Hi, Josh.
I used to have a Federal Pacific in my house, and I'll admit, never had a moment's trouble with it. I starting reading some of the comments these guys wrote, then began having trouble sleeping at night, worrying about the possibility of a fire. I tossed the Federal Pacific a few months ago and installed a new Square D in its place. Cost not withstanding, it's nice to have something that you can depend on to function when it has to.
You and your friend would be well advised to upgrade to a better panel. In addition to losing the Federal Pacific, I would strongly advise staying away from Zinsco. In my years in the fire service, I have been to several calls related to Zinsco failures.
Glad to have you here!
Mike (mamills)
