Rusty_OToole

I did this myself once on an old Toyota pickup truck. The clutch was frozen and would not release. This sometimes happens when a vehicle is out of commission for years. To save taking out the transmission and clutch (it was a 4 wheel drive) I drilled a hole with a hole saw and stuck a knife blade between the clutch plate and flywheel, freeing it off. I recall it took a couple of tries to get the hole in the right place. Afterwards I plugged the hole with a knockout plug as used in electrical boxes. Could it be that your car had a frozen clutch some time in the last 73 years? Have another look, if the second larger hole lines up with the clutch plate and the small one doesn't there is your answer. The first was exploratory surgery, the second cured the patient. It wouldn't be a bad idea to fix up some kind of cover to keep out dirt. Other than that it will do no harm to leave it open. On second thoughts if there was a removable cover plate I can't think why someone would cut a hole rather than removing the plate.

It seems likely that the bodies were shipped in CKD form (completely knocked down, meaning in pieces) then welded together and finished in Australia. Is it possible Holden made their own doors, as there was no Ute model in the US or Canada? You could get the person who is selling the instrument panel to measure its width. If it is a 66 model or the Australian equivalent, it should be practically the same as your Chev. The 76 will be wider and the 98 wider again.

The Oldsmobile 66 model used the GM A body which was also used on Chevrolets and Pontiacs. So the dash should fit without too much work. The 76 and 78 models used the GM B body which is completely different, and larger. The 98 shared the C body with Cadillac and Buick Roadmaster and is different again. If you are not sure get a picture of a Chev (A body) and a Buick Special or Super (B body). One of them will resemble the main body of the Olds, if you disregard the front. The final proof is in measuring the instrument panel. The width and contour of the A body Olds will be the same as a Chevrolet. So far as I know there is no significant difference between US and Canadian bodies.

Amazing you got it that far. Most won't move at all. The easiest method of removing a control arm is to use a Sawzall to cut the bolt off. Slide the blade in between the control arm and mount. Cut both sides and the control arm falls out. Then you knock out the bolt ends, and take the control arm bushing out with a press.

A #2 car would be $43400. msmazcol I believe there is land in the old world where someone has collected taxes every year for 5000 years or more. In other words the collecting of taxes has no limit. They say there is no escaping death and taxes but at least death doesn't keep getting worse every year.

There is a good chance some have survived. Rarer cars have. It's possible someone has one and does not know it is not a stock Dodge body. At a guess, they probably sold several hundred per year so there is a good chance some are still around.

First thing that comes to mind is an ignition miss allowing fuel into the exhaust pipe.

There are specialist oil companies that make the old car motor oil and transmission oil. Penrite is one brand. If you do a web search you should be able to find them.

Let me get this straight. You can afford a Pierce Arrow but you can't afford to buy a magazine? According to my Old Cars Price Guide your car is worth between $2480 and $62000 depending on condition. As you do not state the condition, I can't narrow it down any farther than that. My copy is a year old but should be fairly close. If you want to go into a magazine store and sneak a free peek at the latest price, it should be around page 89.

You have the catalog so they must be a catalogued offering. They must have sold some if they stayed in business until the sixties. Seriously, I should think they were sold mainly in their home region. The one you show resembles a Hudson. This is a compliment as in those days Hudsons were selling against Cadillac. They had a formal sedan with little side lights behind the rear windows that was the Lincoln Continental of its day. The Dodge sold for half the price of a Hudson. They were a good dependable car but not fancy. I should think a Dodge chassis with a stylish body, for a few dollars more than the stock offering, would have a lot of appeal. They were probably sold by Dodge dealers and by Anderson in their own showroom. How much ground their sales territory took in is hard to say. All I can suggest is that it was regional but not national.

WD40 or any oily product is a bad idea. They will gum up your locks eventually. Locksmiths use graphite only. I don't think there is any quick fix or anything you can do short of taking the door panel off so you can get in there and fix things properly.

There should be a pipe plug, identical to the drain plug, on the right side of the transmission about half way up. This is where you fill the transmission. Put in oil until it starts to run out. To check the oil level stick your finger in the hole, if you can touch the oil it's fine.

Short answer: Use Tractor fluid, TDH type, ISO 32 grade. You can get this stuff at Walmart, auto parts stores, and farm supply stores. A gallon is a lifetime supply for most Chryslers. Use it in your transmission too. It costs less than motor oil and is the best oil for your tranny and fluid drive. For an in depth discussion of the operation, care and feeding of the fluid drive system look up the threads in the Chrysler and Dodge sections of this board. There were some great information disclosed there, about a year and a half ago. The kind of inside dope you just can't find anywhere else.

Windsor what does it say on your shift quadrant? Fluid Matic Drive = fluid coupling, Fluid Torque Drive = torque converter. If you have a 1953 you should have either the traditional fluid coupling, or the torque converter with the engine fed oil supply. The first was standard equipment on your car, the second optional at extra cost. Roll back the carpet and look for an access plate on the right side of the transmission hump below the instrument panel. If it has the fluid coupling there will be an access plate, and below that a round plug in the bellhousing for access to the fluid coupling filler plug. No access means you have a torque converter. In either case it sounds like the seal is shot. On the fluid coupling the seal can be replaced. On newer torque converters you have to get a new or rebuilt torque converter. I am not sure if your car has a replaceable seal or not. From your description of the engine losing oil I believe you have the torque converter. If you had fluid drive and it was leaking the engine oil would not go down. To change the torque converter you first have to take out the transmission then take off the bellhousing. You also have to support the rear of the engine with a jack and remove the rear motor mounts and crossmember. Then the torque converter comes off the back of the engine. This is a hell of a job for an amateur mechanic. A garage should be able to replace the torque converter in a day if all goes well. With no hoist or air tools it will take longer.

Radials are definitely wider. Unless you buy the cheapest tires. I used Walmart Marshal 791 radials on my DeSoto, they are a good 2" narrower than name brand tires of the same size, 215R75 15. The 75 is important, this is the height of the tire, lower numbers are low profile. 75s are about the tallest narrowest tires you can find for your car. The alternative is bias ply antique tires. In other words either the cheapest tires or the most expensive.

You don't need lead but a little kerosene might help. No kidding. This subject has been thoroughly debated in this thread. It will tell you more than you want to know about the correct fuel for your car. http://forums.aaca.org/f120/premium-gas-prewar-cars-273671.html

Good point. Most drivers did not want to shift gears much. So the manufacturer selected transmission ratios and rear axle gears so they didn't have to. There were no automatics back then. You could start off in second gear, drop it into high at 10 MPH and stay there all day. Old ladies and grannies could make every mistake in the book and still get to the market. But it was murder on performance and economy.

Are you sure they are porcelain? Porcelain is glass and does not age. Painted signs you should be careful. You can't brighten them up or make them look new. Just wash and wax, that is all you can do. They are supposed to look old. If you want bright new signs you can buy new reproductions. Trying to make the old ones look new will only ruin them.

All cars were geared low back then. Hiway speeds were lower for one thing, cruising at 45 or 50 on 2 lane hiways was normal and there were no interstates. Over the years car makers have tried to gear their cars higher and higher for better mileage and quieter hiway driving. So, in a sense we are spoiled and don't remember how loud cars used to be at hiway speed. If you want to go over 60, take a newer car. Otherwise enjoy your Pontiac for what it is.

Could be a dragging clutch. Have you checked the oil in the transmission? Or just normal wear and tear. If the problem persists the cheapest solution is to shift slower or learn to double clutch. By the way the old transmissions shift slower than the new ones.

The fluid drive is one of the most trouble free long lasting parts ever put on a car. It only has one moving part and everything runs in a bath of oil. Repair manuals contain instructions for replacing the shaft seal but even that is very seldom necessary.

I'd stick with the Rotella.

If the owner is not a purist you could put in a T5 5 speed. Bellhousing, flywheel, and clutch are all available new from aftermarket suppliers. You need to get one out of a van or pickup. The Camaro and Mustangs have the gearshift too far back. This would make a great match for an Olds V8 and would allow high speed cruising down those long straight Routes Nationale.

Let's see... the original one lasted 89 years. How long do you plan on keeping the car? Of course, another made of the original material will last a lot longer than 89 years since you will not be using it every day.

Soap and water. It won't hurt them. The surface is made of melted glass and is practically impervious. Once they are clean a coat of car wax will make them shine. Be careful of them, the porcelain chips easy. Use rubber washers if you screw them on to any wooden surface.