John Loney

I was unaware until just recently that the overdrive unit for a 1939 Chrysler was the same for both the six and eight cylinder cars. As such, my transmission is only for an eight cylinder (Imperial, New Yorker or Saratoga) however the overdrive unit will work on the six cylinder Royals and the S6 DeSoto.

The ‘39 overdrive transmission had a cable connected to a knob (bottom left side of the steering column/dash) and an electric kick down system where the throttle (WOT) would depress a switch in the throttle linkage. This was connected to a solenoid on the side of the transmission which would disengage the overdrive feature to allow for passing or climbing hills. In fact, Chrysler called this transmission the “Cruise and Climb”.

I have an overdrive transmission which was taken out of a 1939 Chrysler New Yorker. Unfortunately, with the boarder closed down it would be expensive to ship from Canada. I’m about an hour and a half from Detroit.

My apologies for not updating this post sooner. The Chrysler has been sold and will now be enjoyed by a new owner. Thank you for your interest.

I had called and spoke to him a couple of years ago. He asked me what kind of car I had and when I told him, he advised that he wasn’t interested in restoring my boards. I didn’t ask why, however I assumed it was because these boards have a rather intricate pattern that might be more difficult to reproduce...but again, that was just an assumption.

I realize this is an old post but very curious to see what happened with your running boards. Did you get them redone? How did they turn out?

Some additional photos.

This is an absolutely fantastic automobile that has been completely restored. A large amount of time, effort and money has been spent on this Imperial and it shows. 1939 Chrysler Imperial with original and numbers matching 324 cubic inch flathead straight eight engine and overdrive transmission. This is a dry clutch car (not a fluid drive). It has the original Stromberg AAV-2 carburetor and the original automatic choke works perfectly. The tires are brand new radials but have the original look. The body and paint are fantastic...recent paint job (black). The interior has been redone in a fabric much like the original and the car starts, stops and runs down the highway just as it should. The brakes have all been redone, the rad, belts, hoses, starter, generator, exhaust system have all been rebuilt or replaced. This car is simply one of the best examples of a ‘39 Imperial you can find...and it’s for sale. The car is located in St.Thomas, Ontario (between Detroit and Toronto). The list of things this car would need to be close to perfect is short and would be inexpensive. The dash glass and gauge faces need to be redone (Reg Evens will make these look like new for a very reasonable price) the original light switch has been replaced with an aftermarket one. Door lock knobs are wrong, needs a couple of side mirrors and the red “Chrysler” on the hubcaps needs to be repainted...That’s about it! If you are looking for a vintage Chrysler that will turn heads everywhere you go and can cruise down the highway at 70 MPH all day long, this ‘39 needs to be a serious consideration. I’ve owned three ‘39 C23’s (an Imperial and two New Yorkers) and I’ve been around these cars since I was 6 years old...believe me, this is one of the best ones out there.

I had Flying Dutchmen rebuild the original water pump on my ‘39 Imperial. The original design had a two blade impeller (they only ran this design for 3 years...38, 39 & 40). They replaced the impeller with a later design (8 blades if I’m not mistaken) as part of the rebuild and I’ve never had an overheating issue since. I would contact them and get their opinion...I was very happy with what they did for my Chrysler.

Could be any C23...Imperial, New Yorker or Saratoga.

Yes, the glass is delaminating...there’s no way to fix it...The good news...it’s flat glass and any decent glass shop will be able to cut and replace with new...Shouldn’t be very expensive either.

I have seen very few of these dashes that are in good original condition. I know there have been a couple of people who have redone them and the results were excellent...but again, few and far between. I painted mine an ivory colour and they look good but certainly not as good as the original ivory plastic. I bought some ivory plastic sheeting and was going to try and melt it down in the oven so the shape would conform to the shape of the metal glove box door and the speedometer and gauge surround. This is a project I have not gotten to as of yet!

Absolutely beautiful! What tires are those? I went with Diamondbacks on my ‘39 Imperial. I’ve been very happy with them.

$25K...Wow! You might want to speak with Doug at SMS in Oregon...he might have some suggestions for you. Doug at SMS reproduced an exact match of the fabric on my 1939 Imperial and I was able to find an “old school” upholsterer (he got his license in 1966) to do the work. Between the quality materials and workmanship, it turned out absolutely fantastic...and I’m quite fussy, (so I’ve been told...LOL!). With materials and labor, including headliner, seats, door panels, carpet, done exactly to original specs right down to the fabric seat piping, I was right around $8500. I was very pleased with everything.

I’ve got a 1939 transmission with overdrive that I’m looking to sell. It came out of a 1939 Chrysler New Yorker.

I’m not sure I understand what you mean? I have a Cruise and Climb overdrive transmission from a 1939 Chrysler New Yorker (C23) that I’m interested in selling. This transmission does have a kick down under full throttle as per the factory design.

I have been hanging on to my Cruise and climb overdrive transmission for several years now. I know how difficult they are to find and as such I wanted to have a replacement for my ‘39 Imperial. Fortunately I have not had any issues with my transmission and based on average mileage of approximately 800 miles a year, I’m thinking the existing transmission will outlast me! Anyway, I have decided to sell it and so if you are interested, please let me know. Best regards, John Loney.

This is an inner wheel trim ring for a ‘39 Chrysler (eight cylinder). The rings for the six cylinder cars were a little smaller with 4 attachment tabs as opposed to 3 for the eight cylinder cars.

Well Mike, how is the pump working for you?

Diamond Back radials...I’ve tried them all and these are the best.

My ‘39 New Yorker is sold.

This is the original Chrysler air cleaner. The one for the six cylinder cars was different but this is the correct one for the straight eight cars.

I have the original OD unit on my ‘39 Imperial and it has an electric solenoid as part of its workings. I also have a complete spare transmission with Overdrive out of a ‘39 New Yorker...

I have a 1939 Chrysler “cruise and climb” Overdrive transmission. It came out of a ‘39 New Yorker and I was keeping it as a spare for my ‘39 Imperial but it’s been almost 10 years and I haven’t needed it yet...”Kiss of Death, I know”... Anyway, I’m not sure if this transmission will fit all ‘39 Chrysler products or just the Straight Eight cars...nor do I know if the Overdrive unit is interchangeable with other Chrysler products from that era. It is the Overdrive that is the real jewel here as it makes these cars so much more drivable as both the eights and the sixes can cruise down the road at highway speeds without issue. My Imperial has the standard 4.30:1 rear end ratio (the non O/D cars had 3.90:1 gears) and even with these 4.30’s (short leg gears) I can still drive her all day at 75 MPH with ease. I’ve actually thought about swapping out the 4.30’s for the 3.90’s to make it even more highway friendly but would hate to lose the low end. If anyone has more knowledge of the interchangeability of these transmissions or even the actual Overdrive unit, or is interested in the complete transmission please let me know. Thanks.