Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

Can't help on the side change but from what I see in parts book the switch was available for all models. I know Packard did switch sides from time to time. Not sure if that switch is for the convenience of the driver turning and reaching behind or a typical rear seat passenger sitting on the right side. If you don't have one, easy enough to add or if you like, add one on both sides. The cutaway body drawing in facts book appears to have the cutout in the pillar on both sides. The switch is in parallel with the door switches and just grounds the lead. Splice a short length onto the wire going to door switch and add the pillar switch.

On the rubber parts, don't think you will find any like them so try & save yours. I did mine by carefully removing the wires from the rubber. I think originally the rubber might have been molded onto the cable jacket. There was a hog ring like affair on the inside of bucket as a strain relief to clamp the cable and wires into the rubber. I removed that ring and cut the old wires off fairly short on both sides. Was then able to pull the wires out of the rubber one at a time leaving a mostly empty hole. Once the wires were out I GENTLY heated the rubber with a heat gun until it was softer and was able to squeeze it enough so it pulled out. Removed the rest of the old jacket from the hole and then used new jacketed cable and silicone spray to help the cable back thru the hole in rubber.

Getting it back into headlight was almost the same except the new cable was in the rubber so used less heat and some silicone spray to help it squeeze back in. Once in, reinstalled the ring around the cable.

Thanks Howard,

Good idea on heating up the rubber for the headlights. I didn't think of that. Hopefully they are not too hard. Since I am using modern wires, they are thinner and should go in easier.

The pillars on both sides do have the switch cutouts in the backer boards. I have two switches and a wire running to the passenger side anyway so I might as well have two switches. Still a strange thing to decide to change sides and have the text not match the wire diagram.

Anyone know about the door pillar switches? Do regular 200's have them in the rear or only the "higher" models?

8-31-14

Started making the rear wire harness. The "body feed" wires were not labeled with a color so I chose white for the body feed and green for the grounds to the switches. That's what the colors kind of looked like in the car. I started at the rear reading light and worked toward the dash. I also ran the taillight wires at the same time.

Hardest part was getting the wires down the drivers pillar. I cut the wires near the entry hole and bound the new wire to it. Then one at a time I pulled the wires from behind the dash and helped the new wires from the top. Worked really well.

Temps in the car cut my work day short. I still have to run the wire for the gas gauge.

My car has the rear dome light switch on the driver's side pillar. Nothing on the other side. I have door switches presumably for the rear dome light on all 4 doors, but my wires were mouse food so not much to trace. When I rewire they will all work the dome light like a modern car in any case.

I think that had I tried to hook power up to the car and see what worked when I first got it there would have been a bonfire, with all the chewed and rotted wires and mouse nests and dust. Glad I skipped that step, your cars seem to have been a bit better off to start at least.

Seems like sometime in ''51 they must have moved the switch. I think you have a deluxe too so I am still wondering if the regular 200s have rear door switches. If I'm following the wire diagram correct, the front doors only turn on the courtesy lights under the dash. The rear door switches only turn on the rear dome light. It's like they are two independent systems.

Quote:

They are two different and separate systems. The rear has the manual pillar switch and the front has the notch on the headlight switch for it's manual operation. Since the 200 was a very stripped model it is possible it did not have rear door switches that worked when door opened -- just the pillar switch. There were some option packages available for 51s and while courtesy lights are not called out in those kits, perhaps one covered the doors.

9-1-14

I removed the passenger side headlight bucket in preparation to rewrite it. Didn't find the time to do it yet. I did manage to run the rest of the rear wires into the trunk. Ran out of green wire for the switches so will finish that another time. Took the reading light switches apart (original plus the one from the '51) cleaned all the contacts and added a tiny bit of grease so they slide much nicer now. I'll put one on each pillar.

9-18-14

Still have not rewired the headlights yet. I tried to start the car yesterday and no go. Today I reset the points to .016 with a feeler gauge and tried to start the car. No go. Sprayed carb cleaner in the carb. No go. Put my spark tester (Thanks Tim Cole for recommending this purchase in several threads). No spark! Tried the jumper wire from the battery to the distributor trick. Still no spark. Even though the engine seemed to turn over fine, I put it on the charger in case the battery was too weak. We will see what happens tomorrow. I know the wiring that I have replaced in the car couldn't have caused any issues with the ignition. No where near any of those wires.

With the jumper wire from bat there was most likely adequate voltage for some kind of spark. If the charge doesn't help then I would concentrate on the dist side.. If the key had been on for a long period and points closed, make sure the points didn't oxidize. Also verify there is no short in the dist from a bad condenser or if you have one, the flex wire connecting the points to the outside terminal. You can measure voltage at the coil terminal going to dist. When points are open you should have the 6v at that point and with points closed or a short, 0v.

All good thoughts Howard. Charged battery did not help. Rubbed a file on the points and reset them. No start. The coil was new on the '51 so even if it's a few years old, it was not used much. The "flex" wire in the distributor looks like a modern plastic costed wire and is in good condition. I don't get why it was starting so great only to have this happen all of a sudden.