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Hi Howard, sorry so late but better late then never. Here's another picture for your hood latch collection.
Wes

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Larry, i made the tags for some of the 1940 weather conditioner and all the 41-42.Packard script. Howard has a set of my tags too.

see below $150 a set. I have them mount under glass in display case too if you want.

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Howard, I just saw the seat pic posted a while ago . . . . upholsterer has done a great job and it looks very nice. I think the colour scheme works very well - unusual and quite regal.

You've got me interested in casting with zinc, something I have never tried so now I'm thinking I might give it a go sometime. I had an ancestor long ago (1850's) that tried his hand at casting coin of the realm. The newspaper article I have tells of how he narrowly avoided jail!

Thanks for the comment on the color scheme. I'm starting to get used to it. One of these days the upholsterer will get caught up and be ready to finish the car. He said maybe by the end of August but I think he has missed his estimate.

On the zinc, it has its moments. My setup is extremely crude and am doing everything you are not supposed to do with stuff not designed for working with that material. A lead melting pot which isn't rated for zinc and a toaster oven that needs to be a couple of hundred degrees warmer to properly burn out the wax.

As crude as the setup, am actually surprised the pieces turned out but It was a sort of I ran out of easy options so I have to try and do it on the cheap thing. The knobs are small enough and didn't have many issues but the vent is too big to decently do with what I have. If you are thinking of something that big be prepared to buy proper equipment.

Been a few weeks since any update. That is because I haven't really done much other than finish the AC vent. As mentioned in another thread, haven't seen or held an original vent so don't expect mine to be quite per factory. If photos count, if you compare them side to side then it is passible and more than adequate for my needs.

Did finally move the car from the patio and into the garage. Had planned to install the headliner next week but those plans are now on hold.

I had ordered a headliner from Kanter. The first one received was not for a Custom as it had bows side to side. Received another and when I did a quick check, those bows were front to back so assumed all was OK. Silly me. I neglected to count the bows and measure the spacing when I looked at it.

Anyway, took it out of the box yesterday to get ready for install and after detailed exam, wouldn't you know it is wrong too. Can't be sure since I don't have one to look at but think it is for a 22nd series Custom instead of a 21st. It has 9 pockets for bows with one running down the center. Parts mentions a center wire on 22nd Customs. 21st only has 8 bows and a wide space thru the center.

Not sure what the next plan will be. It has been over a year since ordering this one so will need to figure a way to make it work or get another. It may be possible to rearrange the bows and fabricate a 9th. While it wouldn't be correct, neither is adding the AC vents in the front. Not wanting to cut holes in expensive material is the main reason for going with Kanters repro cotton headliner instead of having Hirsch make one out of proper wool. Since the AC vents will probably stay as decoration even if they don't provide much air, if the bows can't be rearranged the wool may be the best option.

Been a few months since the last update in this thread. Haven't been very motivated to actually do real work so not much to report on the car itself. As reported last time, about the most exciting physical thing that has happened was moving it from outside into the garage. Haven't done any more with the headliner. Been mostly playing with ancillary stuff which by virtue of some of the work should be in the modification forum but here goes anyway.

As mentioned, finished my version of the prewar AC vent and custom dash knobs so that part is out of the way. Looks decent but vent was done from photos and made to fit my modern interpretation of the original AC unit. That it does nicely but as it turns out my vent is about 1/2 inch higher and narrower than the factory version. Been corresponding with another poster who is looking for original style vents to go with his repro units so will try and modify my pattern to more replicate the original size. If successful and the fellow he found to do lost wax castings can use the wax patterns I can make then he might make some more vents.

Was going to have my steering wheel recast but just happens a deluxe K wheel in excellent condition at not much more than the recasting would have cost came up for sale. Bought that but do have a question as to how Packard finished the center. Since this hub has obviously been repainted and there seems to be photos showing different treatments, I posted a question in the general forum as to the color the metal center hubs might have been -- all in dark brown to match the dash bracket, in a color chosen by the operator, in a color specific to a model, or in a color to more closely match the plastic rim. Any comments or knowledge on the wheel would be appreciated.

And now for the mods. Since some late changes were made to the AC controls, needed to revise the AC units electrical supply -- again. Am fairly sure unless something serious was overlooked it will be for the last time. Originally it was a module and small battery to provide extra to run just the 12v clutch. Finally decided to go 12v for all because of a lack of 6v solenoids to control the vacuum actuators used for the vent and thermostat. Being able to use the more powerful 12v blower motor was also a consideration because the long run to my added front vents need the best airflow possible.

Others have used stand alone 12v batteries or a second alternator plus battery with their modern AC installs. Didn't want to have a separate 12v battery which needed special periodic charging or a second alternator so decided to use two 6 volt batteries in parallel to enable them to be charged by the generator when AC was off. When AC is turned on the module switches the batteries to a series configuration and provide 12v to run the AC. Haven't had it on the road yet but have had the engine running with AC on and off and all seems to work as planned. Will be some time before the car is on the road for a real test but if anyone wants to build the circuit and try it in real life be my guest.

Module was designed around the stock 6v positive ground electrical and in my particular car, a master battery disconnect. There is a constant current drain equivalent to a trunk light thru the reverse polarity protection relay if the module is used in a car without the disconnect so that needs to be taken into consideration. A different relay having an extra contact will prevent that drain but was not used in this version. The circuit should work any modern unit that DOES NOT use servos or an electronic speed or temp control setup. Those units are polarity specific and won't work with positive ground cars. Depending on the basic no frills modern unit chosen there may need to be a minor wire change at the motor or if the compressor clutch has a diode across the coil, that will need to reverse. Otherwise, almost all the hang on units should work.

For anyone curious or following along, here are photos of the final AC unit, repro vent and knob work plus the module in various operational stages along with the schematic. For grins, will also show the schematic of the custom made AC unit and in dash mounted controls.

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Beautiful craftsmanship.

When the ENGINE is OFF (not running) then AC becomes a moot point..i.e. the AC is not running either.

SO why not just just mount one of those small 12v hot rod type alternators to the engine (NO 12v battery).

When engine is running then the AC clutch and motor operate solely from the alternator.

Some of the hot rod 12v alternators are extremely small and would be ez to mount.

If u have room to install 2wo 6v batteries then even adding a small 12v motorcycle battery should be real ez.

But i'm still thinking that the AC should run just fine from only the alternator (no battery).

However, that mite be putting alot of strain on the alternator. with no battery to act as a buffer unless some kind of regulation is possible for the alternator.

What surprises me is that none of the resto suppliers has not developed or offered somekind of "two-in-one" alternator or generator thaat would put out 6 v from one end and maaybe just 20 amps wworth of 12v from the other end of the alternator for circumstances like this.

Keith, Another alternator would work and on some later engines easy enough. IMO, that approach is lacking and problematic for this car. It would need a battery load because suddenly connecting and completely disconnecting a stand alone energized alternator could lead to some interesting experiences. There are a few cars owned by forum posters which have that alternator/battery arrangement but you still need to provide a space for both.

The big problem with the 356 engines is there is no easy way to drive a compressor let alone another alternator with stock components. The fan belt is 1" wide so finding pulleys and usable length belts is almost impossible. Other than the stock length repro belts Ulrich has made available, a longer but still short enough belt would be hard to find. I want the car itself to stay 6v and look as stock as possible so using a single large belt and trying to wrap that over another pulley for an alternator could be an adventure. Pulleys would have to be custom made so that would be another issue with a small alternator. There is one company that will make a custom pulley if you buy their standard alternator to replace the generator. That conversion hasn't been ruled out -- particularly if the pulley would work on a Powergen but it would still be 6v. Like you, I don't know of any dual voltage alternators.

The AC portion is just as interesting. Packard chose to drive the prewar compressors with an extra groove off the fan pulley. That pulley was repro'd some years back and fortunately I bought one when they were available. Not sure they can be found today. Even that belt is almost 7/8 wide but I was lucky in that a standard D size V belt in the smallest length available worked. There is a single groove truck compressor clutch pulley which also works and is what I am using. Trying to mount an alternator off that setup would again be interesting.

In the end I chose to do it all with the extra batteries hidden in a small box in the trunk next to the unit. The box kind of looks like it could have been for something that belonged. Even with the engine off this arrangement will provide some equalizing charge from the main battery to the small ones if the disconnect switch is left on. Wouldn't want to leave it that way more than a day or so because the approx 80mA constant drain could eventually run the battery down. I haven't tested to see how far it would drop before the minimal hold current thru the relay falls to a point the relay would open and cut part of the drain. Even then without a disconnect it will still take an extra relay contact to totally stop the drain.

By all means continue on with your current design. Looking forward to the results.

I'm not familiar enuf with the '47 engine compartment configuration.

But up for consideration would be to drive an alternator FACE TO FACE from the FRONT of OEM generator or face to face from the front of the AC compressor.

That would require that the alternator be able to produce a charge operating in reverse rotation. Need to double chek me on this but i'm pretty surea generator will produce in EITHER direction of rotation. I'm thinking an alternator would produce also in reverse rotation but i'm not sure.

So NO belt pulley groove size would be an issue. Just make somekind of a bracket that straps or bolts to OEM generator and supports the ALternator out in front of the generaator FACE TO FACE> Maybe take a cheap 12 point socket (theeey're soft easy to cut) and use that as a coupler between the gen and the alt.

Of course this assumes that there is enuf room between front of gen and radiator or anyother obstructions in front of the gen that would prohibit use of the alternattor to fit.

OR, maybe run the alternator likewise mounted to the AC compressor.