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Silicone brake fluid will cause the older three prong brake light switches to fail quickly. They are pricey and I use dot-3 in my 56's.

DOT 4 is also mineral oil-based and compatible with a DOT 3 system, and gives higher boiling temp.

I have personally helped with maintaining Fred and Dan Kanters collection of cars. We have been using silicone brake fluid on their cars for years with no ill effects to any components of the systems whether it be the BTV, wheel cylinders or switches. It is an ideal fluid for classic cars that do not see daily use because it does not absorb moisture like that of DOT3

Thanks
James From
Kanter Auto Products

I use Dot 4 synthetic exclusively and never any problems although I'll be removing the original brake light switch from my 1956 Clipper and replacing it with a more modern but otherwise identical Echlin version.

Kanter's experiences aside, there is a very large amount of evidence that DOT 5 silicone brake fluid dramatically shortens the service life of the OEM 3-prong brake light switch used on 55/56 TL cars.

Interesting feedback. Looks like about 50/50 each way on silicone fluid. Maybe best bet is fit a remote reservoir to the TDV master cylinder for DOT3 so I can watch the level and top it up without employing a team of monkeys.

I'm still unsure about the compensator valve spring replacement. I'd prefer to fit while I'm at it, but don't know where to get one. Any suggestions?

Meanwhile, I have the flexible fresh air/heater ducting off which greatly improves access to the Treadle Vac master cylinder. A gentleman in Maryland has just sent me a package of what looks like original material to replace the plastic water pipe which was fitted to my fresh air inlet. Will also replace the grey material currently sitting in the heater duct. This was via eBay and judging from his user name is the current or former owner of a 1955 Caribbean.

A few pics below to illustrate this. My Clipper is right hand drive, so stand on your head when you look at them!

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Brian,

The standing on your head part is so you can fill the master cylinder!

What, and wear a helmet too to prevent head injuries when falling into the engine
bay? B.

Another episode in the saga of the 1956 Clipper Deluxe.

The first photo in this blog shows the car when the paint was still respectable and it had wire wheels.That was 35 years ago!

I'm about to start on getting the paintwork tidied up. I tracked down the wire wheels when I purchased the car. They look like Packard items but are not what they seem. The Packard wires were available only on the senior cars, which I believe had 5 1/2" stud spacing. The junior cars had 5" stud spacing then, so these are custom built wheels with Ford centres (F100 - see pics).

Since I'm in self isolation for the coronavirus problem - and of an age when I'm not supposed to venture out - I had developed a severe case of cabin fever. Decided the cure was to put the wire wheels on the car.

Easier said than done. Wheeled out my trusty Chinese 2.5 ton floor jack, then began to wonder if it would support the weight of the car which is not inconsiderable. Not sure what 2.5 Chinese tons translates to on our scale.

Anyway, pressed on regardless. Used the magic Torsion Level adjustment switch to raise the rear of the car, then switched the battery off. Gingerly raised the front right hand side of the car, accompanied by ominous groans from the jack and suspension. Kept pumping the jack every few minutes to keep the wheel off the ground, then quickly put the wire wheel on. Noticed something in the process about the Treadle Vac unit. Having the wheel off makes very little difference to access to the Treadle Vac. It's sitting up amongst the chassis rails and quite a long way back from the front wheel. Oh, well. Looks like Plan B to disconnect the lines and get the unit out for its overhaul.

The solid wheels which came off the car are apparently also Ford rims (see pic), but the Packard wheel covers clip onto them nicely. Can't decide whether to keep these wheels or move them on. Sure as eggs I'll need one if I sell them, although the spare is also a wire wheel so I do have a backup.

Cheers Brian

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I'd try to compare the wheel offsets and center hole diameters between your wires, your pressed steel, and the original specs. If the off-sets are similar, the suspension geometry is not being messed up. If the hub centers are OK, the wheel is correctly supported on the hub and not on the lugs.

If all that's OK, then it's your preference. A demanding judge will ding you (fairly) for wires if they weren't available, but maybe that doesn't matter to you.