Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

On my '52 I am reassembling the door panels, I noticed that the window cranks are different lengths. Front and back different I assume? Anyone know which doors get the longer crank handles and which use the short ones?

Interesting. I had never noticed that. How much length difference? Choosing the same color, there is a different window part number front to back. Lock handles are all the same though.

Hope someone has a definitive answer but if not I would sit in the car and see which handle position comes closest to another item when cranking. Try both doing a complete circle crank motion and see if the shorter length worked better in one particular door.

I think the shorter handles are for the back of 4dr cars to keep your hand further from the back of the front seat.

A quick look in the parts book body section under group 31.294 HANDLE-REGULATOR showed different part numbers by color, year and model as expected but I saw nothing to indicate that the front or rear would be different. I've never had one of your model but I've owned many other 1951 to 1954 Packards and recall them being the same but mine were nearly all seniors with the longer rear doors.

Looks like the flackmaster is right on, I checked the handles front and back and the shorter ones clear the front seat back much better. They are about 3/4" to 1" different.

I have one handle that has a big chrome knob on it instead of the black plastic like the rest, this is one of the nice condition chrome ones I got from one of Scott's cars because my originals are all pretty badly pitted. I didn't notice the different knob when I was pulling parts, I was just looking at the condition of the handles. So I drilled the end off the rivet on one of my old handles, the shaft is pretty hard steel. Tried drilling and tapping for a 4-40 screw but broke my tap. So on to plan B, the shaft is molded into the plastic knob and if I heat the shaft it should melt out, then I can glue a nut in there and use a screw to attach the knob to the handle. We'll see how that works.

Here is what a 47 knob looks like with the pin out of the plastic. I suspect the 52 knob is similar in construction but not as wide as the 47. I removed the pin by heating it directly at the rivet end with a narrow point mini torch flame. It got hot enough to conduct heat the length of the pin and sort of melt the plastic as I pulled the knob off. IIRC, because of the knurls it took several attempts of heat and pull before it was free.

One thing I would wonder is if the plastic in the 52 knob will allow a large enough hole to insert a nut. It would need to be fairly deep to secure the screw and knob well. What about a rivet nut, barrel nut or half a binding post. Some of those are fairly slender and have a kind of roughened groove on the surface. Those might be inserted deep enough and let the glue grab well to hold securely.

Attach file:

---

  (27.74 KB)

The '52 knobs are a little different, I'll get a picture tomorrow. But the construction looks similar. When I was drilling the shaft for the tap, it heated up enough that the plastic at the base was melting. So I clamped on with a vice grip for a heat sink, that worked but my tap method didn't. Probably could have gone up to a # 6 screw size, maybe plan C.

my '52 knobs look pretty close, I'm going to try a "shaftectomy" on one tonight

Attach file:

---

  (57.33 KB)

to close this saga out, I heated the shaft with a soldering iron and pulled it out. Turns out the remaining hole is just right for threading in a 10-32 screw, so I didn't need to insert a nut.

Attach file:

---

  (103.26 KB)

Maybe a little thread locker on it to prevent it from working back out?