Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hello All,
New to this site, but have had my Packard for about a year, and am really just starting to get some work done on it. My biggest problem is that the car was disassembled when I purchased it and I am now up against the wall on a major decision. The vehicle is a 55 Constellation and has the 352 ci V8, but is missing the starter and generator. I purchased a starter a while back and just discovered that it is from a 56, and not a 55. I also need to replace the wiring harness and have decided on one of the EZ 21 circuit harnesses. My plans are to build a driver, not a show car, and to ultimately add AC (I live just outside of New Orleans), and maybe some other power options, so originality is not paramount.
What I'm asking is: Should I just pursue acquiring a stock starter and generator, or should I consider changing over from 12V positive ground to 12V negative ground? What impact on things like torsion level controls and motors, gauges, etc., would be encountered when changing from positive to negative ground?
TIA,
John

For adding accessories, especially air conditioning, you will be much better off with 12V negative ground.

Well, you have thrown it out there that you aren't concerned about originality. You might as well go wieh a GM alternator, especially if you are adding AC. What's wrong with the wiring harness? '55-'56 Packards have a plastic insulation wiring harness and I've yet to see one on a functional car (not a junkyard car or left outdoors for 40 years to rot) that had a bad wiring harness. The torsion level compensator box will have to be gutted and fitted with new relays so that the box sends out a hot (+)12V when leveling is called for. I've done it, did one last year for a '55 Carribbean owner who didn't want to put the car back to pos. ground.
You are pretty much going to have to use a stock starter, I don't know of any replacements in the Summit catalog. The '56 starter is negative ground, so it sounds like you had a happy accident with that. It should bolt right up and work fine--I'm not aware of any big mechanical differences between '55 and '56.

pos. or neg. ground does not effect the starter.
What is an "EZ 21" wiring harness???? Never heard of that.

EZ21 is a street rod thing
generic wiring for generic rods

buy some wire and use the old loom as a pattern for the new loom. The only issue is terminals for places like the headlite sw., lighter stoplite sw. etc. I don't know where to get those terminals.

The covering is just electrical tape but i wouldn't use tape. Use some shrink tube.

Pushbutton -

I'm confused. I've heard of a number of '55 owners converting to negative ground and not having to do anything to the starter or torsion level system.

While I've not done such a conversion myself, I believe one only needed to replace the voltage regulator and repolarize the generator, but should also replace the coil with a universal or negative ground 12-volt unit (for best performance).

Meanwhile, the '56 T-L compensator control was promoted by the factory as the replacement unit for the '55 cars, but you needed to purchase and install an adapter pigtail. Perhaps that pigtail accomodated any polarity issues, but I haven't had time to investigate that. Can you elaborate further on the need to alter that control when changing to negative ground?

Many years ago, I wrapped some simple harnesses with electrical tape, but they were a lot stiffer than the old harness I was duplicating (and not because of any difference in the wires themselves). Eventually, I learned that there was a special wrapping tape that does not use adhesive (like electrical tape), but has special cohesive properties. It is very easy to use and gives you a harness that's reasonably flexible.

The Eastwood Company offers just such a tape:

eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1368&itemType=PRODUCT

... but I suspect similar product could be had for less if you wanna shop around.

Mind you this wrapping tape is for harnesses that had a vinyl covering. Harnesses in vehicles from earlier years used a fabric covering; some even had a fabric loom that was woven around the harness.

Now, if you were gonna rewire a car without regard to authenticity, you might want to look into some of that split, convoluted, plastic loom, where you just stuff the wires in as you go. There are all sorts of clips and connectors that can be used with that stuff, but you can just tie the loom closed with a couple laps of electrical tape, every so often, if you need to.

I prefer authenticity, but there's something out there to suit just about anyone who's willing to do the work.

Aside from repolarizing generator and changing coil & ammeter connections, nothing else should be required in an original car. A lot of cars accidentally had their batteries reversed with no ill effects on anything. The only thing I would think might warrant caution is if something like compensator switch or radio components have been modified or replaced with some of the modern solid state conversions some clubs are offering.

Another mentioned terminals for DIY harness. Several of the wiring harness makers sell individual pieces, wire, terminals, sockets, etc. Just have to search their catalog to find it.

(you have thrown it out there that you aren't concerned about originality)
It's not so much that I'm not concerned with originality as it is that a lot of the parts for this car are missing and since I want to build a "driver", I'm more interested in the creature comforts.

(What's wrong with the wiring harness? '55-'56 Packards have a plastic insulation wiring harness and I've yet to see one on a functional car (not a junkyard car or left outdoors for 40 years to rot) that had a bad wiring harness.)
My harness has hardened and a number of the circuits show high resistance when measured with a VOM. This would lead to reduced power to the circuit and would ultimately cause long term problems.

(The torsion level compensator box will have to be gutted and fitted with new relays so that the box sends out a hot (+)12V when leveling is called for)
I spent a few minutes looking over the wiring diagram for the torsion system and it appears that the conversion should be pretty straightforward. Unless I'm wrong, the relays should not care if it is positive or negative ground since they only rely on a completed circuit to activate the coils, so they could just be wired in the opposite direction. Same with the limit switches. My concern would be the compensator motor since I'm not sure what happens to make it run in a reverse direction. If it just applies a reverse polarity to the same windings, then reversing the wiring on the motor should take care of that as well.


(You are pretty much going to have to use a stock starter, I don't know of any replacements in the Summit catalog. The '56 starter is negative ground, so it sounds like you had a happy accident with that.)
Agreed. It is big and heavy though!! ;^)

If you are able to clear up the issue regarding the TL motor reversing, I would be very appreciative.

Thanks,
John