Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hi:

My 1956 Four Hundred has the white plastic lights that go just aft of the doors. These light up when a door is opened, but in my case, they also light up when the car's lights are turned on. I find it a little annoying to have these lights lighted up at nights. Is this how it is supposed to be or should they open only with the doors to iluminate the floor while getting in or out?

Thanks,
Victor

That is how they're supposed to be. I thought about putting a green bulb in the passenger's side and a red bulb on the driver's side on my '56 Patrician. I figured that people with a nautical slant would get the joke, lol!

Packard actually promoted the running lights as a safety feature in some brochures. Here's one from the folder entitled "A Woman's Place" promoting all the safety and comfort features a woman driver would appreciate. Another folder mentions if you were in the middle of an intersection, your car would be easily seen at night--as if 2 tons of mass with a shiny strip down the middle would be invisible.

If it bothers you, the small running light bulbs can be removed.

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Thanks a lot for the information! Now that I know it is supposed to be like that, I will of course leave it as intended. I just think the 3 candle power mentioned in the brochure versus the 15 when opening the door, are not working that way. Perhaps my light bulbs? I guess I will have to look into that.

Thanks again for the help,
victor

They have always struck me as another Packard "first". 20 years later Ford & GM would put simular lights on the "B" and/or "C" panels and call them "Coach Lights". I didn't know they were dual output bulbs.

Jim L. in OR

2 separate bulbs. Small running lights in parallel with tail lights and operate same time and large bulb operated by the door switch.

Ah, so that's it. That's better than the dual bulb I was thinking about. I've found with my '75 Lincoln Mark IV that some of the older specialty bulbs (like the cornering light bulbs) are getting hard to find.
Thanks for putting me straight.

Jim L. in OR

Victor,

Let the annoyance fade and just let it happen by allowing the Packard mystique to overwhelm you! Our 55-56 Packards are some of the most beautiful cars in the world; so let's cherish them and keep them for the generations that follow us.

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Kevin:

Agreed, they are beautiful cars, and being from another era, they have their own gimmicks and particularities that can make them so attractive in a sense.

I am not really fond of the side light, but of course I will learn to live with it. I have to say I was more concerned with the plastic lense, perhaps burning because of the extended exposure to the light. I will check on the bulbs, perhaps the one that turns on with the lights is larger that it should be. Right now it just seems to bright.

I just partly solved my suspension problems (more on that later on another topic) and I am just starting to use and enjoy the car. I look forward to many years of doing it. But the learning process continues. I will be bothering you guys with a few more questions.

Thanks for all the input,
Victor

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I think that '56 Caribbean hood should have been on all the '56 models, not just the Caribbean. They just look so much nicer.