days.

I don't know where to go on this one.

And the artillery wheels, the aftermarket vinyl roof of the late 20s-early 30s.

A throwback feature that men of a certain age just can't be without.

Come to think of it so is the current for the starting relay.

That circuit needs a whopping 250 ma (1/4 of 1 amp) to pull in the relay coils. I ship my units with a 7 amp fuse protecting the logic side of the system, per Packard's service bulletin recommendation. I think 3A would be plenty, but the 7 will blow before all the 18 gauge wires going up your steering column will melt. I have seen, and fixed that, a few times.

Those connectors are really good, they are GM Packard connectors, which are tops. I replace all of the ends with brand new ends, and always get a good, positive connection that way.

I had fields made for the PB motors, and I am getting ready to have a run of armatures rewound.

All of you out there in Packardland with '56 pushbutton equipped cars, you might want to take a look at the button-shaped "Klix-on" circuit breaker, I am starting to suspect that these are not "popping" at the rated 20 amps. I have seen a few motors come in with windings burned to a crisp. I intend to do some testing in the coming months, and devising a test rig. If you have any doubt about this on your car, I would replace it with a modern circuit breaker of the same rating from NAPA. They don't look the same, perhaps one could be placed in series with the wire off of the starter solenoid at the starter to the original circuit breaker, that would maintain the appearance of the original and give the proper electrical protection needed for these motors, which aren't plentiful.

Here's a good candidate, and at $6.56 each are in the budget.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7823042