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On eBay right now.

ebay.com/itm/197035211298?mkcid=16&mkevt ... &var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY


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Thanks, I've got a watcher on it!

You're welcome. Just keeping an eye out and trying to do my part on helping a fellow Packard owner.

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Thanks, I appreciate it!

Also still on the lookout for a 115 clock. 120 clock is a different.

I found the outer dial portion in New Zealand if I need to try to make something do. But would prefer and actual 115 clock.

I think the steering box is actually ok. It was the top column bearing making all the noise. With the top bearing removed, the shaft was rubbing on the column shroud.

So I replaced the column bearing with this swivel joint:




Most of the types of column bearing I've seen are really just bushings mounted in a rubber shell.

The above bearing allows for column misalignment, but is really not meant to spin. So it's acting more like a bushing. I just needed to sand down the column in area to remove any rust and scoring, and slighty ream the inside of bearinf to make sure they was enough clearance between the 3/4" shaft and 3/4" I.D. bearing, as you want the shaft to spin, without the need to spin the bearing.

Now it turns smoothly without any noise or grinding feeling.




If i found a swivel bearing that also was designed for inner race to free spin, then that would probably be the best solution, but I couldn't with anything that would exactly work. The original style bearing is NLA.

Kevin,

In the industry, a Spherical Bearing (as they are termed) allows for local rotational motion (or in this case shaft misalignment/wobble) and slow small cyclic rotation about the shaft/bearing axis.
I have used them on highly-loaded military aircraft struts, satellite precision mirror/optics supports, etc...sadly, as a fellow nerd, I have specific expertise with these.

So, your choice for this application is very suitable and correct. Actually, in 1937, you would have been welcomed into the over-engineered Packard staff if spherical bearings were manufactured at the time.

Reaming out the ID is fine to accept the steering shaft, as you propose.

Clean, clean, clean the heck out of it after machining, which generates abrasive particulates, then rinse with Isopropyl alcohol and temperature-dry it prior to the following dry-lube activity.

Typically, the spherical surfaces on both the inner race (convex surface) and outer race (concave surface) SHOULD be first dry-lubricated. The following dry lubricant (brushes on, dries on) is best like:

a) Dichronite

or,

b)Molybdenum Disulfide (Moly Disulfide)

I often take the bearing, bleed/coat the spherical surfaces with the dry lube mix...you can expose the spherical surfaces if you rotate the inner race 90 degrees into the hole. Let it air dry fully coated, then oven bake it around 175 F for an hour.

Then, since your slow steering wheel shaft rotation will turn the sphere-upon-sphere surfaces through a couple rotations each time you turn, apply (after the bearing is coated with dry lube) a SMALL couple dabs of anti-seize (thick so it doesn't flow when your interior/steering column gets hot in the sunshine) like: eBay

It should rotate like butter before you do the final installation. You can go a little heavier on the anti-seize as long as it is very thixotropic (peanut butter like) since a little hot flow of the lube will be down the steering column tube out of the vehicle and shouldn't drip/drain into the interior.

Let me know your thoughts.

Dan M.

Dan, that is good info. Thanks!