1946 Trunk liner and OD switch

[50Traveler]

I spent the better part of the day removing the old trunk mat from my '46 Champion with a heat gun. It was like thick tar paper with a layer of embossed cardboard on top. Is this how they came from the factory? Though it was mostly intact it had rust underneath it and was one more of many parts that had been soaked in places with mouse pee. It was such a noxious chore to remove that I was curious if this was how they were built.

Next question, Does anyone out there have a picture of the kickdown switch used in these Overdrive systems? The OD system used on the Champions through the 1946 models is different than what came later. I only have a part of the switch and would like to have a better idea of what to look for.

Thank you, again and always,

Justin

[studeq]

Yes, that is the way they came from the factory, presumably minus the pee.

[studeq]

Studebaker part #195744. All 1939-46 Studebakers (except the '42 President) used the same switch.

[rbk]

Part number is 195774 it is a one terminal switch.

Robert Kapteyn

[50Traveler]

Part number is 195774 it is a one terminal switch.

Robert Kapteyn

I think this may be the most correct answer. The wiring diagram shows only one wire going to it and the fiber/plastic portion of the back of mine isn't large enough to hold the four terminals as seen in the pictures. Like most cars that have been through several owners there are some "fixes" that I have to undo before moving in the right direction. This info helps a lot.

BTW, that gooey trunk liner really did its job. Where the mat adhered to flat metal there is no rust at all. Around the edges and in the ribs is where the rust took hold. I am sorry to lose something original but anything that lessens the smell is progress.

Thank you all,

Justin

[nvonada]

Justin,

What body style is your Champion? My DD coupe did not have a trunk mat. However the inside of the trunk had been sprayed with some fuzzy felt-like stuff that looked like felt fibres and glue mixed together. It is mostly gone just from age and time but you can still find some in protected areas like under the spare. My floors and firewall are covered with something that looks and feels like asphalt with some kind of cardboard/cloth embedded in it. The it also contains horsehair or something like it. I sometimes worry about asbestos in this covering. I have no idea if these coatings were factory installed or not.

Here is a shot of the firewall:

Nathan

[50Traveler]

Here are pictures of the switch I have on my '46. I am guessing that there was one terminal on the missing half of the back.

The car is a 4-door "Cruising Sedan". It looks to have the same insulation on the firewall as your picture, but the sound-deadener that was sprayed on the inside of the trunk and parts of the interior floor is rougher than the flocking you describe. What I have reminds me of the sprayed on textured ceilings that some cheap construction projects used in the 1970s. I don't know if the firewall pad contains asbestos but I imagine it was jute, horsehair and whatever other cheap fiber they could find.

There is a nice looking '41 Land Cruiser on eBay right now and the interior of the trunk lid doesn't match the exterior paint. It looks brown. My Sagamore Green '46 has the same color on the inside of the trunk lid. Is this how they came from the body builder? Chrysler had trunk insides painted a gray blue because that was how their builder, Briggs, sent them out the door before Chrysler did the real body spray.

Thanks again for the feedback and info,

Justin

[studerex]

The insides of the trunks were all flocked. All trunk lids were painted a tan color from the factory. If your underside of lid is some other color it was repainted. The overdrive switch is one wire. All it does is ground your coil momentarly to take off engine load to allow the trans to down shift. I've seen alot of cars with this switch bad and car won't start.

[50Traveler]

Now that is the magic answer I needed. I wasn't sure if when activated the switch created a ground or ungrounded a ground. Now I can make a switch to do the same thing until I find the correct one. Big Thanks!

[nvonada]

Speaking of rust proofing my grandparents (who used to own my car) used to talk about how the county in rural Pennsylvania would spray oil on the unpaved roads to keep the dust down. That is hard to imagine on so many levels today. But when I cleaned up the bottom of my car I found a thick tarry coating of dirt and oil. In some places the frame rails were full of it. The metal underneath did not rust at all.

Nathan

[50Traveler]

Hi Nathan.

I don't know if this was the best way to do this but I posted on your site the link to the car I am working on.

BTW, my every day cars get oil sprayed each fall before the salt goes down on the roads. I hate the stuff but I think the salt lobby must be pretty strong up here in Rochester. You'd think Science would find a better alternative.

The spraying is pretty noxious so this year I tried a penetrating waxy spray called LPS3. Hopefully the Citation will clean up nicely come spring.

J

[r1lark]

Speaking of rust proofing my grandparents (who used to own my car) used to talk about how the county in rural Pennsylvania would spray oil on the unpaved roads to keep the dust down. That is hard to imagine on so many levels today. But when I cleaned up the bottom of my car I found a thick tarry coating of dirt and oil. In some places the frame rails were full of it. The metal underneath did not rust at all.

Nathan

Nathan, up through I know the late '60s in North Carolina, companies would come by the service stations to collect the used oil (can't remember if the station owner got paid a little for the oil or not) which would then be used to spray on the dirt roads and long dirt driveways to keep the dust down. Back then, the area of NC that I grew up in still had a number of dirt roads, but now it is rare to see any.