Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Took Amelia out for a spin this evening, dash lights are extraordinarily dim. The switch on the dash to turn them on/off does nothing, it does light up when turning it though. Is this a rheostat? Are the dash lights intended to dim?

Reading light is also fairly dim; the 6v sealed beam headlamps also leave a lot to be desired...

Dust on the bulbs may make them dimmer. Low voltage can be an issue. The system voltage should be around 6.7 to 7.5 volts with the engine running just over idle speed. Loose or corroded connections, including ground connections, can cause dim lighting. As far as I know, the 115 and 120 cars did not have a dash light dimmer rheostat, and the stock bulbs are very dim, or at least mine are. I think there is a slightly brighter bulb that will fit with no modifications. As for the headlights, they need clean contacts, full voltage, and good grounds to work at their best. My dash lights are on a sliding switch under the edge of the dash to the right of the starter button. The heater control knob is a rotary switch/rheostat, also under the dash, left of the starter button. The heater fan control lights up when the heater fan is turned on, and gets dimmer as the knob is turned to slow the fan down. Perhaps your dash lights are connected to the heater control. (?) On my car, the dash lights are always off unless one of the headlight modes is on. The toggle switch turns the dash lights on when moved to the left. They are off in the middle position, and in the right hand position, the map light is on. A battery that is in poor condition can contribute to low system voltage as can poor connections or a voltage regulator that is out of adjustment.
My'37 120 has a 3 brush generator and a voltage regulator. I turned the generator charge rate up a little, and tweaked the voltage regulator, which raised the system voltage slightly and gave a little better lighting.

The all-glass 7" sealed beam headlights are better than the early sealed beam units that have a metal shell and glass lens. The all glass type were common from around 1950 thru about 1960 in 6 or 12 volt and up to around 1970 on pickup trucks. If you have the more modern style sealed beam lights that appear too dim, they may not be getting enough power to operate as they should. They also need to be aimed correctly to give good lighting. The original late 1930s Packard headlights can be satisfactory if they are in good condition. Getting good bulbs can be a challenge, and most of these lights have more or less tarnished reflectors. Higher than original candlepower bulbs can sometimes be found, but they draw a lot of current. There is a sealed LED bulb "projector" bulb assembly available that gives very good results with low power drain. It does not depend on the original reflector to give good results.

The lamps are clean, but I have not checked voltage. Stupid me forgot about the lighted heater fan switch--we nearly never use the heater. Headlamps are modern 6v sealed beam. 90% of the wiring i original. Tail lights are conventional 6v lamps (dual filament) that I converted to stop/tail light/turn signal, and re-wired a few years back. I'm considering ordering some LED lamps for the dash and the headlamps. The dash lights made a world of difference in my '67 F250, old Falcons and my '69 Galaxie.

Original wiring in good condition will support higher CP headlights than stock , but the headlight circuit breaker in the headlight switch may not. I've had some issues with more powerful headlights tripping the headlight breaker on both a 1960s Ford pickup and my '37 120. I believe the OE Packard light bulbs were something like 24/32 CP. I got some that are 30/50 CP. They are brighter, but they will trip the breaker when on high beam under some conditions. The best solution is the projector type LED units made to fit the original headlights with no mods. They offer excellent lighting with low current draw and they do not need for the original reflectors to be in good condition. I put a pair of the higher CP bulbs in a Model T, and it made a significant improvement in the lighting, but raised the current draw substantially. The T has no fuse or breaker, but with the headlights on, the ammeter is pulled down to near-zero with the generator charge rate turned up to the practical maximum. The Packard generator is challenged when both the heater and the 50 CP lights are on. It is adequate, but barely.