Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Got my car back with air up and running, electric fan installed (pusher), 6 blade Packard fan installed, GM alternator up and running.

Yes, you can use the glove box.

The installation in the cabin is great, left plenty of room.

Biggest problems:

Brackets for a/c, idler and alternator.

Hose fittings from Vintage Air were a source of recurring confusion.

All within budget.

Will post snaps and details in a week or so (we are going on a long tour)....

It's been a long time coming but glad things are on the downhill road now. Looking forward to the pictures. Good luck on the trip if you are taking the Packard.

What pusher fan did you use? I'm still looking for one.

Bernardi

Turns out the car is still under the Hungarian curse. Right now it is in the shop waiting for the spare fuel pump to be replaced.

The air is also not working, probably because something called a binary switch was apparently defective.

I'm really not thrilled by the company that supplied the unit. We have had a number of issues caused by their lack of knowledge of their own product. Repeated shipments of hose fittings that don't fit, then knobs that don't fit. Now I'm getting (in pious tones) the ludicrous statement that it couldn't be their binary switch, because their switch NEVER breaks. Sure.

Will add more when and if this ever gets sorted out.

P.S.

the tour was great, covered about 300 miles. Parked the car in front of the garage; when I went to put it away it wouldn't start. Could have been worse!

Maybe you just got a bad one but will be interesting if it is the switch. I don't believe they fail that often. The binary switch is a protection for the system and mostly the compressor. It opens the clutch circuit to stop the compressor if the refrigerant pressure is too high or if refrigerant charge is lost, too low. Hope the mechanic has also rechecked the system for any refrigerant leaks.

Hi Pat,
I'm sorry to hear of all the trouble you're having with what should have been a relatively easy project. Packards are "different", but not THAT "different".

I've been following this post with great interest as I plan to do much the same with my '55 - and using the Vintage Air package. I'm having second thoughts after your "A/C from Hell" experience.

Car is now running like a Rolex....

Turns out points were charcoal.....

And some of the faltering is probably attributable to fuel pump issues.

Have the new switch; will try to get it over to the mechanic early next week. Don't like to let this stuff sit around.

As to installing air...apparently most issues were not rocket science. The mark III (or IV or whatever....) fits nicely under the dash. Special attention was given to the fit because we wanted to use the glove box if possible: all that required was longer hanger strips... Mounting is offset to the right a couple of inches to give the driver full legroom, but the passenger does no suffer. I'm 6'4" and wanted to be sure I had full room.....

As noted elsewhere, I would buy the bracket set from the man who made his original setup for a Packard Golden Hawk. The custom brackets were an annoyance that caused way too much head scratching.

I also added an alternator which caused way too much confusion. Again, the brackets for the Hawk include a new alternator setup.

I used the biggest condenser (the radiator like unit) that would fit. (In the vintage air catalogue, it was next to largest unit.)

The fan and the a/c are powered through relays to avoid stressing the Packard electrical system....

The mechanic was left on his own to get the best fan and doesn't remember what it was...but was the right size for the condenser. Two motors. Switched on maually onder the dash with a hidden toggle. Sounds like a small banshee when working.

Still working on pictures; wife dropped camera.....