Jim Wilson

That popping sound could be consistent with a vacuum leak, which would indicate the diaphragm on the rebuilt vacuum advance has ruptured.

46-48 Hiawatha Doodlebug in background. between Chrysler and Schwinn.

Lloyd, after seeing the picture of your R7 overdrive transmission I realize that you will probably will have to modify your linkage after all. The 39 Chrysler R6 overdrive transmission in my car (and as described by plyroadking above) is a direct bolt-in for a 39 Plymouth P8 because it has the same top cover as the stock 39 P8 transmission.

Meadowbrook, I posted my comments about my "R7" before going down the list to your post. Does your transmission have R6 or R7 cast on the case?

I've had what I thought was an R7 in my 1939 P8 Plymouth for several years, and it works very well. I had the car up on the hoist the other day and, to my surprise, R6 is cast on the side of the case. I bought the transmission from Moore's Auto Salvage in Rapid City, SD, and was told it came out of a 1939 Chrysler. Anybody know the story behind the R6 vs R7? Lloyd, the linkage was a direct bolt-on, no modifications necessary, just the addition of the overdrive cable and, as you mention, shortening of the drive shaft. I did not install a kickdown switch, so the solenoid is not hooked up. .

On my 1939 Plymouth, the support bracket from the back of the radio to the firewall needed to be tightened. Jim Wilson

Sig, there is a 1941 Dodge convertible here in Bellingham, Washington that has a Jag engine in it. If I remember correctly it is mounted on a Chevrolet sub frame. Unfortunately the owner passed away recently at age 80, but his widow still has the car, and it should be available for measurements and photos. Also, there is a 1939 Dodge sedan like yours here locally and, finally, I have a 1939 Plymouth convertible which I believe has engine compartment dimensions similar to the 1939 Dodge. So, between the three cars, I can probably get some information that would be helpful for your project. Let me know what you need. Jim Wilson

Yes, that's the right kind.

I used a completely different approach when building my '39 P8 Plymouth. It has a 1959 Plymouth 230 block followed by a 1939 Chrysler transmission with a Borg-Warner R7 overdrive. The advantage to this installation is that it is totally bolt-in, retains your existing column shift, and can be easily returned to its original configuration, if someone in the future wishes to do so. A new, shorter driveshaft must be built, so save the old one for the future.