Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Some of you may have read that I promised to help a 55 Clipper owner with T/L problems. I stopped down there today and believe it or not as soon as I threw the manual switch on, the car started to raise. It went so far and then would not engage again. I disconnected the turnbuckle rod so I could move it manually. I could hear the control box clicking but no action from the T/L motor. Being a 55 I grounded the "A" contact on the limit switch and the T/L motor hummed to life. I grounded the "B" contact and the T/L motor responded to that also. Some more testing convinced me that the control box was working but the internal contacts weren't making electrical contact. I removed the box and drilled out the rivets. Inside was an oxidation nightmare. I brought the box home with me and will clean it up on Monday. I think all the contacts are just oxidized. I did take some pics of the car and the license plate wall. The ID plate on the door post had no paint code or trim number - very curious. This is a good project car as it has a solid body and low mileage. I've attached the pics. The license plates go back to 1901.
In looking at the pic of the ID plate, it may be stamped for paint and trim. I couldn't see that by the light in the building and the trouble light created a glare. The last pic was taken without a flash.

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Randy is this the Clipper the fellow told us about at Buena Vista car show? It seems like Clipper are comming out early this fall did you see the yellow one on Ebay from Waynesburg it went for 4494. looked good in the pictures I was going to ride down and look at it but my brothers were all busy so we didn't make it. I see letters on the plate on the pictures you posted after I enlarge the view computers can help these old eyes we have.

Randy. That's a good looking Clipper. I noticed that the 55 hip in the rear doors of the 55's is more pointed than the rather square curved 56's. Is the same true for the Sr's????

ACOLDS, your memory is right on. The gent driving the Model T at Buenie called me and asked for help. I hate to see a Packard down for no good reason. Hopefully it will work fine next week.
He's a nice old gent, but he sure loves to talk. The license plates were his Dad's originally and then he started collecting them. He said he has at least one for every year from 1901. Those early ones are porcelain.

Keith, I think the seniors for 55 and 56 are the same but the Clippers are different because they don't have the courtesy light and seem more like 51-54 fenders.

Those are not all Pennsyltucky plates tho. I see a 1976 Mich plate on the wall.

yeah, there are a couple of foreign plates there. Sharp eyes, Keith!
After scrutinizing the vin plate a little closer I see the paint code is FD and the trim is 42. The D is upside down and the 2 is almost off the plate. This must have been done on a Monday morning by a previous Ford employee

I though he said he was selling the Clipper looks pretty good in the pictures I forget how much he wanted for it has it been on the road latley

I don't know how long ago he drove it on the road, but it wasn't too long aago. The body is pretty good and the chrome is good for a driver. It has PS, PB, Pseats, AT, T/L. It has the 352 with a Rochester 4GC carb. I can't remember what he wanted but I will find out.

Mr. PB,
Thanks for the reminders. The T/L box had a lot of white powder (moisture?) inside the box itself. The solenoids were clicking, but no results. I grounded the solenoids and the motor spun each way. I determined the box was at fault and removed it for more careful inspection at home. I cleaned up the contacts at all four locations but the nichrome wire on the lower part of the "U" shaped piece came loose. I wrapped some fine copper wire around it and then used some rear window defogger wire repair on it. It is mounted solid and conducting electricity so I guess it's OK. I tapped the casting for 10-32 screws and then sealed them up with Permatex rubber sealant. Now to reinstall it and verify all works OK.

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Wow--how very corrosive! sounds like you got to the problem and fixed it. Has anyone on the list had experience with the solid-state conversion boxes being offered? I think they are just using a 555 timer circuit to handle the time delay function, the mechanical relays would still work fine, as long as the contact points weren't totally burned to a crisp.

FYI--the Bosch (style)"ice cube" relays will fit inside the T/L compensator box case with some minor modification to the mounting ear and solder connections in place of the usual socket. I had to do this last year for a '55 that the owner had converted to neg. ground and didn't want to convert back.

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