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Does anyone know the purpose behind the spring steel piece on the headlamp switch that makes it difficult to operate the switch? The original switch from the '48 had it and the switch panel that I have off of a 23rd series has it too. The 22nd series owner's manual doesn't mention any special procedure for using the switch other than pushing it in like all the other switches.

Thanks, Jeff

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This might answer the question. From Service counselor Vol22 #6

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Wow, that was quick!

I had a feeling that it might be a fix to prevent people from accidentally turning off the lights. It does make operation of the switch a bit clunky. I think I'll remove it, since for now I'll be installing a 23rd Series switch panel that has the illuminated switch labels, which brings up another question. Should there be a black light filter for the bulb that illuminates the switch labels? I would think so, because they are printed in the same luminescent paint as the gauges.

Jeff

Maybe one of the 22-23 guys has a ready answer but Bob Neal goes thru the various iterations of the switch labels in his 22-23rd series book. He mentions 3 versions.

First was just painted embossed labels on the buttons. That was followed a couple of months after introduction by the accessory light bar which mounted above the buttons. He mentions that light was so one could read the labels at night & was made available for retrofit to cars already in the field. The next version was a redesign of the center section so the names were above buttons and lit from behind. Labels were removed from the buttons.

He specifically says back light in bold type on the third illumination style and doesn't mention any black light or UV filter. Since the original buttons had no lighting, I would wonder if the paint was just ordinary paint thruout.

If the labels are luminescent paint, then some plastic UV filter material might work nicely -- if the paint is still capable of glowing. That not glowing part has been one of the questions and complaints on the 22-23 series. Many have mentioned they have little to no dash illumination and wondered about a fix. The paint no longer glows and the purple UV filter over the bulbs makes the illumination so dim instruments can't be seen.

On my old 23 series Super the labels were not glow in the dark, just back lit by internal reflection through the plastic strip. In other words, it was used a 55 bulb with no filter.

I haven't had a chance to see how well the instruments glow with the 6 volt lighting yet. They glow great when I aim my A/C dye UV light at them, but I'm certain that it's more powerful than the bulbs in the cluster. I need to re-do the speedometer pointer and the numbers on the speedo face, so I bought some glow-in-the-dark paint from United Nuclear. Maybe Packard had planned to have the UV light on the switch labels, but it didn't work well enough, so they just went with the direct lighting. I noticed that both the 22nd and 23rd series control panels have a tiny lens for an indicator lamp above the headlight switch, but no provision to actually illuminate the lens. The owner's manual mentions that the indicator lamp should come on with the lights, but I guess they never got around to making that feature work.

Jeff

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I believe the headlight on indicator was there and should work -- at least on the cars without the back lit labels. If it's present and the bulb and connection to the taillight terminal on switch is OK, perhaps it was moved or bent in such a way it can't shine thru. There was a small "jewel" which was issued for use on the highbeam, turnsignal and overdrive indicators to make them more visible. Perhaps that needs one as well.

EDIT: BDeB posted some detailed photos of the switch assy some time back. It's been awhile since I looked at one up close so 22-3 guys can correct me if I'm wrong. Borrowing a snipped from one of his photos, isn't the headlight on indicator lamp either mounted in the hole directly above the switch to the left of the arrow or possibly located inside this enclosure the arrow points to?

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Both my 22nd and 23rd series have the indicator light and it works. The hole for the light socket assembly is about an inch to the left of your blue arrow.

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Yes, the hole is for the indicator lamp socket. The black wire in the photo is the power feed to the light bar used to illuminate the pushbuttons in the second version of the switch panel.

It looks like I was mistaken. I do have that lamp housing to illuminate the indicator on the 22nd series panel. It's been a while since I took it apart, and forgot all about it. I probably have one for the 23rd also, though that panel was partially disassembled when I got it, so it could be missing. I do have the added-on illumination bar for the switches on the 22nd. Unfortunately, the chrome on that panel is quite pitted, so I'm going with the 23rd panel for now, which is in real nice shape. If a nice 22nd panel comes along some day, it can always be switched back.

Thanks guys for the reminder on how that goes back together. I needed the refresher.

Jeff