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1948 Chrysler Windsor questions


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All,

First, thanks in advance for your help. I'm new here and have been learning a lot through the forums about my new car already.

On to my situation: I just bought a '48 Windsor Sedan, 6 cyl, that needs some work. It runs but not comfortable enough for me to take it anywhere yet. I don't have a ton of experience with cars but I'm a quick learner.

I replaced the battery, but I can't get a charge. I think the ammeter is working. It appears to be close to zero with the car off, when I turn the key, it goes slightly to the left/negative reading. After it starts, it does not move, even when I rev it up or drive it. I have a "Motor's Auto Repair Manual" from 1957 that discusses voltage regulators and generators from 1949-1957. I did the three tests it says to do to test the regulator if there is no charge: 1. verify ground of the regulator, result was still no charge; 2. connect the field terminal to a ground, result was still no charge; 3. connect the armature terminal to the battery terminal, result was still no charge. According to the book, this indicates a problem elsewhere in the charging system. I did each of these tests while revving the engine to ensure the generator should charge. I also connected the field terminal on the generator to the ground with no charge shown on the ammeter.

Q1: Could my ammeter be not working?

Q2: Is the book I have not giving me good information since the years don't match?

Q3: I learned I don't have the stock voltage regulator so I ordered what is supposed to be the NOS part, when I install it, will I have to make any adjustments?

Q4: Is there something else I need to do to test the regulator or generator?

Q5: After installing the new regulator, what is my next action? Remove and inspect the generator? Get a rebuild kit?

Q6: How do I know what the stock generator was?

Q6: I think I need a shop manual. Is there a good place to buy one or download one? Does anybody have an electronic file they'd like to share?

Q7: Any recommendations on where to get an owner's manual? I don't mind an electronic version or reprint.

Q8: Any other books/manuals I should hunt down?

Q9: I have no idea how to drive a fluid drive transmission. They guy I bought it from seemed like he didn't know much and he admitted that he barely drove it. How can I learn/how does it work/etc? I'm on the level where I'm not sure where to put the shifter, when to push the clutch, etc.

Again, thanks a lot, I have a lot to learn if I want to do a good job with the car. Its nice looking at it but I'd like to start driving it soon.

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I forgot to ask:

Q10: My generator doesn't seem to be grounded, I see no wire going anywhere and possible terminals towards the rear of the unit, is this normal?

Q11: There is a small condenser looking piece attached to the top of the generator with a wire going to the field terminal (I'm pretty sure, I'd have to check). What is this?

Q12: Is it easy to mess up trying to connect the various terminals to ground/other terminals on the voltage regulator. There seems to be paint on some of the connections so i tried to scrap a little of it off to ensure I was getting a good connection.

Q13: When the book is telling me to touch something to a "good ground," can't I just touch the positive terminal on the battery? It seems like that would be easiest to do.

Thanks again!

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If you think the ammeter is faulty you can double check with a hand held multimeter or voltmeter. It should be at zero when stopped, go slightly negative (1 or 2 amp) when you turn the key on, very negative when the starter is turning, then go up to 3 or 4 amps when it starts, and gradually go down to 1 or 2 amps when driving around.

They used the same system for many years. A 1949 - 1957 manual should be ok

A new regulator will be preset.

It sounds like you have done the normal tests. There is one more thing you might try, and that is to inspect the brushes and see that they are moving. The top of the brush should be even with the brush holder or higher. If the brush is worn down below the holder you should think about replacing it. Lift the brush up and down with a wire hook or pliers to be sure it is moving, or push it down gently. You could give the brushes and armature a shot of electronic contact cleaner or brake clean spray.

When you install a new regulator you should polarize the generator. Instructions in the manual. I think that is what grounding the field is for.

Specs of the generator should be in your manual, and on an oval plate on the generator.

Your generator may need to be rebuilt. There should be auto electric rebuilders in your town that can do the job. I know in my small town there is no problem getting starters and generators for old cars, tractors or trucks rebuilt and the quality is much better than chain store rebuilds.

Shop manuals and owner's manuals turn up on Ebay and at auto flea markets. I believe there is a web site called The Old Car Manual Project or similar, that sells manuals in CD or downloadable format.

The subject of how to drive, care for and service the Fluid Drive transmission has been covered many, many, many times. Try a search in the Chrysler section. There were some long threads in 2008 that went into the subject very thoroughly. If you have any questions come back and ask. It is one of the earliest automatics, and is a cross between a manual and automatic transmission. Very easy to use, but a few tricks you need to know. Basically it drives like an automatic except for the clutch pedal.

The generator grounds through its mountings and then to the battery through the ground strap that connects engine to battery.

The condenser is there to suppress static, sometimes called a radio suppression condenser.

The connections on the regulator are marked with letters or numbers, and the wires are color coded. After all these years the colors are probably faded or grease soaked. You can mark each one with a bit of masking tape and write on it the appropriate letter or number, or color code. If you suspect the wires are connected wrong you can trace them by eye or check with a multimeter.

Yes, the positive battery terminal is the perfect ground. If it is not convenient, any metal on the engine should do.

Hope this helps. Let me congratulate you on your question asking talent. Your questions are clear, succinct and to the point. You should see some of the rambling mixed up questions we get here.

Edited by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)
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Do a search on this AACA site for (mardigrasvet) PM him. He has a 48, same as yours. He instructed me how to drive the Fluid drive. A real nice gentleman and I'm sure he wouldn't mind passing along his knowledge on how to drive the car. Completely rewired his car from headlamp to taillights. Also replaced the regulator and had the gen rebuilt. It had a bad field coil. Also the starter solenoids are hard to find. They are unique to the fluid Drive electrical system.I worked on that car for 11 months. Shoot some pictures of your car also. Like Rusty said, lot of good people on this including himself.

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Thanks guys, this is great info for me.

I've done a ton of research looking for the original regulator and I think I finally found it. I had to go through about 5 different pubs before figuring it out. I'll post some of them when I get home since that's where I have it saved although I bet some of you probably have them already.

I also found the original generator number. Just talked to a guy named "Uncle Glenn" in Witchita who rebuilds generators. He said the difference between the Auto-lite GDZ-4801 A and GDZ-4801 R is the pulley size. I don't have any paper to confirm it but he sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

Shop manual and owner's manual are en route. Other manuals/books are being found, downloaded and printed.

I think I have enough information to rebuild the generator myself and I'd really like to but I don't have the tools or the time (or experience to not screw it up my first time) so I've decided to have it rebuilt/restored. I'm talking to a few people, if anybody has strong feelings about who I should go to or not go to, please share.

Pictures will come soon.

Finally, I'll follow the advice about contacting mardigrasvet about the fluid drive. I'm looking forward to driving this car soon...I still need to change fluids and get tires at a minimum. Costs are rising already but I expected that.

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I wouldn't rebuild the gen myself. It takes a lathe to turn the armature. The part that the brushes ride on. If not smooth, the brushes will bounce and or break. This guy here in Sonora has been doing this for 40+ years. He also has a dyno for testing under a load. Re-builders now days don't even know what that is. Marks gen would work until it got hot and then it would stop charging. One of the armature winding's was opening up. Had to get another armature Ask Mark, this guy has a good rap. Good luck on all the other projects for this car. I bought a new regulator from Oriellys for Marks car. I'll get the part number if need be. 80.00 something$

Edited by countrytravler (see edit history)
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Re: Fluid Drive. I just did a search for the old threads and can't find the relevant information myself. So will go over it all again for you.

I have a technique for driving a fluid drive that works very well and makes it practically the same as driving a modern automatic.

Start the engine with the transmission in neutral, the hand brake applied and your foot off the clutch pedal.

Let the engine warm up until it will idle at its slowest speed.

Depress the clutch pedal shift into gear and release the clutch, all with the handbrake still on.

Release the handbrake and drive away like any automatic. When you get up to 15 MPH lift off the gas and wait for the "click-clunk" and step on it again.

This is very easy, it is based on the owner's manual recommended technique.

You have to drive it more like an automatic, if you drive it like a standard you will hate it. It is not a standard, it is a primitive automatic with a few quirks of its own but with a little understanding your fluid drive or fluid torque drive will work great for you.

The gear shift is a modified 3 speed column shift. Modified by leaving out the low gear.

To shift into reverse, pull lever toward you and up.

For Low range, straight up

For High range, straight down.

Normal driving is all done in High range. Drive as described above, you can shift into High gear of High range at any speed over 14MPH by lifting off the gas.

If you floor the gas pedal in High gear at any speed up to 50, it is supposed to kick down like an automatic.

Trans will automatically shift to low gear when you stop, when you get going 14MPH you can lift off the gas and shift up.

They put in a Low range for driving in snow, mud, or sand. Or for slow going, starting off on a hill, or pulling a trailer.

It works the same, shift the lever into Low range and take off, you can shift into high gear (of low range) at 6 MPH.

If you get going in Low range and want to shift into High range, step on the clutch and shift into High range like a manual trans.

As you can see it is kind of a cross between a manual trans and an automatic. For normal driving you only need High range, and only need to use the clutch to shift into gear. Other than that it is just like an automatic.

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Thanks for the info on the fluid drive, I'm looking forward to driving soon. I should be sending the generator out for a rebuild/restore soon.

I tried to attach pictures of the car but they're too large, I'll have to figure something out.

I wanted to attached some books/manuals/catalogs that I've found so far but they're too large to attach also. I'll just list what I have and if anybody wants me to look something up or post pages then I'll do what I can.

-1946-1948 Owner's Manual for the C-38, D-1061 Second Edition

-1941-1948 Chrysler Shop Manual, D-11298

-1946-1948 Chrysler Passenger Car Parts List (model series C-38, C-39, C-40), revised March 1949, D-12449 (supersedes D-11081, 11085, 11504 and 11968)

-Motor's Auto Repair Manual, 20th ed., covers all 1949-1957 Models

-Original Auto Lite Condensed Service Parts Catalog, Passenger Cars and Trucks, 1952 Edition ("Original" is part of the title)

-Maintenance and Operation of Auto-Lite Electrical Equipment, S-24 1-2-41

-A few other parts of books/catalogs/manuals

Maybe all of these documents and much more are located in some online library that everyone else knows about but I haven't found it yet. I've been finding them from random locations online and will continue to gather information as needed.

Thanks so far for the help, I'm looking forward to telling everyone how great my "new" generator is eventually.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Two new questions for you all:

1. How can I find out how my wires should be run? I think I'm good on wiring diagrams, I'm talking about exactly what path they should take to get from point A to point B. I haven't started any wiring work yet but I will soon and I want to make sure I'm prepared.

2. Body plate decoding. I know that there has been discussion on this but I can't seem to find anything more than somebody asking about their specific car and others answering.

Is there a book or list that shows all the different codes and meanings...what does mine mean?

I'm wondering if my car has the wrong body plate on it...does this happen? The paint is throwing me off. As you can see, it looks black but there a few places that are chipping and it looks blue under the black, not dove gray like the body plate says. I also can't find anything that looks gray anywhere. I wanted to have a picture of the interior to post but I ended up forgetting to take a picture. I can post it tomorrow. It looks to me like a denim blue for the headliner. The inside of the doors are blue and so is the dash.

Also, I think I just figured out how to compress my photos so I can actually post them, please let me know if they're not a good enough quality, I'm worried I compressed them too much. I also have hood alignment and possibly body panel alignment issues, it will be my next task after making the taillights work.

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1) Sometimes you can find old pictures in repair manuals showing how they looked when new. There may be metal clips screwed to the body that held the wires. It doesn't matter that much how you route them, as long as they are well away from hot parts like exhaust manifold, have enough slack that they will not be pulled, bent or kinked when the engine moves around, and are routed neatly out of the way.

2) As for the body plate I don't know.

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  • 2 weeks later...

An update...I haven't made much progress on the body number plate although I have the build record on the way from Chrysler. I hoping that will verify some information for my vehicle. There will be more info to follow if I get anything useful back.

For the wiring, I think I should be good.

I'm working on my hood now. Had a few questions for everyone. You can see in the pictures that there is a metal support that goes across the hood on the inside. The parts books shows the two pieces that attach to the three pieces that attach to the hood, but not the piece that attaches them all together. The pieces in the book I'm talking about have arrows pointing to them that says "not serviced" and also part 15-28-6.

The problem I have is that the support connecting each piece is bent which is making the hood "flatter" than is should be. I'm also missing bolts/screws of some kind that connect the "not serviced" parts to the hood hinge (part number 15-19-2).

Does anybody recommend a fix? I'd like to bend it back and call it good but its a bit tough to do in place. My next plan, is finding bolts to put in the "not serviced" parts, slowly putting them in while trying to bend the support back to its normal shape. Perhaps I'll put on a clamp on the metal support where it "bowed out" while I push the support back to its normal shape. Any thoughts are appreciated as is information on the bolts (size,etc).

Also pictured is a shot from the inside of my trunk. I'm trying to figure out what the original color was...the body plate says dove gray but everything is blue (dash, trim, inside of doors). Would the inside of the trunk have been the same color as the outside?

Thanks all, have a great rest of the weekend.

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Bob, any luck with finding info about the hood attachment piece? I don't see what I would be missing, is it listed in the exploded view of the hood that I posted?

Is it a problem for these cars to get water under the hood? Chrysler had an Ever-dry kit for the spark plugs. I'm wondering if the fact that the kit exists means that there was a problem with water under the hood. I rained pretty hard here a couple of days ago and the plugs were covered in water. I'm thinking that its coming from the holes between the trim and the hood on the top of the hood and the hood itself but I have to take a closer look. The seal at the top of the hood at the bottom of the windshield need to be replaced so I guess it could have come from there as well.

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I think I did not look at your hood strainer cross bar to rear center hood vertical bracket carefully enough!. I do think it is on your car. I put a red arrow pointing to this bracket in the attached picture.

This bracket is how you adjust the rear center hood height to cowl.

As for Ever-dry covers, all the 1946-8 chryslers had them factory installed.

Yes the water can leak through the hood center under the hood center chrome strip. Thats up to you as to how to seal it up. Probably back in the day not many worried about it as long as the car always started and ran ok.

Bob

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Any car can get water under the hood. It can blow in while driving in the rain, or just sitting. Years ago I had a 62 Ford sit facing a driving snow storm all night, in the morning it would not start, when I lifted the hood it was packed solid with snow inside.

All straight six or straight eight flathead engines had wells in the head where the spark plugs go. The plugs and wires could easily get soaked. Chrysler's solution was the Everdry kit or spark plug galoshes. It prevented misfires under the worst conditions.

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  • 4 months later...

Gentleman, thanks for all the info on this thread and the many others I've been reading. Sorry for my extended absence, I've been busy with work/school/family/etc.

My generator is now in and charging. A picture is below. I had the restoration done by Jason Smith at AER.

I did my first oil change...for anybody else out there that might be doing that for the first time I have a few pieces of advice. First, check the sizes for the items that need to be taken off. The pan drain plug and nut on the top of the filter casing (purple arrows) are both oversized. I didn't have that size socket or even an adjustable wrench that would go large enough to fit on there. Thankfully, neither was on too tight and I used a large size vice grip (very carefully) to take them off. Although next time I'll have the right size wrench. Also, there is a drain on the oil filter casing (pink arrows) that has a square head. When I did this job, I drained the pan first, then took off the top of the filter casing, then drained the casing. The casing had a lot of water in it and I'm not sure if that was normal; the car has been sitting all summer. The yellow arrows indicate where there is a gasket. The two gaskets I had in the new Fram oil filter I used didn't fit so I reused the old one. I don't have the numbers in front of me for which filter it was but I can look it up. Finally, I cleaned out from the top of the cap what seemed to be a metallic looking film. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be there or just due to years of build up. Regardless, I wiped it clean as best as I could since it came off easily and I was worried about it coming loose. I used Brad Penn 10W-30 for the oil.

I also just changed the anti-freeze, it was about a gallon low. There is an engine block drain that was pain for me to figure out. Its reversed threaded and when I turned it left, it went in but opened. To close it, I turned right and it came out. The problem was that the hole was clogged and I didn't realize it had a hole. I was trying to take the entire thing out. The picture has a green arrow.

Finally, on to some questions that I have. There are pictures with red arrows pointing to a thing sticking out of the exhaust manifold. I don't know what it is but it rotates a bit when the car is running. If it rotates too far counter-clockwise, it grinds. It sort of swings and comes back to a center point like a weight is bringing swung. I never noticed the noise before and the similar looking thing above it doesn't move. Any advice? Is it safe to drive?

Also, I don't know how to hook up my gas tank float. I have a wiring diagram that says there are two connections, "1" and "2" that meet with similar connections on the gas gauge. Thoughts?

I've been doing some research into rust removal on sheet metal. I've tried a bit of electrolysis, molasses and water, and a little bit of "evapo-rust." I'm trying to figure out what is best and cost/time effective. I'll keep reading up on them and let everyone know if I make any breakthroughs. I'm also going to price local body shops to just have it bead blasted.

I have brake issues too...my brakes became loose and didn't really work. I checked the reservoir and it was dry. I filled it up but I still don't think they're working like they should. I'll probably just buy all new cylinders and pads.

Finally, I think I'm having shifting issues with two high gears. I can't get the car moving even with a lot of gas as I come off the clutch. I'll run through the transmission tests first I guess. I sort of want to get the brakes done first.

Thanks for the help.

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Wow a lot of questions. Let's see if I have some answers.

1) Square head plugs, known as pipe plugs. You can use an 8 point socket on these. Better yet, turn the socket around and fit the square end over the square plug. This works with the correctly sized 8 point or 12 point socket because the ratchet handle still fits.

2) Casing should never have water in it. This is bad. Along with low coolant level, suggests a coolant leak into the oil which is very bad. Most likely due to a bad head gasket.

3) Yes you should clean out the cap and filter housing when changing the filter. Wipe with rags or cotton waste is fine.

4) That was a standard drain valve in the block, also found in radiators. They are left hand threaded to open when turned to the left, close when turned to the right like any standard tap. It sounds like your block has a buildup of rust and silt, not uncommon on real old engines.

5) The thing on the manifold is the heat riser valve, it is supposed to move around. It should be closed when starting the car, to quickly warm up the carburetor, then open and let the exhaust out once the carburetor is warm. I think there should be some springs to dampen the movement. You are lucky yours works, they often rust and freeze up.

6) The screw in the middle of the gauge sender is for the gauge, the other is the ground. If you ground the gauge wire, the gas gauge should go to "Full". The other should be fastened to one of the screws holding the sender in, or really, anyplace on the tank.

7) Brakes, not good, should check them or have them checked.

8) Starting off, do not slip the clutch. Reread driving instructions above. Warm up engine, let it drop to a normal idle, step on clutch, shift into Low range, release clutch, drive off as if an automatic. It will move.

It is important not to slip the clutch, they come with an undersize clutch and abuse can burn it out. Let the Fluid Drive unit do its job.

9) The wire appears to be a ground wire for the distributor. Not sure why you even need one, but I would leave it on.

Hope this helps. Too many questions for long answers but this may point you in the right direction.

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Your gas tank sender has a #1 and #2 stamped on it.

Clean it well with a brush to see these numbers. Two wires connect to your gas tank sender with the two screws.

The two wires at the tank unit were originally medium blue-that wire connects to screw terminal #1.

The other wire remaining was originally yellow and black..it connects to #2 terminal at the sender.

Your wires are old and discolored but by carefully scraping the cloth wire covering you will be able to see enough of the original colors to re-attach the wires properly.

The small braided ground wire is attached to the spark plug wire loom to head stud. It's a transmission wire harniss grounding/radio suppression wire/strap.

Your heat riser is missing parts too.

The counter weight is missing as is spring and damper pads. Looks like the shaft bushings are worn and leaking exhaust gases also will cause exhaust noise.

Bob

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Edited by c49er (see edit history)
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Those are great pictures of that kit...do you happen to have a part number? I've found one without the part number and its 300 bucks. After reading up on it, I might just wait and save that for later. There was a good thread about the heat riser, I added this link to it: http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/know/riser/riser.htm

I'll look again at the sender unit, I don't see any numbers stamped. I'll clean it up but there is only one screw there. I'm willing to bet that it was replaced with the wrong one and that's why there is only one screw. I'll try to just ground the other wire as suggested and see what happens.

I'll also ground that wire and see if that helps. I'd love to drive the car like I'm supposed to but for now I have to ease on the clutch and get on the gas like a modern car to get going. If I don't, the car just stalls. But I'll go through some of the tests and see what happens, maybe that wire will fix everything (yeah right).

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Sorry I didn't even look at the picture of your sender. :confused:

That is the wrong sending unit for your C38 chrysler shown in your picture though. . It will not show a #1 and 2. It looks to be for a 30's car.

Pics of the right one....

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The DeSoto and Chrysler heat riser package shown above is MoPar #1316267.

It also sounds like the car has a severe hesitation from a dead stop?

Check the spark plug and point gaps. Accelerator pump leather cup might be shrunk and or the accelerator jet plugged up too.

Bob

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Alright, it sounds like I have some plans for tomorrow. Compression test, change the plugs, and transmission tests while I wait for the first shipment of brake parts. Oil pressure is good. I'll have to figure out to to inspect the points but I have the shop manual sitting right next to me.

I'm going to leave the heat riser the way it is for the time being and live with the noise. Actually, I'll probably get some lockwire and make sure it stays mostly open.

I haven't noticed not having any power when starting off, but I've barely driven the car. I can make it go in reverse and the low gears but that's only with me working the clutch. It will upshift when I get off the gas although I have to lift up the gas pedal a little bit myself. Lubricating the gas pedal will be the first thing I do. I'll tell you all what I find out.

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Rusty, I understand how the fluid drive is SUPPOSED to work (and yes, for the record, I've driven an automatic). My issue is that it is not working like it is supposed to. In order to get the car moving in either direction, I have to drive it like a modern manual (and even if I do that, it will stall if I'm trying to go in to the high/normal gears).

The rain ruined most of my plans today but I managed to do a compression test. Going from the forward most cylinder back, I have 90, 100, 95, 100, 105, 100 psi.

I changed the plugs and start putting on the Evr-dry kit but I realized that I don't have the correct wires. So I ordered those today.

More to follow after the weather gets bearable.

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You can drive it like a manual if you want, my father wouldn't listen either and he drove his like a manual for almost a year. Right up until the clutch burned out.

If it won't drive like an automatic something is wrong. My Weejee board tells me the engine stalls and that is why I suggested a compression test and tuneup. But that is more or less guesswork.

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haha...I still haven't fully installed the evr-dry kit because I just got new wires. I'm holding off on that because I have the car on jacks to look at the brakes. But I just re-read somewhere else about taking off the spark plugs washers....thank you for the reminder!

Also, thank you, crusaders of the fluid drive for explaining how it works and doesn't work in many, many threads. I've been reading a lot of old posts and a few of them are making me laugh but mostly making me learn.

My transmission is low on oil. I'm going to order 10W so I can drain and re-fill.

I'm also going to order some ISO 32 circulating oil for the fluid drive based on a series of posts between Rusty and James Douglas.

Rusty, I know that you preach that the fluid drive wasn't supposed to be drained and re-filled, just topped off. But, even you've agreed that over time, the properties of the oil change and the designers in the 40s probably weren't giving guidance for a 60+ year old car. So that brings me to wanting to drain and fill the fluid drive. I've found some questions asked about doing it but no solid answers.

Rusty, you said to be careful about taking out the filler plug for the fluid drive by using rags to prevent it from dropping down into the clutch housing (and fluid drive cover)(I'll probably use a magnetic socket too). You also made it sound like you've dropped it in there before. How did you get it out? I'm guessing/hoping you have first hand experience taking off that bottom pan.

Is there a drain at the bottom of the pan? I took a picture of the bottom of mine and it seems like there is something there that might be a drain. The picture is attached. Would it be possible to remove the filler plug, turn the filler plug hole to the bottom, and drain it from the bottom? Could it be possible to pull that "thing" off and then take off the filler plug while it is pointed downward in order to drain it?

Has anybody used a suction tube to pull the liquid out? Is that even possible?

Alright, next, I'm re-doing the brakes: pistons, master cylinder, and hoses. The brake lines, shoes, springs, and pads seem to be in good shape (in the front). I haven't taken off the rear hubs yet as I need a hub puller which I'll borrow from NAPA tomorrow. I attached a couple of pictures, do you guys see any problems visually? I've only taken apart about 3 or 4 sets of brakes so I don't have a lot of experience. The front right looked like it was wet and I suspect there might be brake fluid leaking. I'm going to go through and clean everything but is there too much dirt/debris which would indicate a problem?

Rusty, you give me hope saying something nice about the motor and talking about how easy it will be to drive. I can't wait.

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I don't preach not changing the oil, just pointed out that was what the factory said. But I doubt they planned a service life of 70+ years. If you want to change, it can't hurt as long as you use the right oil. ISO 22 or ISO 32 TDH tractor oil is fine for both Fluid Drive and transmission. This thread goes into more detail, with a slightly different fluid recommendation.

http://forums.aaca.org/f145/chrysler-fluid-drive-type-fluid-157867.html

My car had a removable plate on the bottom of the bellhousing which yours does not have. If you drop the plug I don't know how you would get it out. Except, every Fluid Drive car I have seen, had screened vents on the bellhousing. Perhaps yours are on the sides.Best answer is not to drop it in the first place, and stuff the openings with rags just in case.

As far as the brakes go, it would be best if you got the factory manual. But, if you don't replace the brake shoes you will not have to do a major adjustment. Just a minor adjustment to take up wear, which is much easier.

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Of course everything will be fixed correctly :)

That picture I posted earlier of what I thought might be a drain is in fact a drain. I poured a small amount of water through that lower pan's vent and watched it got to the bottom and out that hole. I still did not want to dump a bunch of oil in there though.

I bought some small tubing and borrowed a suction gun to pull the fluid out. Its slow going as the tubing is small. Right now I have 8 ounces out and am dreading spending so much more time pulling the rest out but it seems to be working. I decided not to pull off that bottom pan yet because I wanted to try the suction method first.

On to the brake job...I got a hub puller from NAPA for the rear hubs. I read some old posts and I think I have the correct kind but when I started using it, it kept pushing the piece that the castle nut attaches to into the hub. I was worried about pushing it in too much and not being able to get it out. Should I keep pushing until it stops? Is that normal? Am I using the wrong hub puller?

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Thanks for the picture...that one looks just like the one that I have. When I started using it, the center "pin" of the hub puller pushed against the shaft. However, instead of being solid, the shaft started sinking into the hub towards the center of the car. I was able to push it so that it would go into the hub and I wouldn't be able to put the castle nut on. I was worried that something was wrong and I would "lose" it in the hub without any way of getting it out. Should I keep pushing? Does this sound normal? Does my question make sense? The parts book diagram and other posts make it seem like I shouldn't be able to push the shaft in like that.

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Thanks for the picture...that one looks just like the one that I have. When I started using it, the center "pin" of the hub puller pushed against the shaft. However, instead of being solid, the shaft started sinking into the hub towards the center of the car. I was able to push it so that it would go into the hub and I wouldn't be able to put the castle nut on. I was worried that something was wrong and I would "lose" it in the hub without any way of getting it out. Should I keep pushing? Does this sound normal? Does my question make sense? The parts book diagram and other posts make it seem like I shouldn't be able to push the shaft in like that.

I'll post a video later today for using this puller.

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