1950Dodge

As you can see from my face icon, I am somewhat perlexed. I want to change the fluid in my 1950 dodge fluid coupling, but am not sure if I have to remove the lower bell housing, or just take out the plug at the bottom of the housing. Any advice will be appreciated. 1950 Dodge

Thank you for all the advice, especially on the wiring. FYI, there is no electrical wire on the Sisson Choke, just a mechanical arm linked to the choke butterfly. I have temporarily strapped it down to the manifold until I can get the time to drill out the studs, and it is working "semi-OK," but definitely should be replaced. As to my other question, any advice on engine rebuilders in my area (Eastern Mass, Southern NH)? Definitely needs a ring and probably a valve job. The heat riser is not just frozen, it is welded. Three months of soaking with PB Blaster, tapping and applying heat, and it still will not budge.

As some of you know, I have a 1950 Dodge 4-dr Coronet. I appreciate all the advice you gave me on the tires/wheels, and I am happy to report that the tubeless-mounted tires on old wheels with oval stem holes have not leaked at all. Sine they have been mounted. I would like some advice on a couple of other issues: The engine runs reasonably well, but it is tired and uses about 1 quart of oil for every 300 miles. Odometer says 73,000 miles and I suspect that it is accurate. I am looking for a reputable party in the Mass/NH area that will do a 230 flat 6 rebuild, but so far have not found any one. Suggestions, please. The Sisson Automatic choke is detached. The studs rotted away, and when I was cleaning the engine, I knocked against it and it just flopped off the manifold, studs broken. The choke itself looks shot, and I am thinking it would be easier to replace with a manual choke. Any opinions? I would like to replace the wiring, but electrics is not my thing. The wiring is frayed in several places and the gas tank-to-gauge wire is shorting out. Any ideas on who might do this work in my area would be appreciated. I don?t want to convert to 12-volt, everything works just fine; I am only concerned about the age and condition of some of the 56-year old wires. Thanks for any opinions, especially any from the Guru, Jon Robinson.

I remounted the tires on the original rims. I found an old mechanic who had valve stems that are designed to cover a 5/8 x 3/4 oval stem hole. He remembers when the tubless tires were introduced in the '50s, and the oval-shaped valve stem was designed specifically for the old rims. He has several hundred of these stems still on his shelf, left over from when he had a brisk business converting tube applications to tubeless. Just for good measure, I followed the advice on this board and put some sealant around the base of the valve stems. Two days, and so far, no leaks. Thanks to all for the advice, and hopefully I won't have to get replacement rims. I do not want to deal with tubes. 1950Dodge

Thanks for all the info. I have what appears to be the original wheels with the oval valve stem holes. I have been to several tire shops and they can not guarantee that their "stock" fat stems will completely seal the holes. So, I would like to find some replacement steel rims, presumably newer ones from 60/70 chrysler vehicles that will fit my 1950 Dodge. So far, no luck. I can't believe it is so difficult. I am sure that many of you have had to replace wheels from time-to-time, so I would be interested in any information regarding where I may find newer replacements with round valve stem holes. Either used or new, it doesn't matter. Thanks in advance for the advice.

Looking for some advice on wheels/tires for the old girl (1950 Dodge Coronet). The previous owner fitted Coker 215/75 radials on what I think are the original rims. The tires are "tubeless" but they have tubes inserted. I have had two flats because the tubes have shifted within the tire and sliced the valve stems. My questions are: 1. Can I mount the tires "tubeless" on the existing rims? It does not appear that the rim design is any different from the 60's/70's rims I am familiar with. 2. If the answer to No. 1 is No, what newer rims will fit on my Dodge, and where can I get some? Current size is 15 X 5.

I own a 1950 Dodge Coronet with the standard 3-speed manual transmission hooked up to the Dodge fluid coupling. This is the standard "fluid Drive" configuration as opposed to any of the Chrysler so-called semi automatic M4/M5/M6 transmissions offered during the '40s and early 50's. Through the years, I have found that there is much confusion among the various transmission types, and after finding an incomplete and inaccurate article on Wikipedia. I re-wrote the Fluid Drive entry to provide complete and accurate information on the different transmission/driveline types. Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_Drive, or type type "fluid drive" in the query box on the Wikipedia main page to see the article. I appreciate all the information on this page relative to the proper type of fluid for the fluid coupling, and am leaning toward Jon Robinson's recommendation of 10W non-detergent motor oil, which is readily available at my local NAPA store (Massachusetts). Would like to hear more from members concerning their success/failures on servicing the fluid coupling unit. Mine seems OK, with some slippage on start, but once the car is underway, slippage seems minimal. What is considered "normal" slippage for these units? Obviously there has to be some at startup. Thanks is advance for any advice.