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Hi All,

I bought this 1956 Packard Patrician from Bring A Trailer.

bringatrailer.com/listing/1956-packard-patrician-3/

Unfortunately, "Bring A Trailer" is really "Find A Sucker"- and I am that sucker. The seller did not divulge all the issues with this car, but more my fault for not being more thorough.

*The car drives really rough
*Car needs a jump after 3 days of sitting
*Gas Gauge doesn't work
*Rear door locks don't lock
*Rear Windows will get stuck once rolled down
*The emblem was glued on but in the California sun, it has already melted and spread.


The first thing I am doing this week is fixing the duct for the air as the cabin fills with carbon monoxide when driving.

Second, I am replacing all the fluids, filters, spark plugs, and battery. Standard maintenance and also hoping that fixes the rough running intermittent starting and possibly some electrical issues from inadequate power.

Third, I am adding seatbelts for my kids.

Wish me luck.

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Good Luck!

Thanks for sharing. I am also getting a 56 Patrician ready for the road. My thread is also in this project section. I have a lot farther to go than you but looks like you got a good place to start!

Gas gauge.
Sending g unit in tank.

Windows. Most likely. Switch's.

Door locks?.

Get a wiring diagram. This site will have it.

yeah, this site is an incredible resource. I appreciate all the diagrams and manuals linked here and I will need to get very acquainted with them as electrical is not a specialty.

Quote:

Nice to meet you Todd. Coincidentally many of us saw that post on bring a trailer. Whenever you get around to it, could to tell us what the "Speaker" dial does to the left side of the radio? As far as we know it was not a factory option and was probably added from parts from an early 50's Packard by a previous owner.

*The car drives really rough
- Runs rough or drives rough? Or both? If it just runs rough then hopefully a carb or fuel pump rebuild will fix it.

*Car needs a jump after 3 days of sitting
- Hopefully a new battery will fix this. You can always check with an ammeter the current flow with the key OFF, it should be zero or very close (a few mA).

*Gas Gauge doesn't work
- I would guess the float in the tank has gone bad. There was just a thread on here about dropping the tank and fixing that.

*Rear door locks don't lock
- They may just need lubed up. You can take a look by unscrewing the Phillips screws holding the interior window bezel in place, then use a trim removal tool to remove the door handle, then carefully prying the door panel off the door. If the mechanism looks in bad shape, it may be best to take it out of the door and regrease. Clearer instructions on this are in the service manual available in the Literature Archive on the left.

*Rear Windows will get stuck once rolled down
- Same with the locks, it's possible just that the mechanism is rusty and needs gone over. I have the same problem in one door in my car. The good news is that locks and window regulators are widely available from parts dealers so if something breaks you're not screwed.
EDIT: I forgot that you have power windows. Like others have said, you can test the motor, bypassing the switch.

*The emblem was glued on but in the California sun, it has already melted and spread.
- Maybe remove the old adhesive with Goo-Gone and reglue with a cyanoacrylate glue, or some JB-Weld automotive glue.

I agree with the comment that it looks like you have a very good starting point so don't get too discouraged -- yet. The interior looks decent and most of the stainless trim looks to be in the trunk. As long as the paint isn't covering a layer of bondo over rust the items you mention are all fairly minor details and will hopefully take more of the elbow grease than $$.

On your listed issues, depending on what you mean by rough driving could be a couple of things. If you mean the engine is rough running that could just be from sitting and a few miles or a tuneup and carb work will bring it around. If you mean it feels like the suspension is not there then if it has bias tires, it could be a long sit and low tire pressure has put a flat spot on the tires. My cars rarely leave the garage and believe me, I am very familiar with that issue. Depending on how bad they are sometimes driving will round them out again but other times it will take a set of new tires.

Needing a jump could be a need for a new battery. Depending on if battery is the proper size and how new and how well it was was taken care of while the car awaited a sale, I would almost say start there. A trunk or glove box light that stays on are other places to look. Brake switches are also known to fail and can keep a low current drain going to the brake lights but not enough current going out to light them.

Riki already mentioned the gas sender and those are well known failure items. Unfortunately, unless a previous owner cut an access hole in the trunk floor the tank needs to drop to R&R the sender.

What happens when you try to raise the rear windows? If they grunt or you hear noise but no motion then most likely a mechanical binding issue but if you hear nothing or have absolutely no response from the motor then switch or wiring. Do the windows fail when trying both the rear door and drivers door switches or is it just one? Do the windows lower properly from both switches?

Emblem probably was pried off without removing the clip or nut holding it to the hood thus breaking a stud on the emblem. That one will most likely require a new piece.

Rear door lock issue depends on if you mean pushing the buttons on the rear doors down does not lock the door or if it means pushing one of the push buttons under the dash edge does nothing to activate the optional rear door electrical locking feature. More info needed. If you mean electrical and it has the option, if fronts work, it could be as simple as a wire falling off the door actuator -- but I notice the lock relay is missing or has been moved from the normal location so a question if it was so equipped.

Interesting that the rear seat speaker switch was moved to the side of the radio where the AC control would have been placed if it had that option and the antenna switch was moved to where the speaker control would have been. Is that the switch for the electric wiper motor that was placed where the antenna switch would normally go and wonder why not place it in the original wiper switch location.

Do the brakes and new pedal location work and feel well with the modern booster setup? It looks to be the original pedal but seems higher or farther out than normal so I would be curious what exactly was done with the pedal mounting to work the new booster in the raised location.

G'day ToddPackard,

to PackardInfo!

I'll be following along as you work bringing your Packard back to its former glory.

And.....I invite you to include your '56 Patrician in the Packard Vehicle Registry.

Can you take some more pictures of the brake pedal setup from under the dash? I'm curious as to how it is mounted as I am looking to do something similar to my 56.

That's a nice car to start from. Lots of things to like about it...the pink repaint looks nicely done, the chrome and stainless trim is not too rough, and the interior is really not bad at all.

The white leather/vinyl on the interior will clean up a bit with some ZEP All-Around Oxy Cleaner. It won't fix any cracks, but it will help to get the dirt and stains off. The worn black vinyl on the door panels can be fixed relatively easily by an upholstery place. The cloth on the seats looks great.

The headliner has been replaced with an incorrect cloth one. I believe it should be a white vinyl. SMS Auto Fabrics can make one up for you easily and they aren't that expensive. They can be installed DIY with some patience and guidance, or pay an upholstery shop to do it for you. Replacing it is up to you. What you have is serviceable. Put the stainless trim back on the inside and it will dress it up nicely.

All the things you asked in your original post have been covered by others. Don't get discouraged. You have a great car to start from. It's 100 times better than what I started with.

-Kevin

I don't see the relays for door locks.

Were they moved. For that brake unit.

Can't see why if they were.