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I haven’t found a spec for offset so I’m not sure.
If they are, it can make a difference in wear and handling.

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From actual measurements:

Offset for 6" wide rims from 1948 to 1955 is 9/16"

Offset for 5.5" wide rims from 1948 to 1953 is 13/16"

For the generator, next time this happens check the arm and field voltages to ground. If no arm voltage, then there is an open circuit in the armature (e.g. brushes). If there is some arm but no field, then the "voltage" contacts in the regulator are suspect. For the latter, revving the engine will boost the arm voltage with no real effect on the field unless the situation should coincidentally magically cure itself.

I'm not sure why you would have a problem with the brushes sticking. If you want, remove them and apply a thin coat of 00 grease to the sides, staying a bit from the end. It shouldn't really migrate unless you overdo it. 🤔

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More brake light switch information.

The Volkswagen switch has a different purpose for the normally closed switch. It was designed to identify a brake failure in one of the hydraulic circuits and light a dashboard light. Tests of the NAPA Volkswagen brake light switch show the normally closed circuit opens at 7.75 psi and closes at 7.5 psi. While this works for identifying a failure, it has an issue matching the function of the Packard switch. A drum brake system typically has a residual pressure of 10 psi. This would require the residual pressure valve to leak the pressure back into the master for the Volkswagen switch to turn on the levelizer. Hopefully, if the residual pressure valve leaks pressure, it would take a long time. The Packard switch (Wagner) turns the levelizer off at 70 psi and on at 67.5 psi . The brake lights turn on at 85 psi and off at 82.5 psi .