Good explanation. The three speed manual here is the most rare type of Fluid Drive. Very easy to teach someone how to drive a manual with this system. Cab and city driver's generally just left it in second gear, going from traffic light to traffic light. It took a load off from the constant clutching and shifting. It was a welcome marvel in it's day. The other version of Fluid Drive was more automatic. It had two ranges, a Low Range and a High Range. Normal driving was done in High Range. With that version there were two gears in each range, and once you had started off to shift into the higher gear you just lifted your foot off the gas pedal and waited for a Click sound indicating that it had shifter to into the higher gear and then reapplied the gas pedal.
I, pretty much, learned to drive on a '48 Dodge D-24 with Fluid Drive. It was a hand-me-down car from my grandfather to my older brother. I had already mastered a standard 3-speed manual '53 Pontiac, earlier. But, to actually get out on the road and drive, the '48 Dodge was the one I learned to drive with. Among the many things you could do with the Fluid Drive, you could also upshift without depressing the clutch. You could stop on an upward grade and, thanks to the fluid torque converter, start without the car rolling backward if you kept the clutch out. Plus, while rolling at speed, 50-60-65, the ride was smoother than other cars, since the Fluid Drive absorbed the vibration from the engine, and subsequently, the ride was quieter. That old '48 had factory turn signals, a nice-sounding radio, and when driving at night, the lighted speedometer would change colors with increasing speed. 0-35 green, 35-60 white, over 60 red. The heater and defroster were excellent, and the windshield wipers were electric. One thing that puzzled me, in those days, was why Chrysler products used a positive ground for the 6-volt electrical system? Found out, later on, that the electrical system worked better that way, with fewer problems with the voltage regulator. For the money, those Dodges were very nice cars.
I remember a VW commercial on TV about 1970, where they showed a guy shifting it like a 4 speed. Then a woman got in & put it in 4th gear, & drove it like an automatic. I can remember if it had a clutch or not. I don't recall them showing one. Just the guy driving it hard, jamming gears, then the lady driving slow & sensible.
In the sixties, my father had a '49 Dodge coupe as a 'work car'. It had Fluid Drive and I can remember as a child how smooth it was, compared to his older Rambler w/3 speed and OD.
I recently acquired a 1947 DeSoto S11 sedan with Fluid -Drive in similar original condition to the Dodge shown here. I had to familiarize myself with this feature. I had always thought Fluid-Drive was kind of a glorified standard with a few automatic-like features, but was surprised to learn that it is much more automatic than I expected. The DeSoto has three gear positions, essentially reverse, forward low, and forward high. In addition, it has a feature marketed as "Tiptoe Shift", which allows two speeds for each of the forward gears. As Lookey Who describes, you can shift in each of these positions by momentarily letting up on the accelerator and then pressing down again. At stops, you do not need to depress the clutch or release it when moving forward again, and can take off in whatever gear you were in when you stopped. The original owners manual still present in the glove box advises that in normal conditions the driver can take off in the high gear position. What this means is that once I get the car backed up, I can shift to high, release the clutch, and go on down the road, upshifting to fourth gear by releasing and reapplying the accelerator. I drove all around our small town (many stops) in such a manner without ever touching the clutch, although it took some restraint to keep my foot off of it. As the presenter advises, it's not quick, but it gets the job done.
The clutch is necessary on a Fluid Drive because you still need to shift. However, you do not need to depress the clutch when starting off or idling in traffic. Same thing with the more advanced (M4/M6) version. You only needed to use the clutch when shifting ranges or into reverse.
It's true, most people driving today have never seen a 3 speed, column mounted manual trans car. Even fewer have seen a 4 speed on the column. Yup, they existed. Friend's father had a early 60s Ford with a 4 speed on the column.
@@frankgiaquinto1571 Yes, my father-in-law in Barcelona, Spain, had a '64 Ford Zodiac with 4 on the column, 6 cylinder with dual exhausts and leather interior! I drove that car and in city traffic in BCN you could drive first to third just one shift skipping the rest, and charge out ahead of all the little Seat 600's and Renault R8's. Car was a beast.
Dodge advertised the fluid drive as a suggested option for their delivery vehicles. A milkman could put a truck in second gear, drive from house to house without shifting, and just set the massive parking brake after stopping. Car owners could drive in town in stop and go traffic in second and avoid shifting, too. But the early successful automatic transmissions forced Chrysler to develop the -flite series of transmissions, which were great.
When I was 18 in 1970 I acquired my Grandad’s ‘51 1/2ton B series pilothouse pickup with Fluid Drive (the fluid coupling, just like the car in this video, not Torque Drive). In snow, mud, and off-road, it was an amazing feature. I loved that truck, and foolishly sold it when I had a job transfer and couldn’t take it with me. Of all the cars and trucks I have had and sold since, that PU with the Fluid Drive is the only one I truly regret selling and wish I had back! When I talk to car guys about it, maybe 1 in 100 have any idea what I’m talking about. Thanks for a great video.
This brings back early childhood memories. I remember riding in a black car which I learned later was a '46 Dodge. My dad got it as a hand-me-down from his parents, and traded it in for a blue '51 Dodge Wayfarer 2D sedan, and both cars had the same engine and transmission as the one in this video. I was only 3 when the new car came along, and it was a few more years before he could explain the mechanics of the car so I could understand it.
The Mopar "fluid drive" of "the era" was a slow, MAYBE cumbersome transmission that WORKED FOREVER! Repair shops would have GONE BANKRUPT waiting for this to fail! They were simple, NOT fast, BUT THESE ALWAYS WORKED!
Under normal conditions Dodge recommended you only use second and third gear starting in second and only having to make one shift. First gear in a fluid drive was only recommended for steep hills towing and conditions of mud and gravel.
This is the original Fluid Drive introduced about 1940. As this shows Dodge stayed with this in their post war cars. Dodge eventually also offer this with the 4 speed semi automatic gearbox , a combination they called Gyromatic Fluid Drive in early 50s cars . In order to get better acceleration they introduced a variable vane torque converter in place of the fluid coupling when the V8 engines came into use. They called this Fluid Torque Drive.
Why didn't this become a standard for all manual cars??? BTW, I'm 62 and I've not seen the three on a column shifter since I was with my grandma back in the early 60's. Love it!!!!!!
I had a 1950 Dodge with the 3 speed Fluid Drive. Like the one in the video, not the more sophisticated drive that was available. To say it was slow, is an understatement when starting in third. Dead slow. You couldn't merge with any kind of traffic flow when left in 3rd. Maybe adequate 70 - 80 years ago. I drove it as a 3 speed and it was OK. Thanks for the video.
The Fluid Drive with a 3 speed manual was intended for you to drive around in 2nd and 3rd. Even 70 - 80 years ago, you had to downshift if you wanted to speed up.
I had a number of these normally you only used second and third gears first was for starting on hills. You would bring it to a stop in 3rd gear shifte to second and take your foot off the clutch you then started out in second gear and only had to make one shift this was Chrysler's recommended usage for this transmission. First gear was not used 90% of the time.
Love those old Dodges. When I was a young boy (16) our neighbor had a four door Dodge Cornet. A beautiful little car. Best I can remember, you could push in the clutch and start off in high gear or maybe low but... Once you got the car to going you let off on the gas pedal, you would hear a clicking sound and it would shift into high. When that happened you never had to use the clutch again. It was supper fun to drive. Wish I had that old car. She was a beauty, a beautiful lady. 😊
This is an interesting video on a car transmissions that most people have never heard of. I had not heard of a three speed column shift with a torque converter and clutch pedal before this. Since I was born in 1951 I saw a number of cars that had the regular three speed column shift with clutch pedal and no torque converter.
We had one of these when i was a kid, i never knew what fluid drive was other than written on the back bumper. Thanks for teaching me in a clear easy to understand video
The Fluid Drive had a hydraulic coupling that was the predecessor to the torque convertor, in that it did not multiply torque. IIRC the later ones did use torque convertors.
Correct. The original Fluid Drive had a basic fluid coupling. It did not multiply torque. The more expensive "Prestomatic" (Chrysler), "Tip-Toe Shift" (DeSoto), "GyroMatic" (Dodge) or what was internally dubbed the "M6" version of the transmission DID have a Torque Converter.
The only years that Chrysler Corporation fluid drive vehicles had an optional torque converter was from 1951 - 1953.From what I have been told,the engine and transmission shared a common crankcase on those Fluid Torque transmissions - meaning that,an oil change required about 13 quarts of engine oil to refill the crankcase....
@@frankgiaquinto1571 Correct. Oil changes were suggested "annually" instead of every 3,000 simply because there was so much oil in the system, that it would take 4 times as long to soil it.
QUE BELLOS RECUERDOS, MI PADRE COMPRÓ UN DODGE 46 EN 1970 Y LO DISFRUTAMOS MUCHO TIEMPO, VIAJES, PLAYA, CINE,... ÉRAMOS NIÑOS Y CABÍAMOS TODOS, HASTA NUESTROS CUATRO PERROS, YÁ ÉRA UN CARRO VIEJO PERO PARECÍA NUEVO.... AHHH, NUNCA NOS DEJÓ TIRADOS..!!!
Que buenos recuerdos de la juventud! Tambien recuerdo algunos de los mios: por ejemplo, de noche en nuestro Plymouth '49, durmiendo en el asiento de atras, y el papa teniendo que llevarme adentro a la cama!
It's crazy (to me) to think that the Model T from 1909 through 1927 had a planetary gear set that used bands to apply it's two forward speeds, or reverse. Why then did we move away from planetary sets for the better part of 30 years only to re-establish them in "modern" automatic transmissions? In the interim years, nobody thought about coming up with a column-shifted, planetary drive? With a fluid coupler, there would be no need for a clutch. The shifter on the column would apply either via linkage, or even hydraulics to apply whichever band or clutch the driver required similar to the Model T. There would be no gear clashing since everything would remain in constant mesh. Eventually, they would have devised a way to shift the unit automatically, thereby giving birth to the modern "automatic" transmission.
I had a 54 Dodge with fluid drive. You could put the car in first gear with the brake on and let the clutch out keeping your foot on the brake. You could then accelerate normally and when the rpms got too high, just let off the gas and it would shift into second gear. Would work this way in second gear as well. The car you are driving would work the same way but things are forgotten over the years.
What you're speaking of is one of the last incarnations of this transmission. From the sound of it, your car had Fluid Drive with the Gyromatic. The Gyromatic was a Semi-Automatic transmission. In "Lo" range, you had 1st with an automatic upshift to 2nd, then if you moved the selector to "Hi" you had 3rd with an automatic upshift to 4th. But each range could only cycle between two gears. This is the older straight Fluid Drive. It's a 3-speed transmission, with a clutch and a fluid coupling. You could leave it in 3rd all day long if you wanted. But if you drove the car normally, you had to shift each gear yourself. Fluid Drive by itself offered no automatic up or down shifting. By 1955, Chrysler offered the PowerFlite 2-speed Fully Automatic transmission across the board!
@bad dog Powerflite debuted shortly after the 1954 model year began on Chryslers only. It expanded to the rest of the Corporation in 1955. Torqueflite debuted on all models for the 1956 model year, correct.
I'm fairly certain that the Dodge that you had would have been a 1953 or earlier model,since all Chrysler Corporation automatic transmissions were the fully automatic Powerflite by 1954,with the lone exception of the Plymouth,which used a semi automatic Hy drive transmission in 1954 only...
@@frankgiaquinto1571 you are right about most Chrysler models, but Dodge still had in 1954. Automotive transmissions Manual Sequential Non-synchronous Preselector Automatic / Semi-automatic Hydraulic Manumatic Dual-clutch Continuously variable Automated manual vte Fluid Drive is the trademarked name that Chrysler Corporation assigned to a transmission driveline combination which replaced the flywheel with a hydraulic coupling and performed the same function as a modern torque converter, only without torque multiplication. A conventional clutch and three- or four-speed manual transmission was installed behind the fluid coupling. Fluid drive was used in many military vehicles produced for the US Armed Forces during the Second World War. It was offered for civilian use from 1939 through 1953 in Chryslers, 1940 through 1953 in DeSotos, and from 1941 through 1954 in Dodge models; a semi-automatic system was optional from Chrysler and Desoto from 1941, and for Dodge from 1949.
A few years ago we worked on a 1950 with fluid drive. Had a blown engine and the guy I worked for had one that was new yes I said new. We took it apart just to put new rings in it because from sitting so long with oil in the cylinder got a sticky. It turned out that the engine used a different crank and had to reuse the original so we took it apart again but in the end we got everything working like new. It was quite an experience to say the least
A very interesting video. Sixty-six years later my ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible has the 62TE transaxle with the autostick feature which allows some manual shifting as well if desired.
@@chuckschafer942 actually in the 1940's Plymouth usually had 3 speed manual transmission. Dodge usually had fluid drive with a 3 speed and DeSoto and Chrysler had hi-drive the 2 speed with the selinoid shift, in the early 1950's the whole Chrysler line up could get hy-drve until power-flighted in 1954.
@@lamarrharding4776m thinking of buying one. Im european, so the idea of it not being manual makes me think twice. Could it be driven just like a manual car? And is this fluid drive trans reliable? Thanks
The Bruno Drive is a modern interpretation of the concept. It allows the adaptation of a torque convertor to a manual transmission in drag racing applications
I really wish they would bring back the fluid drive transmission it’s in between manual and automatic like it’s not to hard and not to boring it’s just right and you can have it gear 1 and there is no need to put your foot on the clutch and it won’t stall at all and can shift into gear two with putting your foot on the clutch and the only time you need to put your foot on the clutch is when you are changing into gear 3 and that’s it so please bring it back it may be what we need to make things not so boring in the world
The demand for maximum acceleration killed it because you had to wait for it to clunk into the next gear, whereas HydraMatic shifted instantly. The Buick Dynaflow allowed you to start off in Lo for fast acceleration, but you would quickly wear it out shifting from Lo to Drive, unless you let up off the gas, again losing out to quick-shifting Hydramatic.
I still have one that my dad had in his old T-bucket rod project. I kept the flywheel, clutch assembly, hydraulic coupling unit, belhousing, and gearbox/ transmission with an old drum type parking brake on the tail shaft. Dad said the transmission unit was failing and was junk... Let me know if you get an answer because I have this one waiting for a repair/ rebuild too. Or its gonna be sold as is with no warranty.
There was no torque advantage to fluid drive it only slipped at low rpm. I owned a 47for three years. 83 mph was as fast as it would go down hill you could put it in second and drive it in stop and go traffic just using the gas and brake
In 1970 I inherited my grandpa's 1941 Chrysler Windsor that I had ridden in all my life, and drove it for years. This video does not show starting up in low gear, lifting the foot from the accelerator so as to prompt the transmission to automatically shift to the higher gear, the whole idea of Fluid Drive! For quick starts, I would start up in 1st, lift my foot going to 2nd, then use the clutch to shift into high (4th?). If I started out in 1st and immediately clutch-shifted to the other range, it would go to 3rd, allowing me to lift-pedal and auto-shift to 4th. More relaxed, I would sometimes stop in high gear, and let the car start up from 3rd gear, lifting my foot to auto-shift to 4th. I might have been wrong, the two lever positions might have represented 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd (never could tell if the lower-high gear was the same or different from the higher-low gear). But the final method shown in the video, where the car starts from stop in 3rd gear and continues with no further shifting doesn't look right. I recall always going through at least 2 gears, possibly 3, on the way to cruising. Was the shifting method changed from '41 to '46?
The transmission you had was the Vacamatic (M4), which wasn't available on Dodge, just the more upscale brands DeSoto and Chrysler. Dodge did eventually get an improved version of that as an option, but not until 1948. In 1946, Dodge had a conventional 3 speed manual connected to the Fluid Drive coupling, Chrysler and DeSoto had the 4-speed semiautomatic with Fluid Drive, which was what you had in your '41
@@robscafidi4070 Thanks for confirming. I always felt like the upper gear of low range was slightly different from the lower gear of the upper range. Chrysler advertised driving solely in 3rd-4th, but I had no patience for those sluggish starts, so I started in 1st.
You had to use the clutch to select a range, or to change ranges, ie Drive to Reverse. You didn't touch it in regular forward driving, unless you needed Lo.
Does anyone know what the shift pattern would be on 53 Plymouth hy-drive. I just bought a car with one and I’m struggling to understand the function fully
I was telling a guy about this transmission and this video.. He said that he had heard that cars with this transmission do not have a "Park" function, like other cars, and that you REALLY have to remember to put your parking brake on because the tranmssion has no park to help hold the car. Is that correct?
Yeah I don't think so I had a 46 dodge never restored and that baby idled so quietly and ran so smooth, I think you might have some problem, but it might not be major one.
ua-cam.com/video/p-wfIrtVUmk/v-deo.html in this video it shows her not having push clutch the fluid drive but I know you have to do that to engage it in first
These days a lot of us use TDH Tractor Fluid, ISO 22 or ISO32 grade. TDH stands for transmission, differential and hydraulic fluid. You can get it at Walmart, auto parts stores, farm supply stores. It is not expensive. Same fluid can be used in transmissions if they call for 10 oil.
The Fluid Drive holds the car in place on a hill so it won't roll backward, you can take your foot off the brake and put it on the gas without the car rolling or stalling, the clutch pedal can be totally released as soon as you finish shifting into gear
It could be the road has a high crown and the wheel was cocked left to keep it off the shoulder. However, on level ground wheels pointed straight ahead, the wheel can be straightened with an adjustment under the hood. Also excess play in the wheel can be taken out same way.
Good explanation. The three speed manual here is the most rare type of Fluid Drive. Very easy to teach someone how to drive a manual with this system. Cab and city driver's generally just left it in second gear, going from traffic light to traffic light. It took a load off from the constant clutching and shifting. It was a welcome marvel in it's day.
The other version of Fluid Drive was more automatic. It had two ranges, a Low Range and a High Range. Normal driving was done in High Range. With that version there were two gears in each range, and once you had started off to shift into the higher gear you just lifted your foot off the gas pedal and waited for a Click sound indicating that it had shifter to into the higher gear and then reapplied the gas pedal.
Yes I drove a '51 Chrysler that was just like that, only time that I have ever drove one.
I, pretty much, learned to drive on a '48 Dodge D-24 with Fluid Drive. It was a hand-me-down car from my grandfather to my older brother. I had already mastered a standard 3-speed manual '53 Pontiac, earlier. But, to actually get out on the road and drive, the '48 Dodge was the one I learned to drive with. Among the many things you could do with the Fluid Drive, you could also upshift without depressing the clutch. You could stop on an upward grade and, thanks to the fluid torque converter, start without the car rolling backward if you kept the clutch out. Plus, while rolling at speed, 50-60-65, the ride was smoother than other cars, since the Fluid Drive absorbed the vibration from the engine, and subsequently, the ride was quieter. That old '48 had factory turn signals, a nice-sounding radio, and when driving at night, the lighted speedometer would change colors with increasing speed. 0-35 green, 35-60 white, over 60 red. The heater and defroster were excellent, and the windshield wipers were electric. One thing that puzzled me, in those days, was why Chrysler products used a positive ground for the 6-volt electrical system? Found out, later on, that the electrical system worked better that way, with fewer problems with the voltage regulator. For the money, those Dodges were very nice cars.
I think only GM used negative ground back then.
In "the era", Mopars DEFINED GREAT CARS!!
I remember a VW commercial on TV about 1970, where they showed a guy shifting it like a 4 speed. Then a woman got in & put it in 4th gear, & drove it like an automatic. I can remember if it had a clutch or not. I don't recall them showing one. Just the guy driving it hard, jamming gears, then the lady driving slow & sensible.
Yes there was a clutch, it was electrically activated from the knob on the shift lever.
In the sixties, my father had a '49 Dodge coupe as a 'work car'. It had Fluid Drive and I can remember as a child how smooth it was, compared to his older Rambler w/3 speed and OD.
I recently acquired a 1947 DeSoto S11 sedan with Fluid -Drive in similar original condition to the Dodge shown here. I had to familiarize myself with this feature. I had always thought Fluid-Drive was kind of a glorified standard with a few automatic-like features, but was surprised to learn that it is much more automatic than I expected. The DeSoto has three gear positions, essentially reverse, forward low, and forward high. In addition, it has a feature marketed as "Tiptoe Shift", which allows two speeds for each of the forward gears. As Lookey Who describes, you can shift in each of these positions by momentarily letting up on the accelerator and then pressing down again. At stops, you do not need to depress the clutch or release it when moving forward again, and can take off in whatever gear you were in when you stopped. The original owners manual still present in the glove box advises that in normal conditions the driver can take off in the high gear position. What this means is that once I get the car backed up, I can shift to high, release the clutch, and go on down the road, upshifting to fourth gear by releasing and reapplying the accelerator. I drove all around our small town (many stops) in such a manner without ever touching the clutch, although it took some restraint to keep my foot off of it. As the presenter advises, it's not quick, but it gets the job done.
Hernando47 Memphis What you have is actually the Vacamatic semi - automatic transmission.
@@RGD0756 The Vacamatic was used on pre-war Chrysler 6 and DeSoto. The post-war cars had a hydraulically operated semi-auto.
So it has a clutch, but you don’t have to use it! That’s cool! I am surprised they don’t have something like that now!
The clutch is necessary on a Fluid Drive because you still need to shift. However, you do not need to depress the clutch when starting off or idling in traffic.
Same thing with the more advanced (M4/M6) version. You only needed to use the clutch when shifting ranges or into reverse.
It's true, most people driving today have never seen a 3 speed, column mounted manual trans car. Even fewer have seen a 4 speed on the column. Yup, they existed. Friend's father had a early 60s Ford with a 4 speed on the column.
Had a old Fiat 1100D and it had a 4 on the tree, In Italy they were not that uncommon in the late 60's.
Many European cars had a column shifted four speed transmission....
@@frankgiaquinto1571 Yes, my father-in-law in Barcelona, Spain, had a '64 Ford Zodiac with 4 on the column, 6 cylinder with dual exhausts and leather interior! I drove that car and in city traffic in BCN you could drive first to third just one shift skipping the rest, and charge out ahead of all the little Seat 600's and Renault R8's. Car was a beast.
It must be a satisfying driving experience
Dodge advertised the fluid drive as a suggested option for their delivery vehicles. A milkman could put a truck in second gear, drive from house to house without shifting, and just set the massive parking brake after stopping. Car owners could drive in town in stop and go traffic in second and avoid shifting, too. But the early successful automatic transmissions forced Chrysler to develop the -flite series of transmissions, which were great.
When I was 18 in 1970 I acquired my Grandad’s ‘51 1/2ton B series pilothouse pickup with Fluid Drive (the fluid coupling, just like the car in this video, not Torque Drive). In snow, mud, and off-road, it was an amazing feature. I loved that truck, and foolishly sold it when I had a job transfer and couldn’t take it with me. Of all the cars and trucks I have had and sold since, that PU with the Fluid Drive is the only one I truly regret selling and wish I had back! When I talk to car guys about it, maybe 1 in 100 have any idea what I’m talking about. Thanks for a great video.
This brings back early childhood memories. I remember riding in a black car which I learned later was a '46 Dodge. My dad got it as a hand-me-down from his parents, and traded it in for a blue '51 Dodge Wayfarer 2D sedan, and both cars had the same engine and transmission as the one in this video. I was only 3 when the new car came along, and it was a few more years before he could explain the mechanics of the car so I could understand it.
The Mopar "fluid drive" of "the era" was a slow, MAYBE cumbersome transmission that WORKED FOREVER! Repair shops would have GONE BANKRUPT waiting for this to fail! They were simple, NOT fast, BUT THESE ALWAYS WORKED!
Under normal conditions Dodge recommended you only use second and third gear starting in second and only having to make one shift. First gear in a fluid drive was only recommended for steep hills towing and conditions of mud and gravel.
This is the original Fluid Drive introduced about 1940. As this shows Dodge stayed with this in their post war cars. Dodge eventually also offer this with the 4 speed semi automatic gearbox , a combination they called Gyromatic Fluid Drive in early 50s cars . In order to get better acceleration they introduced a variable vane torque converter in place of the fluid coupling when the V8 engines came into use. They called this Fluid Torque Drive.
Why didn't this become a standard for all manual cars???
BTW, I'm 62 and I've not seen the three on a column shifter since I was with my grandma back in the early 60's. Love it!!!!!!
I had a 1950 Dodge with the 3 speed Fluid Drive. Like the one in the video, not the more sophisticated drive that was available. To say it was slow, is an understatement when starting in third. Dead slow. You couldn't merge with any kind of traffic flow when left in 3rd. Maybe adequate 70 - 80 years ago. I drove it as a 3 speed and it was OK.
Thanks for the video.
The Fluid Drive with a 3 speed manual was intended for you to drive around in 2nd and 3rd. Even 70 - 80 years ago, you had to downshift if you wanted to speed up.
I had a number of these normally you only used second and third gears first was for starting on hills. You would bring it to a stop in 3rd gear shifte to second and take your foot off the clutch you then started out in second gear and only had to make one shift this was Chrysler's recommended usage for this transmission. First gear was not used 90% of the time.
Much of America back then was rural and not every road was paved. A low gear had more practical uses than today.
Love those old Dodges. When I was a young boy (16) our neighbor had a four door Dodge Cornet. A beautiful little car. Best I can remember, you could push in the clutch and start off in high gear or maybe low but... Once you got the car to going you let off on the gas pedal, you would hear a clicking sound and it would shift into high. When that happened you never had to use the clutch again. It was supper fun to drive. Wish I had that old car. She was a beauty, a beautiful lady. 😊
This is an interesting video on a car transmissions that most people have never heard of. I had not heard of a three speed column shift with a torque converter and clutch pedal before this. Since I was born in 1951 I saw a number of cars that had the regular three speed column shift with clutch pedal and no torque converter.
Only Chrysler products were that innovative.
Very cool!! My first car was a '47 Dodge 4 dr sedan. Same drive line!!
We had one of these when i was a kid, i never knew what fluid drive was other than written on the back bumper. Thanks for teaching me in a clear easy to understand video
I used to put it I. Second gear and leave it in the city .. for stop and go traffic .
The Fluid Drive had a hydraulic coupling that was the predecessor to the torque convertor, in that it did not multiply torque. IIRC the later ones did use torque convertors.
Correct. The original Fluid Drive had a basic fluid coupling. It did not multiply torque. The more expensive "Prestomatic" (Chrysler), "Tip-Toe Shift" (DeSoto), "GyroMatic" (Dodge) or what was internally dubbed the "M6" version of the transmission DID have a Torque Converter.
The only years that Chrysler Corporation fluid drive vehicles had an optional torque converter was from 1951 - 1953.From what I have been told,the engine and transmission shared a common crankcase on those Fluid Torque transmissions - meaning that,an oil change required about 13 quarts of engine oil to refill the crankcase....
@@frankgiaquinto1571 Correct. Oil changes were suggested "annually" instead of every 3,000 simply because there was so much oil in the system, that it would take 4 times as long to soil it.
@@That_AMC_Guy semi annually SPRING AND FALL
Very interesting this transmission, good demonstration and video.
That was very interesting!
QUE BELLOS RECUERDOS, MI PADRE COMPRÓ UN DODGE 46 EN 1970 Y LO DISFRUTAMOS MUCHO TIEMPO, VIAJES, PLAYA, CINE,... ÉRAMOS NIÑOS Y CABÍAMOS TODOS, HASTA NUESTROS CUATRO PERROS, YÁ ÉRA UN CARRO VIEJO PERO PARECÍA NUEVO.... AHHH, NUNCA NOS DEJÓ TIRADOS..!!!
Que buenos recuerdos de la juventud! Tambien recuerdo algunos de los mios: por ejemplo, de noche en nuestro Plymouth '49, durmiendo en el asiento de atras, y el papa teniendo que llevarme adentro a la cama!
It's crazy (to me) to think that the Model T from 1909 through 1927 had a planetary gear set that used bands to apply it's two forward speeds, or reverse.
Why then did we move away from planetary sets for the better part of 30 years only to re-establish them in "modern" automatic transmissions?
In the interim years, nobody thought about coming up with a column-shifted, planetary drive? With a fluid coupler, there would be no need for a clutch. The shifter on the column would apply either via linkage, or even hydraulics to apply whichever band or clutch the driver required similar to the Model T. There would be no gear clashing since everything would remain in constant mesh.
Eventually, they would have devised a way to shift the unit automatically, thereby giving birth to the modern "automatic" transmission.
I had a 54 Dodge with fluid drive. You could put the car in first gear with the brake on and let the clutch out keeping your foot on the brake. You could then accelerate normally and when the rpms got too high, just let off the gas and it would shift into second gear. Would work this way in second gear as well. The car you are driving would work the same way but things are forgotten over the years.
What you're speaking of is one of the last incarnations of this transmission. From the sound of it, your car had Fluid Drive with the Gyromatic. The Gyromatic was a Semi-Automatic transmission. In "Lo" range, you had 1st with an automatic upshift to 2nd, then if you moved the selector to "Hi" you had 3rd with an automatic upshift to 4th. But each range could only cycle between two gears.
This is the older straight Fluid Drive. It's a 3-speed transmission, with a clutch and a fluid coupling. You could leave it in 3rd all day long if you wanted. But if you drove the car normally, you had to shift each gear yourself. Fluid Drive by itself offered no automatic up or down shifting.
By 1955, Chrysler offered the PowerFlite 2-speed Fully Automatic transmission across the board!
@bad dog Powerflite debuted shortly after the 1954 model year began on Chryslers only. It expanded to the rest of the Corporation in 1955. Torqueflite debuted on all models for the 1956 model year, correct.
Right - that goes back to the Vacamatic of 1941. This fellow is driving it like a regular 3 speed.
I'm fairly certain that the Dodge that you had would have been a 1953 or earlier model,since all Chrysler Corporation automatic transmissions were the fully automatic Powerflite by 1954,with the lone exception of the Plymouth,which used a semi automatic Hy drive transmission in 1954 only...
@@frankgiaquinto1571 you are right about most Chrysler models, but Dodge still had in 1954.
Automotive transmissions
Manual
Sequential Non-synchronous Preselector
Automatic / Semi-automatic
Hydraulic Manumatic Dual-clutch Continuously variable Automated manual
vte
Fluid Drive is the trademarked name that Chrysler Corporation assigned to a transmission driveline combination which replaced the flywheel with a hydraulic coupling and performed the same function as a modern torque converter, only without torque multiplication. A conventional clutch and three- or four-speed manual transmission was installed behind the fluid coupling. Fluid drive was used in many military vehicles produced for the US Armed Forces during the Second World War. It was offered for civilian use from 1939 through 1953 in Chryslers, 1940 through 1953 in DeSotos, and from 1941 through 1954 in Dodge models; a semi-automatic system was optional from Chrysler and Desoto from 1941, and for Dodge from 1949.
I keep thinking the transmission like this with the shifter on the floor would be great for bracket racing.
A few years ago we worked on a 1950 with fluid drive. Had a blown engine and the guy I worked for had one that was new yes I said new. We took it apart just to put new rings in it because from sitting so long with oil in the cylinder got a sticky. It turned out that the engine used a different crank and had to reuse the original so we took it apart again but in the end we got everything working like new. It was quite an experience to say the least
"THREE ON THE TREE"..that's the slang term for it
Thank you for demonstrating this technology .. keep going bro
This was helpful - I just bought a 52 with fluid drive - good info!
I believe turn signal were required on all new cars in the United States starting in 1954.
A very interesting video. Sixty-six years later my ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible has the 62TE transaxle with the autostick feature which allows some manual shifting as well if desired.
My first car was a 46 DeSoto with hy-drive 2 speed with high and low range on the accelerator pedal.
HY DRIVE WAS PLYMOUTH
@@chuckschafer942 actually in the 1940's Plymouth usually had 3 speed manual transmission. Dodge usually had fluid drive with a 3 speed and DeSoto and Chrysler had hi-drive the 2 speed with the selinoid shift, in the early 1950's the whole Chrysler line up could get hy-drve until power-flighted in 1954.
@@lamarrharding4776m thinking of buying one. Im european, so the idea of it not being manual makes me think twice. Could it be driven just like a manual car? And is this fluid drive trans reliable? Thanks
@Eduardo-lw6nd The DeSoto only got about 10 miles to a gallon of gasoline, but gasoline was cheaper back then also.
The Bruno Drive is a modern interpretation of the concept. It allows the adaptation of a torque convertor to a manual transmission in drag racing applications
I really wish they would bring back the fluid drive transmission it’s in between manual and automatic like it’s not to hard and not to boring it’s just right and you can have it gear 1 and there is no need to put your foot on the clutch and it won’t stall at all and can shift into gear two with putting your foot on the clutch and the only time you need to put your foot on the clutch is when you are changing into gear 3 and that’s it so please bring it back it may be what we need to make things not so boring in the world
The demand for maximum acceleration killed it because you had to wait for it to clunk into the next gear, whereas HydraMatic shifted instantly. The Buick Dynaflow allowed you to start off in Lo for fast acceleration, but you would quickly wear it out shifting from Lo to Drive, unless you let up off the gas, again losing out to quick-shifting Hydramatic.
Road to school in a fifty four Dodge that had this system in it, and it worked fine
That was fascinating!
I have a 1947 Dodge. Do you know where I can get the semi-fluid torque rebuilt? Thank you.
I still have one that my dad had in his old T-bucket rod project. I kept the flywheel, clutch assembly, hydraulic coupling unit, belhousing, and gearbox/ transmission with an old drum type parking brake on the tail shaft. Dad said the transmission unit was failing and was junk... Let me know if you get an answer because I have this one waiting for a repair/ rebuild too. Or its gonna be sold as is with no warranty.
There was no torque advantage to fluid drive it only slipped at low rpm. I owned a 47for three years. 83 mph was as fast as it would go down hill you could put it in second and drive it in stop and go traffic just using the gas and brake
What name of the company who rebuild the fluid couplings
In 1970 I inherited my grandpa's 1941 Chrysler Windsor that I had ridden in all my life, and drove it for years. This video does not show starting up in low gear, lifting the foot from the accelerator so as to prompt the transmission to automatically shift to the higher gear, the whole idea of Fluid Drive! For quick starts, I would start up in 1st, lift my foot going to 2nd, then use the clutch to shift into high (4th?). If I started out in 1st and immediately clutch-shifted to the other range, it would go to 3rd, allowing me to lift-pedal and auto-shift to 4th. More relaxed, I would sometimes stop in high gear, and let the car start up from 3rd gear, lifting my foot to auto-shift to 4th. I might have been wrong, the two lever positions might have represented 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd (never could tell if the lower-high gear was the same or different from the higher-low gear). But the final method shown in the video, where the car starts from stop in 3rd gear and continues with no further shifting doesn't look right. I recall always going through at least 2 gears, possibly 3, on the way to cruising. Was the shifting method changed from '41 to '46?
The transmission you had was the Vacamatic (M4), which wasn't available on Dodge, just the more upscale brands DeSoto and Chrysler. Dodge did eventually get an improved version of that as an option, but not until 1948. In 1946, Dodge had a conventional 3 speed manual connected to the Fluid Drive coupling, Chrysler and DeSoto had the 4-speed semiautomatic with Fluid Drive, which was what you had in your '41
@@robscafidi4070 Thanks for confirming. I always felt like the upper gear of low range was slightly different from the lower gear of the upper range. Chrysler advertised driving solely in 3rd-4th, but I had no patience for those sluggish starts, so I started in 1st.
Who rebuilds them
If a transmission clutches by fluid coupling, what is clutch pedal stands for?
Because you still need to disconnect the input shaft i assume
You had to use the clutch to select a range, or to change ranges, ie Drive to Reverse. You didn't touch it in regular forward driving, unless you needed Lo.
In Australia we Called the gear Shift A Three On The Tree 5:20
1942 M5 US light tank ...
Twin Caddy V8s w/ Hydra-Matics
I would bet my paycheck those Miles are actual. Bear in mind people and cars back then simply did not drive 100,000 miles.
Does anyone know what the shift pattern would be on 53 Plymouth hy-drive. I just bought a car with one and I’m struggling to understand the function fully
@@Alexander-jr8nw I figured it out. Thank you though
What is that thingy on top, in the middle of the dashboard? Some kind of defroster vent?
I believe that that is the windshield wiper switch....
I was telling a guy about this transmission and this video.. He said that he had heard that cars with this transmission do not have a "Park" function, like other cars, and that you REALLY have to remember to put your parking brake on because the tranmssion has no park to help hold the car. Is that correct?
NO FLYWHEEL
What is that knocking sound when you first take off?
The sound of a 75 year old car
Yeah I don't think so I had a 46 dodge never restored and that baby idled so quietly and ran so smooth, I think you might have some problem, but it might not be major one.
I had a 48 dodge with that tranny. Took a bit to get used to letting my foot off the clutch while in gear at stop lights.
ua-cam.com/video/p-wfIrtVUmk/v-deo.html in this video it shows her not having push clutch the fluid drive but I know you have to do that to engage it in first
Do you know what fluid to use in the fluid drive I have a 1942 d22 and I have never found anyone with that knowledge
10W OIL
These days a lot of us use TDH Tractor Fluid, ISO 22 or ISO32 grade. TDH stands for transmission, differential and hydraulic fluid. You can get it at Walmart, auto parts stores, farm supply stores. It is not expensive. Same fluid can be used in transmissions if they call for 10 oil.
Had a 52 dodge pu worked great in town I'd use 2nd
How does that work on a hill or an incline?
The Fluid Drive holds the car in place on a hill so it won't roll backward, you can take your foot off the brake and put it on the gas without the car rolling or stalling, the clutch pedal can be totally released as soon as you finish shifting into gear
Do the old cars need to go in 2nd before 1st
The steering wheel is crooked even on a straight road.
It could be the road has a high crown and the wheel was cocked left to keep it off the shoulder. However, on level ground wheels pointed straight ahead, the wheel can be straightened with an adjustment under the hood. Also excess play in the wheel can be taken out same way.
I have. But I’m 72yrs Old huh haaaa
good condition except for the exhaust system.
The steering is really crooked
I MUCH PREFER the "fluid drive" to ANY "modern electronic system"! These WORKED FOREVER! The "electronic wonders" NEVER WORK FOR VERY LONG!
Fluid coupling was just that..no torque multiplication whatsoever.check ur specs
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Massive buffer,buffer,buffer UNWATCHABLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!