G'day Don, I agree with you about Dick. He was a thorough gentleman and very knowledgeable about Packards, particularly the V8's. He looked after me and other Club members in Australia and all had the same opinion of him. A few years ago a Packard Club mate and I travelled to the US and we stayed a week with Dick and Nancy and had a great time. His sheds were full of Packards and parts and we did transact some parts business while we were there. I suppose all has been well and truly sold off by now - pity as he had a lot of good stuff which we could buy.

Now, I've been fiddling with my master switch and decided to try an experiment before going too much further. I took out the "L' shaped nylon push rods from each end of the switch and swapped them over. In other words, swapped the worn driver's window ones with a pair of good ones. I don't understand why but all windows now work, seemingly properly. I tried to take a photo of the push rods so others could see what I'm going on about, but I'm afraid my old shakey hands didn't do a very good job. I'll still keep a look out for another switch though for spare parts, but no hurry. Cheers, John

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Thanks Fellas, I know if the late Dick Benjamin, who I bought the car from, would have one but sadly he is no longer with us. I just pulled mine apart and it looks like the "L" shaped nylon pieces that go under the buttons and press on the electrical contacts are worn at the bottom, making them a little shorter than they originally were. I'm going to look for some extra strong wearing "glue" and try to build then back up, and file off any excess. I'm thinking this is worth a try before resuming the chase for a replacement switch. Thanks for all of the advice, you've been most helpful. Cheers, John

G'day Fellas, I spent a lot of hours yesterday swanning around the internet looking for a '55-'56 master switch but came up empty. I've bought from Mike Dulinski in the past and will contact him shortly, but thought I might check with Packard Info members once more before doing so. It seems most likely that I'm going to have to settle for a used switch and maybe make one good one out of two. I actually only need the button assembly as my bezel and mounting spring clips are in good shape. Cheers, John

Thanks Fellas, I'll stop mentioning 48-53 switches from now on and concentrate on 55-56 master switches, which are listed in the parts book as the same. I've been hoping to find something in good condition, new or near new, so that I won't have to worry about the switch failing for many moons to come. If someone has a good one I'll happily pay the necessary to buy it and get it shipped. I'll make my details available to whoever this may be and organise payment to suit. Cheers, John

Thanks for the good advice Leeedy, I'll do more searching and check with your suggestions. I'm in Australia so such things aren't as common over here, not that I've seen anyway, but I'll continue to look around. By the way, I saw a photo of both sides of the '48 - '53 electric switch in one ad and the contacts looked identical to mine, but I couldn't tell if the sizing was the same. Cheers, John

The electric window master switch in my '56 Patrician has given up the ghost. I've repaired it a few times but it only lasts for a few uses and then fails again, usually at inopportune time. I know how to bridge the contacts and get the window back up but that means stopping and removing the switch from the door. I've been looking around for a replacement and the only ones I've come up with are in the USA and for '48 - '53 GM and Packard vehicles, and they ain't cheap. Does anyone know if these switches will fit my car? I don't want to outlay a lot of dough for something that mightn't fit. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Cheers, John

In Australia the "P" stands for paper (paper element). I assume the same applies to US filters as well. Cheers, John

I had this problem on my '56 Patrician and was given a possible solution by a friend. Simply squirt a small dollop of silicon sealer at four points around the wheel rim, replace the hubcap and wipe off any seepage. Has worked well for me and the only issue is removal and replacement whenever the hubcap has to be removed and replaced. Cheers, John

My '56 Patrician is also a single tone Maltese Grey model and came from the factory that way. Cheers, John

I've had a look at the substance poured out of the vac tank but I can't determine for certain what it is. Unfortunately I'd put it in the motor oil drain pan and it had mixed somewhat with a little residual sump oil. I can say it is of a light consistency and brown in colour, which does suggest to me it could well have started out life as brake fluid. Apart from mixing with a very small amount of sump oil, it is possible that it also has mixed with surface rust inside the vac tank, assuming that rust does actually exist in there.

Based on Fred's guesswork, I'm now thinking that it probably is old brake fluid which has found its way into the tank when the old BTV gave up the ghost, and has lived comfortably in there for the last 6.5 years. It's been cleaned out now and the tank resoldered and refitted. Cheers, John