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

Among others, Kanters sells them.

Not what you want to hear, but rethink the driving/foglights. As longtime Packardite Bob Mehl, who grew up in and around Pittsburgh, PA wealth in the '40s recalled, he NEVER saw fog/driving lights on upper end cars in the day. Old street scene photographs from cities around the nation corroborate this.

My '47 Super has driving lights merely as it was a sellers' market and automakers tended to load cars with options after the war, another reason why 1946-47 seniors accounted for 25% of Company sales those years, having been a mere 7% 1941-42. I never use them and leave them in place merely so i won't have to change my front valance pan.

Stl Joe and others, your car(s) look cleaner, more
genuine sans the clutter. Less is more.

If you want brighter headlights, go halogen, etc. or install a bolt-in (no butchering required) six-volt, positive-ground 55-amp alternator like the kind Antique Auto Battery in Youngstown, OH has 1 (800) 426-7580. Tell
them a '47 Packard in Walnut Creek, CA sent you.

Leave all the bolt-on glop to the Cadillac and Chevy suburban concours d' nonelegance crowd, who think they need every option ever offered for their cars. You can't bolt on elegance.

Ever notice that the nicer the car, the less junk?
Look at expensive European and Brit cars from the '30s, '40s. Look how unadorned senior Packards on
big city showrooms in the '30s, early '40s were.

G'day Stl-Joe,
A warm to you, and your '41 120 Convertible Coupe, to PackardInfo. For some reason I like '41 120's!

And, I invite you to include your '41 in the Packard Owner's Registry here on PackardInfo!

Yes, there is a specific, correct driving lamp for the 41-42's which were actually quite good with sealed beams being in use by '41. The lights Kanter sells are a generic unity style with a Packard tag affixed, and of course there is wide range of what owners have attached to their cars in the years since...
What is unique to the 41/2 lamps is the support bracket, a long arch by comparison to what is often seen. The 41 accessories brochure has a pretty good illustration, picture them outboard of your grille guard. I'll try to dig through my photo archives for a picture or maybe there is one on the site or someone can find a correct picture quicker than me..

jrbuzz...pm sent.

In the old days the ultimate was a Packard phaeton with every possible light hung on the front. I even saw a newspaper clipping of one John Cavalero's car exclaiming there must be a lot of bad weather around to need all those lights.

If you live in an area where there is fog, the lights throw a beam lower on the road and are good for speeds up to around 25-30 mph.

If you live in an area with poor lighting, hills, and sharp bends the road lights are best aimed toward either side of the road to aid visibility around curves.

If you live in an area where there is heavy fog, the lights should be aimed sharply to either side of the road and are good for speeds under 15-20mph.

As an aside, I finally got all of the bugs worked out of my wiring of the 39 120. It has sealed beams that were added years ago. I put in all new wiring, double ought (00) cables on both the ground and hot side of the battery, cleaned up the grounds, and added and new headlight bulbs. I was amazed at how bright the lights are! They are as good if not better than my 05 Toyota.