33 Plymouth gearbox oil

Hi, I'm new here and have just got a 1933 Chrysler Kew here in the UK, seems that it is essentially a Plymouth under the skin.

I really want to drive it but there is a leak at the back of the gearbox and I have no idea how much oil is in it. My question is: is there a way of checking the oil level, like a plug or something? And what grade of oil should I use?

Thanks,

Simon.

There are two plugs on the right side of the transmission. A lower plug for draining it and an upper plug for filling it. You just fill it until the lubricant is level with the bottom of the fill hole.

Manual calls for "Free wheeling lubricant No. 110" in summer (temperature above +40°F (+4°c)) and "Free wheeling lubricant No. 90" in winters (temperature above +10°F (-12°C)) and then some mixes of motor oil and one of the above gear lubricants for really cold temperatures.

I've never discovered what makes a conventional gear lubricant a "free wheeling lubricant" and so have used standard SAE gear lubricant. I find that the heavier lubricants help make for quieter shifting so I use SAE 140.

The easy to find stuff is marked for hypoid use which may or may not be used in gear boxes with yellow metal (e.g. brass) parts. Fortunately, neither the gear box nor the rear axle of the 1933 Plymouth have any yellow metal parts. There are no synchronizers which could be brass and all the bearings are roller or ball bearings. So I've used the hypoid gear lubricants for 40 years now in my '33 Plymouth.

And it appears that the issue with hypoid lubricants and yellow metal components disappeared years ago when they changed the additives in the gear lubricants needed for the high shear strength. Certainly the hypoid gear lubricant I have on the shelf says it is safe in applications which have yellow metal components.

I am very interested in having photos of the Chrysler Kew 6 variation on the Plymouth on my web site. Especially detail photos of where things are different than the US version. Could you share some?

Thank you for your comprehensive reply. I will try and get some 140 oil today, if the leak at the back of the gearbox is as bad as it looks then a new seal might be in order too. Do you recommend this grade oil for the back axle too?

As for differences between the Kew and Plymouth: my car has an english built body so was most likely supplied as a rolling chassis but the obvious things are chrysler hubcaps, 'export' cast in the cylinder head (it has the small bore engine?) and 'chrysler' instead of 'plymouth' printed on the instrument cluster. I will try and get some photos later

I use the same SAE 140 hypoid gear lubricant in the rear axle as in the transmission.

From the copies of 1933 British magazine articles reprinted in Chrysler cars 1930-1939 published by Brooklands Press a long time ago, it is my understanding that the body shells, or at least body pieces, were shipped from the U.S. along with the frame and running gear for assembly in England but that the interior fitting was done with local materials to a local design.

I checked the gearbox oil level, wasn't too bad but don't like the look of the oil so will change it when I get the right stuff. Gearbox works fine. Went for a drive up a steep hill and down the narrow welsh lanes and it went well but the brakes were a little scary!

I notice on the lefthand side of the engine there is this shaft and roughly in line a lever on the side of the gearbox -any ideas whats missing?

it is my understanding that the body shells, or at least body pieces, were shipped from the U.S. along with the frame and running gear for assembly in England but that the interior fitting was done with local materials to a local design.

It looks like all four fenders and the hood are factory parts as is the rear panel and gas tank but the body is an roadster body in aluminium on a wood frame by a local coach builder.

I notice on the lefthand side of the engine there is this shaft and roughly in line a lever on the side of the gearbox -any ideas whats missing?

The optional, at least optional in the U.S., vacuum powered automatic clutch mounts on that stud/shaft and actuates the clutch through the lever in your second photo. I've attached a photo of mine but it is missing the connecting rod from the control valve to the throttle linkage pivot shaft and the actual vacuum supply hose and line.

It looks like all four fenders and the hood are factory parts as is the rear panel and gas tank but the body is an roadster body in aluminium on a wood frame by a local coach builder.

I really, really would like photos of that. Along with permission to use the photos on my web site!