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Isn't there a quadrant light as well as a pointer light?

I don't remember one and as Kev says, it doesn't show on the schematic. All I remember is the one lamp just below the pointer where it attaches and lights that up brightly with some overspill to light the quadrant.

If there is a second lamp, that might explain the extra wire but does seem a bit of overkill on Packards part.

Back in the garage today after being out of town for that majority of the weekend.

I finished up the under hood wiring. The starter solenoid wiring, temp and oil senders wiring, and also the brake switch wiring. With everything under the hood buttoned up, it was on to the rear of the car.

I first laid out the harness and did some preliminary taping to get the get the basic layout in place. Then went back and fully tape wrapped the harness.

I first had to make a splice in the harness off of the parking light feed for the license plate lights. Then it was on to getting the taillights in order. So I pulled out the two best taillight housings I had, and cleaned them up. I also media blasted the all the mounting hardware and the bulb sockets.

Then it was off to the store to buy bulbs. All the bulbs in my car are either broken or burned out. They were all 6v bulbs, and the last person that had my car had a 12v battery in it. So I ended up buying just about every bulb I need to redo the car. Just could find a match for the dome light one. I think there were a total of 10 under dash lights that were needed. Between all the gauge lights, indicators, and courtesy lights.

The first trick was figuring out what the 12v equivalents of the 6v ones were. After the fact, and after standing in the store comparing bulbs for awhile, it occurred to me I should have just checked a 55 Clipper bulb specs. Live and learn.

With bulbs in hand I finished putting together the tail light assemblies with the reproduction lenses. Then I mounted the assemblies on the car. First time the car has had taillights in 5 years, and nice looking ones in probably at least 20 years.

Just have to do a few small things to wrap up the trunk area, and then its time to finish the interior wiring, and the all the dash wiring.

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Piece by piece, screw by screw. Sometimes it seems excessively slow, but you are progressing. Good work!

Didn't get any real work done on the car last night. It was a required work bench/garage clean up session. Eventually I get to the point where I can't stand the mess and the clutter that happens from working on things, and just have to take the time to press the reset button. So all the tools go back in the tools chests, all the parts get bagged up and labeled. The trash get taken out, and the bench gets wiped down. Floors get swept, etc.

Tonight I am going to get the wheel skirts, inner fender panel, and truck lock back on the car. Many because I tired of them sitting around. Every part on the car is one less I am tripping over. I also need to get the front bumper back on the car, but it still needs a bit of TLC first.

First I have to run to the store and find a couple of 3/8 x 24tpi bolts for the skirts. My car didn't have the wheel skirts with it when I bought it, and I found a set of decent skirts at swap meet a few years back. I had them media blasted along with the fenders, and also primed them in epoxy. But I never had the original mounting hardware that went with them. So looking at where they attach at the rear, it looks like it takes a 3/8 x 24tpi bolt. I am assuming this is just a common bolt and washer arrangement? Did Packard include a wrench or something to remove these when changing a tire?

You can use ordinary hardware store stuff, but the OEM hardware was a bit out of the ordinary and is available as a repro item from one of the PAC regions. If I can easily find the ad, I'll scan and post. IIRC the hex size was so you could use a spark plug wrench, or was it the lug wrench?

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I don't know if it is the same for '54, but the '51 owner's manual just says to use the "wrench included in the tool kit". It doesn't say lug wrench or anything like that, but maybe it is the same wrench? It would make sense...

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The wrench in your image from the 1951 owner's manual is a spark plug wrench which came in the jack kit at least thru 1954. It is pictured in Shaub's and Reedy's book on Packard jacks and tools, picture used with permission of the authors. Note the 1949-54 jack box did not have the fold-over flap which covers the jack base.

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Thanks for the info guys. Appreciate it!

Just to round out the picture, he's the 1955-56 jack kit also showing the spark plug wrench. Again, image courtesy of Reedy & Shaub. According to them, tool kits with a variety of wrenches, screw drivers, pliers, hammer and the like were standard equipment on Packards thru 1947, and became a dealer option thereafter, but the spark plug wrench continued to be supplied with the jack.

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