busycoupe

I have a fluid drive car. I have never towed it, however, I don't think that there would be any problem with towing it. When it is out of gear there is no connection to the engine. The fluid drive unit does not have a pump like a modern automatic transmission so I don't think that anything could be harmed by towing. Dave

Reprints of the service manual are available from Berbaum at oldmoparts.com or Roberts Motor parts. Roberts also has a website. You should also get a parts book if you can. It has exploded views which are very helpful. Dave

Thanks for the info about superbtrights. I just ordered bulbs for the tail-stop lights and one for the center brake light. My car has separate directional lights that were added by a previous owner many years ago so the flasher should not be a problem. Dave

The filter in my car looks identical to the one you show including the mounting bracket. I just replaced the filter element. I took out a Fram C134pl that my local Carquest store cross referenced to Carquest number 85080. The Carquest filter fit perfectly. On the edge of the top cover of my filter canister it says P-70. I have a 48 D24, but the engine is a replacement. It is a P23 bock, but head is labelled with a large DT so who knows if I have an original filter housing or not. Dave

Great article and a beautiful car. I hope to be able to see it someday. Dave

My car also has the neoprene rear main seal and was leaking quite badly. Last summer I dropped the oil pan and removed the rear main bearing cap. The bottom half of the seal bolts to the bearing cap and the top half to the block. I replaced the bottom half of the seal, but could not remove the top half without removing the transmission and fluid drive unit. I left the top half in place, but checked the tightness of the bolts holding it. I replaced the oil pan gasket and out it all back together. This solved better than 90% of the leaks. I still get a dime sized spot on the floor after a ride, but a drip pan easily takes care of that. As for your compression numbers, 90 to 100 lbs may be close to normal if you have a low compression engine. Normal atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi. If you have a 6.5:1 compression ratio 6.5 x 14.7 = 95.5 psi. Any engine is going to leak a little pressure, so 90 psi is OK. I would be more concerned about the cylinders all reading close to the same rather than all being over 100 psi. Dave

Congratulations Fred, I'm looking forward to hearing it run. Dave

Here's mine. Picture taken a couple of months ago. Dave

My filter cannister is exactly as you describe with a large nut on top and spring fitting on the inside. It does not come apart, it is staked together on the inside. I was able to stretch a rubber washer over the nut. I believe the rubber washer came with my replacement filter element. Dave

1942 cars are somewhat rare and while business coupes are not rare, they are unusual. I like the business coupe, and you would certainly get a lot of attention. .. No one has asked yet, so I will. Where is this old collector who has this fabulous array of cars and how do you know him? Dave

In March I had my car shipped from Massachusetts to North Carolina. I called about a half dozen haulers listed in Hemmings. All but one used enclosed vans. They were all within $50 of each other on their prices except for the one with the open trailer, he was about $100 less than the closed vans. I had Thomas Sunday transport the car in an enclosed van because they could schedule it the way I wanted. They did an excellent job. I checked U-Haul, but when I added up the cost of the truck and trailer rental and the gas and a night in a hotel, it added up to within $100 of what the haulers wanted. If you have someone to be present when the car is put on the truck my advice is to go with one of the car hauling companies listed in Hemmings. It costs about the same as doing it yourself and you can have the peace of mind that it will arrive intact. Dave

Robert and Neil are correct. This is a "single pot" system. Since 1967 American cars have had dual brake systems so that if one fails the other can still stop the car. Our old cars do not have this safety feature. If there is a leak or a worn master cylinder you can lose the entire system almost immediately. Do not drive the car until you investigate. Dave

The pedal going to the floor sounds scary. A worn master cylinder will cause this. If the minor brake adjustment does not help I would replace or rebuild the master. Dave

My car behaves much like an automatic off the line, perhaps about as quick as an old GM 2 spd auto. The fluid drive does not "drag the motor down". Perhaps your carb accelerator pump need attention. Dave

My D24 business coupe has a 3 spd with fluid drive. It is definitely not fast. I have not driven a D24 or P15 with a regular clutch set-up so I really can't say how they compare. I usually start off the line in second gear and it is OK for normal driving. (first gear is very low, probably good for mud or steep hills) It is possible to start off the line in third, but when I do, little kids on tricycles complain that I don't get out of the way fast enough. Once rolling it is very easy to drive and when the fluid coupling is fully engaged, around 20 mph and up, I wouldn't think it would make any difference. It is also very easy on the clutch. When starting out my procedure is 1) depress the clutch and shift into second, 2) release the clutch but hold the car with the brake, 3) release the break and accelerate away. 4) at around 15-25 mph depress the clutch to shift to third. The clutch is not slipped at all. Dave

Mine does not have a dipstick tube. The dipstick sits right in the block. However, my car has a replacement engine that has a P23 block number. That is from a 1951 Plymouth. I don't know if this matters or not. Dave

Thanks Joe, I'm not sure that it is the same on a D24, but I will look for the holes in the frame in the morning. Dave

That looks like the logical way to do it, but logic hasn't always been my friend when working on this old car. If anyone has done this before and knows what works please let me know. Thanks, Dave

On my car the bottom 2 bolts of the mount are behind the horseshoe bracket. There doesn't seem to be enough room to reach a socket up there. Ideas? Dave

I am replacing the leaky radiator in my D24 and with the radiator out I can see that the front motor mount is in poor shape. I can see strips of rubber hanging out of it. I'd like to replace it while the radiator is out. I can see and get to the two bolts on top of the motor mount, but I can't see how to get to the bottom two. Can I undo the top two bolts, jack up the engine an inch or so then take off the horseshoe frame to get at the bottom of the motor mount? What is the proper procedure? Thanks! Dave

Congratulations! I hope that you have many trouble free miles. Dave

I was talking about the inner seal. Sorry, I forgot to say to pull the axle, the bearing will slide out with the axle. The slide hammer trick is helpful because the seal sits a couple of inches into the axle tube and I couldn't get a regular seal puller onto it. Andy D: I put in the leather seal 4 years ago. It was the first time i had seen a leather seal on a car and I may not have soaked it in oil long enough. I just don' remember. Dave

My inner seal was leaking a couple of months ago. I found oil dripping out of the brakes. To get the inner seal out I removed the backing plate, drilled a small hole in metal face of the inner seal then used a small slide hammer to pull it out. I think that I tapped the new one into place with a dowel, or a brass rod. The leaking seal was one I put in four years ago. It was a leather seal that I got from Andy B. Perhaps I didn't install it correctly, or it may have been old and dried out, but for whatever reason it didn't last long. The new seal is neoprene, made by National. I hope that lasts longer. Dave

We survived the storm, no one hurt and no damage to the house. The eye passed about 2o miles east of us. We had 12 hours of 60-90 mph winds and got 13 inches of rain. We lost a few trees. Our power went out early sat morning and just came back on mon eve around 7:30. Lots of people stll without power. The old Dodge will just have to wait until we clean up the yard. Dave

Its pouring now. This is a little different than the storms I'm used to in Mass., but I keep telling myself; at least I don't have to shovel it! Dave