DonaldSmith

Bingo!

My car doesn't have that wire grounded to the carburetor. Maybe trace your ground wire back. Someone may have added it in ancient history .

Can't tell what color your wires used to be. Possible the two wires to the anti-stall are one from the relay and one to the solenoid; should be red. Here's the top of my carb (Wiring WRONG! Should be the RED wires.) The other side of the carb (wiring correct):

So, it's actually overdrive technology (solenoid, governor, etc.) adapted to a four-speed transmission, operating as mopar_earl describes.

From someone who has reversed the wires on the carburetor: Red (or formerly red) wire from "SOL" post on the trans relay to "Carburetor Anti-Stall" on the top front of the carburetor. This wire branches off to the Solenoid. Yellow (somewhat) wire from the "TH" post of the relay to the "Kick Down Switch" at the side of the carb facing the engine. This wire also branches off to the Governor Switch. Black (maybe faded) wire from the "INT" post of the relay to the Interrupter Switch. In the photo posted above, the solenoid is circled. The bottom of the photo is at the back of the floor opening. The governor is the other big round thing. The interrupter switch is sitting alone. Here's my car:

Don, keep your sense of humor. No, don't keep it to yourself, keep sharing it with us. And you can always tune in to this site for the ridiculous and the sublime, offered in no particular order.

The terminology is rather "fluid". "Fluid Drive" is the general term, and includes the presence of the fluid coupling between the engine and the clutch. "Gyro-Matic is Dodge's moniker for its semi-automatic transmission. Start off in third, and it upshifts to fourth. Dodges were also available with a three-speed transmission behind the clutch and fluid coupling. Drive all day in third.

Hey, guys! Let's have a wiring party! No, too many people crowded under the dashboard. Maybe a wiring tag team. But I have the feeling that Don needs a car with auto transmission, No clutching. So, maybe it's best to sell this car and get a more knee and foot friendly model. Our best wishes and prayers for you.

We wish you well, Don.

FYI - For your inflammation? I usually to find a word that's close, like "My sediments exactly."

The fluid coupling unbolts from the crankshaft without spilling the fluid, much like a pressure plate would. Think of the fluid coupling assembly as a very thick pressure plate. (In removing the fluid coupling, be sure to mark the components first, so that upon reassembly, the one off-center bolt hole lines up.) There is very little space to get the nuts in. Start the nuts on all the bolts before starting to tighten the bolts. I bought a pair of real long needle-nose pliers to hold the nuts while threading the bolts int them. There are threads on fluid coupling fluid. Maybe the fluid won't need replacing. There is an access cover on the floor hump, and a plug on the side of the coupling.

James, for insurance coverage of tools: I wonder if agreed value insurance would be available, as for collector cars. Who's the guy with the 39 DeSoto and with all the rare tools? His name escapes me. maybe he could help you set a value.

Recently my vegan son praised up the operation of some organic farmer in Virginia who rotates his chickens with other farm animals and crops so that the fields full of droppings and natural fertilizers (read bullsh...) are then used for organic crops. So the free range field does get used to advantage. Stubble from some crops become grazing for some animals. The guy has it all figured out. Does this type of farming compete with corporation farming? I don't know. Maybe the demand prices for organic foods keep the operation in the black. This sort of farming has gone on for eons in various parts of the world.

I think some tanks had twin Cadillac V-8 engines. Go with what you have.

It's not too late for this thread to deteriorate. But I'll resist the temptation to bring up a word that rhymes with tooters.

Photo 7 shows the starter with a foot-actuated switch. Was that on post-war Dodges? The transmission is manual, not a semi-automatic, and not with overdrive. The bell housing is the big type, which houses a fluid coupling.

It would be interesting to see how the Movie Car accommodated movie equipment. Why the platform on the front? Why the two removable panels on the hood?

Didn't the Briggs Co. make the bodies for Hudsons and Packards? So they are sort of sister cars, or at least cousin cars. And the mechanics were much the same. So, no apologies needed.

I am sure that the resemblance to a Cadillac is not coincidental.

About halfway down the photos is a Shell station, with a Pontiac wagon and aluminum camper in front of it. This station is a dead ringer for the gas station on exhibit on the grounds of the Gilmore Car Museum outside Hickory Corners, Michigan, near Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. Maybe it is that station, and the photo could have been taken yesterday. The Gilmore Car Museum is a large field with barns reconstructed from around the country, a vintage diner, the Shell station, and various car club buildings. We had the 2015 National DeSoto Club show there.

"Ethyl"? The youngsters wouldn't get it. But they can Google "Ethyl gasoline". GM and Standard Oil of New Jersey formed the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation to market tetraethyllead (it reads easier as tetra ethyl lead,or TEL), which they had DuPont manufacture. I remember, "Fill it up with Ethyl." Then, with the advent of catalytic converters, the newer cars came with a narrower gas filler opening, so that leaded gasoline could not be used, which would destroy the effectiveness of the catalytic converter. But there was a market for small funnels, for pouring the cheaper leaded gas into the newer cars. Later, the hit fit the shan, as the gummint got wise to the lead pollution and completely banned leaded gasoline.

If you use a petty knofe (that's a putty knife) as a tucking tool, the corners can rip the fabric. How do I know? The windshield molding covers the tack strip.

Well, this column is full of all sorts of advice. It's like religion; some are points men, some are electronic. I just had a hard time getting the ignition to work right, due, I'm sure, to my limited depth of experience and propensity to forget the lessons I had learned. I'm keeping my old coil, points and condenser.

Years ago, Pepper the dog peed on the carpet in front of the back seat of our 68 Mercury. I used Lysol spray to kill the smell. Unpleasantly, I had to sniff out the exact location of the donation, for a proper application. But I don't know if you can saturate the entire interior of your with Lysol, if they even they make it the same way they did back then. There may have been some ingredient that causes cancer in California.

The metal strips over the doors have internal teeth which grab the headliner material. The blue metal strips are blue because I removed them and primed them. The teeth are on the back side. (edit:) After reinstalling the headliner, I never got all the wrinkles and sags out. You can do a headliner job yourself if you settle for less than perfection. Much less. But maybe new material works better than reinstalled.