Packard Forum Index » Modification Discussion

My 56 is in need of another headlight switch because the rheostat dash light contacts have corroded and oxidized --- again. Believe the corrosion is a typical non-use problem even alluded to by one of our vendors. He currently has a new switch on his store & advises purchase to "Make your dash lights work again".

Yes, I know driving and regular use might solve the issue but since the switch is hidden and the car is a garage queen, decided not to disassemble the faulty switch to try and clean it or spend $100-200 on a new or exchange headlight switch. Did that the last time it happened so this would be the third or fourth switch & they are a diminishing resource.

Having said that, decided to do the unthinkable (again) and insult my car with a ---- gasp, wait for it, --- GM switch. By doing so, am convincing myself I'm saving another real switch for the purists and can buy and replace a GM switch every year or at least as needed and not feel the least bit guilty. There was a forum discussion on Packard switch failures 2-3 years back so I can't claim credit for the idea. Someone posted a picture of a GM switch as a possibility. Not recalling having ever seen any instructions on what was needed to make the swap, decided to figure it out for myself and document a method so others can use if they want an inexpensive switch. If there is another procedure on how to do it already out there, then here is a second more long winded one.

The entire actual work took maybe an hour start to finish, looks and fits like the original and rest assured, no Packards were harmed in this exercise. All is totally removable so things can be returned to a stock switch install in minutes.

Attach file:

---

  (15.64 KB)

Size: 501.30 KB; Hits: 114

I don't know for sure that a car setting idle causes the headlight rheostat to fail. My car basically sat from 1960 until I bought it in 1999. I did replace the switch a few years ago but a half century ain't bad. Bravo on the conversion, it indeed will save some of the remaining few new switches left.

Best Other sat in a very damp garage for three years while the previous owner served his country. It was so bad that the shaft that turned the worm gear in the PB unit was galled and could not be physically turned. I had to drive it out with a brass drift and polish it with a crocus cloth. I also had to remove the headlight switch, disassemble it, clean it up with a Dremel brass brush and remount it. It still works OK today although the circuit breaker will kick sometimes because of the Halogen headlights (too lazy to install the relays on this car). I did spend a good bit of time cleaning the headlight switch - car now has 98K plus on the odometer.
Howard, it is your car and the only one who will know you have a GM headlight switch is the driver. Good luck.

Randy, I tried contact cleaner on this switch after the picture. Still had a bad connection because the green corrosion has even gotten under the rivets between the head and contact surfaces so will be a total disassembly. Usually they just oxidize or get dirty on the surfaces and lose contact. Some cleaner and a few rapid rotations and all is well. Not so this time and not really sure why this one is so much worse than usual.

Anyway, switch was something simple to do instead of working on one of the half dozen other projects that have been sitting and waiting and might help someone in the future when real switches are $500 each.

Dear HH56:

Yeah isn't this a headache. In fact the rheostat on my modern car is trouble prone. The volume control on my 25 year old TV isn't doing so hot either.

These rheostats rely on wirewound heat generation which is never good except in a hair dryer. That heat burns up the plating and super cleans the metal which then rusts regardless of location. Except maybe outer space.

Why not just move the panel lights over to the the park light lead? I think the dome light circuit would be unaffected.

Panel lights in Packards never were very capable of dazzle.

HH56. Gotta year, model, Part number or source on the Chev switch???

Tim, I could have done that but went this way instead to keep the dim function. Mine are actually fairly bright but never drive car day or at night anyway so ----- moot point, I guess.


PV8, I used the complete street rod setup from KwikWirehttp://www.kwikwire.com/sw_headlightswitches.html reason explained in the pdf but the short version is everything needed was included. An identical aftermarket mfgd switch only is identified as an HLS6 & sold on Amazon for $10. Here is first page of 532 applications but by itself won't be enough to work.

Attach file:

---

  (60.01 KB)