Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

10/15/09-10/29/09

The 12 volt battery (now replaced with a 6 volt battery) burned out all the bulbs in the Packard's instrument panel. Wanted to replace all the bulbs so that I could have a better reading as to engine performance, particularly the oil and battery idiot lights. The 1953 Packard Operator's Manual, available here at Packard Info, on page 35, has a light bulb chart, listing the types of bulbs needed for the instrument panel, and is very helpful.

The 1951-1954 Packard Service Manual, also available here at Packard Info, in Section XIII on Instruments on page 1, tells how to remove the Instrument Cluster. The Service Manual tells how, step by step, and I will accompany the steps with my commentary:

1. Disconnect battery cable.

2. Disconnect speedometer cable at rear of speedometer.

At this point I am lying down in the front floorboards of the car, my feet on the passenger side floorboard, my rear end over the transmission hump, and my head and chest on the driver's side floorboard, the most comfortable of the uncomfortable positions necessary for my 54 year old body to do the task in the 56 year old car. (My temporary masonite floorboards kept me from falling through the rusted through portions of the floorboards.) I am accompanied by a trouble light I have managed to hang on a protrusion from the firewall to enable my eyes to see up into the spaghetti guts of the dashboard. The speedometer cable is fastened to the speedometer cable by a circular metal fastener having horizontal ridges on its sides. In my case I was able to unfasten it with my hands (possibly because it had been unfastened by the previous owner who was trying, unsuccessfully, to figure out why the speedometer did not work, but that is another task for another day). If you are unable to unfasten the speedometer cable with your hands, you should be able to do so with gentle use of a set of pliers.

3. Remove two screws from the front of the cluster at the top that attach it to the instrument panel.

The two screws were in my case Phillips head requiring use of a Phillips screwdriver.

4. From underneath the instrument panel, remove the two nuts from the studs attaching the bottom of the instrument cluster to the instrument panel.

A real pain. Look through the spaghetti of wires at the bottom of instrument cluster until you can see two threaded studs coming through from the bottom of the instrument cluster, fastened by two square, four sided nuts (at least in my case). The one on the passenger side I was able to get off with an open end wrench. The one on the driver's side I could not do with an open end wrench. No room for a normal socket wrench with an extension due to all the spaghetti of wires. A socket mounted on a screwdriver type driver was thin enough to get through the wires but not long enough, as the lower edge of the dashboard got in the way. Finally got to it with a socket mounted on a screwdriver type driver with an extension.

5. From the rear of the instrument cluster, push outward on the top half of the cluster until access is gained to the instrument wiring.

At this point you could disconnect all the wiring IF you want to take the instrument cluster totally out. However, since you can get the instrument cluster out far enough to replace the bulbs without taking the instrument cluster totally out, I left the wires in place. However, this way there is a danger that the two studs at the bottom of the instrument cluster may scratch the paint on the dashboard, as they did in my case. Perhaps more careful handling on my part or covering the studs with something might have prevented them from scratching.

Also, there was some scraping of the electrical wires insulation against the sides of the dashboard, which may be unavoidable, requiring a bit of application of electrical tape.

The light bulbs have a metal backing and snap in and can be pulled out with a bit of force if you are careful, with a plier if necessary. Obviously, you want to pull on the metal backing and not the wire itself. To replace all the bulbs you will need eight (8) number 55 six volt bulbs and one (1) number 51 six volt bulb. The number 51 six volt bulb goes in as the high beam headlight indicator at the upper center of the instrument cluster.

Reinstallation of the instrument cluster calls for the reverse of steps 1-5.

Parts required:

Eight (8) number 55 six volt bulbs (Lawrenceville NAPA's LMP 55)
One (1) number 51 six volt bulb (Lawrenceville NAPA's LMP 51)
Electrical tape.
Perhaps aspirin or some other pain reliever for your bodily contortions.

11/4/09 to 11/22/09

While still working on replacing all bulbs in the instrument cluster, the gas tank started leaking again, around the seam in the middle of the tank. This was the second leak for the gas tank since first having the gas tank cleaned and repaired on 2/29/2008 by Sims Radiator Service in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The original job had a 90 day warranty. Since the gas tank was not installed within the 90 day warranty period, and started leaking shortly after installed, Sims Radiator Service made an exception in my case and re-treated the gas tank without additional charge, which I appreciated. The re-treated gas tank lasted more than 90 days, so I really don't have a beef with Sims Radiator Service. Sims has done good work for me on radiators on my daily drivers and on this Packard. Sims has done good work on gas tanks for others in Peachstate Packards on their Packards. I really do not know why my gas tank was such a problem.

I do know that I do not like installing and reinstalling gas tanks on my Packard on a regular basis and wanted more than a 90 day warranty. So I ordered a gas tank from Max Merritt, which has a limited lifetime warranty, limited to the buyer's lifetime during his ownership of the vehicle. Max Merritt gets its gas tanks from Gas Tank Renu-USA, which has a headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, with numerous dealers in the U.S.A. and Canada.

The Gas Tank Renu-USA gas tank has a black rubber-like coating. Only two small problems with installation of the new gas tank. Had to ream out the 1/8 in. gas line opening, perhaps because some of the coating had gotten into the opening. Also had to remove some drips of the rubberized material on the gas tank fill tube, as the drips made installation of the rubber hose part of the fill tube difficult.

The old gas tank taken off had a 1/4 in. gas line opening, so to use the existing gas line with the new gas tank with the 1/8 in. gas line opening, had to buy a 1/8 in. to 1/4 in. brass adapter. (Otherwise, I would have had to cut off the 1/4 in. fitting on the gas line and reinstall a 1/8 in. fitting on the gas line.)

So far performance of the new gas tank has been good.

Parts required:

Gas Tank Renu-USA gas tank--Max Merritt
1/8 in. to 1/4 in. brass adapter--Hill's Ace Hardware, Loganville, GA.
NAPA Permatex High Performance Automotive Grade Thread Sealant

Here is a picture of the gas tank also showing the brass adapter:

Attach file:

---

  (49.58 KB)

Max lists these as restored tanks but you're saying the gas outlet is not as original. Does the tank look to be a repro or different than the one you took out other than the coating. If "restored" why would the original size outlet be different?

I think the fuel line on my Clipper is 3/8" line. But I will have to double check that.

Most US cars had 5/16 gas lines. The only exception I know of was Chrysler built Hemi cars 1966-72 had 3/8. This was a hemi only feature, even the 440 models used the standard 5/16.

Yes I think 5/16 not 3/8. You are correct.

Big Kev, Rusty, HH56,
I believe the gas tank I got from Max Merritt was original as it looked original. I had assumed that the gas tank on it originally was original but I do not know for sure. As for the gas tank on it originally, I suppose it is possible that the original threads were stripped on it and it was rethreaded to a larger size. I suppose that could also have been true for the Max Merritt tank. They do not claim that it is new, only reconditioned. All I know was that I inserted screws into the holes and used the sizes that appeared to fit. With cars this old, not everything is always as it was originally.
Ken

11/15/09-12/27/09

The gas gauge in the Packard was working but was underreporting the actual amount of gas in the gas tank. The temperature gauge on the Packard was not working at all. The 1951-1954 Service Manual (available on Packard Info) in Chapter 13 on Instruments, page 2, indicated that underreporting fuel could be due to the Instrument Voltage Regulator being defective.

The 1951-1954 Service Manual in Chapter 13 on Instruments pages 2 and 3 gives a way to test temperature gauges with a fuel tank sending unit and two leads with clip terminals on each end. When I took the old fuel tank off the Packard to replace it with the new fuel tank, I took the fuel tank sending unit (which I had fairly recently installed) out, used it, two wires and four clothes pins (not having 2 leads with clip terminals) and did the test described in the Service Manual. The result was that the temperature gauge did work, the wiring to the temperature gauge was good, but the Temperature Sending Unit was not good.

With this knowledge in hand, I ordered an Instrument Voltage Regulator and a Temperature Sending Unit from Max Merritt.

The Instrument Voltage Regulator is attached to the back of the instrument cluster. Since the instrument cluster remained loose from my replacing the bulbs (knowing I would probably go back in for the gauges), I removed the instrument cluster, unscrewed the old Instrument Voltage Regulator and screwed in the new Instrument Voltage Regulator.

The Temperature Sending Unit is screwed into the driver's side of the engine and has a wire attached to it. Obviously, you should detach the wire and then unscrew the old Temperature Sending Unit. Was surprised to find a 16 mm. metric wrench fit the old (and new) Temperature Sending Unit nearly perfectly. Did not know anything was metric about a Packard. Was also surprised when I got it unscrewed that I had a small coolant leak from the engine where the old Temperature Sending Unit had been. So it would help to have a small container underneath it to catch leaking antifreeze unless you are very fast to put in the new Temperature Sending Unit.

With both the new Instrument Voltage Regulator and the new Temperature Sending Unit installed, the temperature gauge appears to be working properly and the fuel gauge appears to be giving a truer reading of the fuel level in the gas tank.

Parts required:

Instrument Voltage Regulator-Max Merritt
Temperature Sending Unit--Max Merritt

Attached is a photo showing the new Temperature Sending Unit installed. It is the brass protrusion from the driver's side of the engine above the solenoid and the starter.

Attach file:

---

  (62.93 KB)

Here are the three dog dish hubcaps that came with my car. You've heard of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? This is the Bad, the Worse, and the Ugly. All three are seriously lacking in chrome plating. Few respectable hubcap thiefs would be caught dead with them, which may be why they were still on the car. The best one is down to its brass plating. The other two are down to steel that is rusting. All three were painted with silver paint.
Short term I am thinking about rust remover for the two rusty ones, apply Rustoleum rusty metal primer to the formerly rusty spots, and go to work with some more Rustoleum silver paint. (And black and red paint.)
Long term I am thinking about either rechroming them or replacing them with better condition dog dishes found on eBay or wherever I can find them cheap. If I stick with the dog dishes I will need to buy some wheel trim rings since this model came with them. Dog dishes are a sentimental favorite with me since my parent's car and my first car came with them but I understand they are harder to find in good condition and more expensive.
But I could buy some good used full sized hubcaps on eBay or whereever I can find some cheap. They were optional equipment on the car. I think they look better than the dog dishes. I think they are easier to find in good condition and a bit less expensive. I could always use the old ones as garage d?cor.
Any thoughts about this?
Ken

Attach file:

---

  (103.89 KB)

I say seek out the dog dishes/trim rings!