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Valve looks to be correct. My bad! I didn't catch the arrow on the other photo.

Thanks Howard!

So I got the relay apart. The one contact broke at the rivets that went to the solenoid and ignition. I took pictures with that broken piece in place and the under side of the relay.

Any idea on how to wire up a modern relay to this? Would it be a SPST?

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You need a 4 pin SPST 12v cube relay with 30 or 40 amp normally open contacts similar to the one shown. 12v relays are found at Amazon, all over ebay, and at most parts stores. The same conversion will work on 6v cars except the relay needs to have a 6v coil. 6v relays are available from Newark Electronics. If you cannot find a 4 pin, the 5 pin will work and while not likely due to the terminal location, I would still suggest covering the unused 87a terminal with heat shrink to prevent possibility of a short.

I have marked on the 56 wire diagram where the terminals of the new relay will connect in the circuit. To add the connect wires you will need to find where the rivets or wires come up thru the base to solder or otherwise connect the wires for the new relay. I don't have a good topside view of the bare bottom plate without the relay guts or phenolic insulator covering things to provide the exact locations.

16ga wire should be OK for the contact path at 30 and 87. If space is a problem and you want smaller for 85 and 86, that is only a low amp coil so 18ga is OK. I would try and use fully insulated .250 quick connect terminals to connect to the relay tabs or you can use the bare type but be sure to cover with tape or heat shrink. With a bit of neatness the relay should fit under the can without issue.

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Think I got those on amazon

They are 4 pole

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Good work and nice installation of A/C. I can’t recall your plans for a compressor but the stock one mounted where the oil filter is after the filter housing was relocated to the other side which is easy to do with the aid of the proper steel lines.

Drill or pull out the rivets and replace with little brass screws and nuts. Done. The OD relay I repaired on my '51 for the '99 Centennial is still AOK. Not so sure about the cube relay.

So I am looking at working on the generator and starter(s) for this car. The generator is the proper Delco unit for a 56 and was just going to get the rebuild kit from Kanter, unless anyone has another source to use?

but when it comes to the starters:

I have a 55 delco starter. being that 55 was positive ground and the 56 negative ground. Would the 55 delco starter work on this car? Would I have to do any different wiring to get it to work? Again I would probably get the rebuild kit from Kanter unless anyone has another source for parts?

The next I have is a 56 autolite starter. I believe both types of starters would bolt up and function fine. But is there any concerns with using an autolite on a packard since they were meant for the clippers? I believe some wires have to be rearranged from what I read on here.


Either way I would like to have 2 starters rebuilt and working so I have one functioning spare for two cars.

thanks

Polarity is an issue with generators and one from a different car or polarity will need to be re-polarized before it will charge properly. That is easily done so not an issue but if there is a regulator associated with a particular generator, some of those are polarity specified although no one has come up with definitive info as to why the regulators are different. A polarity specified regulator may not charge a battery properly or may have a shorter life if polarity is reversed.

Polarity is not an issue on our type starters and in general, other 2 wire (power and ground) field coil type motors such as a heater or AC blower. Because of the way the field coils and armature is connected internally, the magnetic pole relationship will always be in the correct orientation to have the motor rotate the same direction. Windows, power seat and the TL are 3 wire motors with the case ground being the third wire. One wire and ground is used for a particular direction so also not polarity sensitive since internally the motor remains the same and if polarity changes, so does the magnetic orientation.

NOT SO on motors that have a permanent magnet field such as a mini or hi torque type starter. Those are polarity sensitive as is any other small permanent magnet motor used in most modern window or seat mechanisms. Some replacement blower motors also have a PM field.

The Delco starters have a pinion shift so the solenoid mechanically brings the pinion into mesh and starts the motor turning after the pinion is engaged in the ring gear. In general those have a more positive engagement and are a bit less likely to kick back on a false start. Not sure if they are stronger than the Autolites but either should be satisfactory as a spare. On the Autolite starter solenoid for 55-6, make sure it is the 4 terminal type with the extra isolated power out terminal so the ballast resistor can be connected properly for the hotter starting spark. The typical 3 terminal type solenoid does not allow that function.

So I went back to my folks this weekend to get some work done on the patrician and ran into some issues. Biggest being the pulleys on the balancer.

so the balancer that was on the engine only had the pulley for the power steering. I had a separate balancer that had all 3 pulleys on it, so I figured I would just swap the balancers...

so i removed the crank shaft nut and noticed that the power steering pulley just came off the one that was on the car. However the 2 additional pulleys on the other balancer was not capable of being removed. No matter how much banging, pullers I used it did not want to separate. The last puller I used ended up braking one of the pulleys.

am I doing something wrong? Do I have the wrong part? according to the service manual the additional pulleys should be able to be separated, but these do not.

pictures to follow

Pictures

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