Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Hi, I just bought a black Packard of my dream in excellent shape except for a few items that have to do with the electrical system. I took the car to my mechanic yesterday on my first ride and basically gave him Carte Blanche to bring it to new condition. I'm sure he'll figure out why the instrument panel, seats, windows etc. aren't working and if he has trouble I downloaded some of the manuals.

My question is really about the instrument lights. Over the years I've had recurring dreams of driving that same Packard through the nights with red instrument panel lights. It was all back in the mid 50s when I was a young man in the army. I have no clue about the lights in this new car as no lights work but wonder about the where and how of these lights. On FB I'm hearing conflicting stories about their color changing with speed or their color being various shades of green or purple. Also that these were regular lights with filters attached. Where do I find actual data on these lights?

I want to bring my Packard back to as new condition as possible. The radio will be an exception as I'll have it modified internally to also play FM and HD stations. I want to have the clock working and if the luminescence of the dials don't show any more, I wanted that fixed too. I just don't know where to get this done as my mechanic is not a Packard specialist but a good mechanic. I want to help him as much as possible through my own Packard connections like this group.

PS I already have a green Packard but it's just not the same as the shiny black one I had in my youth. Any help to het me back there would be appreciated.

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The instrument lights may still work well or could be completely shot if the luminescent paint on the needles and numerals has dried and fallen off or been subject to bright light over the years. As nice as your car looks we will hope it is one that has been well cared for and the paint is intact. The Packard 22nd and 23rd series "Flite-Glo" instruments used a luminescent paint and had a UV filter over the light bulbs to energize the paint. The result was the instruments had bright green glowing on the hands and numerals but the overall illumination in the cluster was a very dark and almost invisible purple. If the paint properties wore out or paint flaked off, the instruments become very splotchy or if worn out, almost useless at night. In those cases some owners removed the UV filters over the bulbs and the instrument cluster reverts to the more commonly seen incandescent yellowish illumination over the entire face.

Modern green glowing luminescent paint is available today but taking the instruments apart and repainting is a tedious process. A few have done it and those that did report their results said it worked but was a painstaking process they would rather not do again. As far as I know the only place you could find the UV lenses if those have been removed would be from a parts car.

Some of the prewar speedo needles changed colors at various speeds but I believe that was not carried over postwar. Radios thru the 21st series 47s had a color change on the dial with different tone settings but I don't believe that carried thru on the 22-23 series.

If you don't already have it there are owners manuals you can download that might answer some of the questions. There are two or three versions for the 22nd series on site that reflect some of the running changes during the series production.

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Thanks Howard. I guess my memory of the soft red glow was that of a purple background but it sure looks red in my brain. So you're saying that refinishing the glow may be more trouble than its worth but if I want to drive at night, what choice do I have? I guess I'll just have to see what the lights look like once they're functional.

While I'm at it. I have two push buttons on the upper left dash and have no clue what they are for. Obviously they were added later. My mechanic will have to trace the wiring behind them to see what their purpose was or is.

It's a beautiful car with chrome and paint as good as new.

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One of the pushbuttons might be for a second starter switch. In the day, some placed a hidden pushbutton under the dash wired in parallel with the regular accelerator switch to use if the engine flooded due to false starts and repeated pushes of the accelerator. There is a lot of open real estate near the ign switch and the chrome Ford type PB switches were popular at that time. One of those could be easily installed next to the ign sw. I have seen a few done that way instead of being mounted out of sight.

No clue what the second PB could be for but some have added electric fuel pumps -- usually on a toggle switch under the dash -- but who knows if the P.O. might have wanted it on a PB instead.

If you don't have a second starter switch or fuel pump then would be interested to know what they both do when you find out.

I'll report back on the buttons. I have a little red light toggle switch under the dash that presumably is for the electric fuel pump but I heard nothing when switching it off and on. On my green Packard I can hear the fuel pump turn on and off when switching it. My mechanic's first thought as to the buttons was that one might be a starter switch. We shall see.

G'day Fred,

Don't forget to include your "shiny black" 22nd Series Super Eight Convertible in the Packard Owner's Registry as company for your Metallic Spruce Green one already there.

I have to see if I can dig up some of the history first. I can't reach the previous owner at the moment. Somebody spent a lot of money on this car. The previous owner registered it in MD in 2012. I need to know where he got it.

Hi

Fine-looking black 22nd Series convertible with the addition of 23rd Series trim to the sides. Its likely that was done back in the day by a dealer to update the appearance to keep it current. Or the first owner had it done for the same reason.

One point to correct, the spear barb should be pointing down. Good luck with bringing your long-time dream Packard back to satisfying condition.

Steve