1956 Packard Panther Project

Packard's Torsion-Level Suspension ...continued

Switch replacements

Stop Light Switch:
The Torsion-Level suspension uses a special 3-prong stop light switch. It's purpose is to deactive the Leveler Controller whenever the brake pedal is pressed. This prevents the car from leveling after being pitched forward by a hard stop. Assuming the T-L is working properly otherwise, you can tell if the brake light switch is defective if either the brake lights fail to illuminate when the brake pedal is pressed OR the leveler activates even if the brake pedal is depressed.

The 3-prong switch is expensive ($70+) to replace and cannot be purchased at your local auto parts store. However, the Northwest Region of Packards Intl sells a conversion kit to use the inexpensive and common 2-prong switch. It uses a simple relay to emulate 3-prong behavior. You can buy this kit from:

Gary Russell
11073 Lyon Road
Delta B.C V4E 1J4
phone: (604) 596-4604
price about $25 (ask)

I recommend that you mount the relay inside the passenger compartment, not next to the stop light switch in the engine compartment near the left side exhaust manifold. In my case, the relay behaved erratically when mounted there. You'll have to extend the wires to reach however. Also, you need to realize that the pronged switch is located near the front brake line T-connector on the frame rail adjacent to the #5 spark plug. You'll have to remove the battery, battery shelf and vent tube in order to gain access to the stop light switch.

This whole conversion (or fix) is moot if you have converted your T-L to fully manual control.

Compensator Switch:
The Torsion-Level compensator switch ("Level Control box") is located under the car near the compensator motor and gear box. This switch is what senses when the car is out-of-level after a 7-10 second delay and closes and opens electric circuits to the compensator motor to raise or lower the rear end. The original design is electro-mechanical. When this switch fails, it will be expensive to replace with an OEM one. However, your original switch can be converted to a fully solid-state one by :

Packards Intl Northwest Region
P.O.Box 205
Snoqualmie, WA 98065
price about $80 (ask)

The conversion on this is strictly R&R, but your T-L will be no-op while the compensator box is being converted.

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