grassfiddler

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm going to order a truck pump and give it a try.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm going to order a truck pump and give it a try.

Fuel lines can be remade or bent if need be but my biggest concern with using the truck pump is the pump arm. It looks different than the car pump and I wasn't sure if it would work with the internals of the engine the same. If it does then I thought I would take a chance on one. I think there may be enough room for a truck pump to fit.

Fuel lines can be remade or bent if need be but my biggest concern with using the truck pump is the pump arm. It looks different than the car pump and I wasn't sure if it would work with the internals of the engine the same. If it does then I thought I would take a chance on one. I think there may be enough room for a truck pump to fit.

The fuel pump on my 52 Coronet is in need of replacement. I am going to rebuild the one on the car but I would like to replace it for now. A pump like the one on my car is pretty pricey but I see truck pumps for less than $50. So my question is, will a truck pump work on our cars?

I haven't been able to get under the car to check out the issue, but hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get it tore down. I'll report back what it is just in case someone else needs to know for there car. After I get this issue fixed I need to pull the oil pan and fix the main seal and replace the pan gasket. Wish me luck.

Just came in from the garage. Armed with a starting place from Don Coatney, Greg G, and my neighbors help and knowledge, I jacked the car up to get both rear wheels off the ground. I tried to move the drive shaft by hand and even got forceful with it but found no free play. I then spun each wheel by hand to see if there was an issue with the rear end. Each wheel turned freely in both directions but I noticed that the drive shaft wasn't always turning when the wheels turned. So I think this eliminated these things as the problem. Next I started up the car to see if the clunking or binding was happening without any weight on the rear wheels. Forward was fine but the clunking continued in reverse. So with some discussion of the parking brake we theorized that it could be a loose lining or broke return spring. So I barley applied the parking brake, put the car in reverse and the clunking sound and the binding went away! So it looks like I'll be tearing the parking brake a part. I'll post back as I get into this project to let everyone know what it was. Thanks for everyone's help.

What is the best way to do this?

I have a 52 Dodge Coronet with the gyromatic transmission. Everything was working well till about two weeks ago when I went to back the car out of the garage. As I was backing out of the garage I heard some loud clunking sounds and the car wanted to stop sunddenly. The car didn't make the sound or the stopping/lurching action if I drove in reverse fast, until the car started to slow down the clunking would come back. The car would go forward just fine and would shift like it is supposed to while going forward. I just went out the garage to drive forwards and backwards to see if I could figure out the problem. As stated above it would make a clunking sound while going in reverse slowly and it would lurch and stop like I was hitting the brakes. It would start out like this but if I hit the gas pedal it would clear up until the car slowed down when the clunking would return. It would do it if I had the clutch pushed in or not, and or if I was using the brakes. I shut the car off, put the car in neutral, got out and tried and tried pushing the car by hand. Going forward was no issue but it would barely move while trying to push it backwards. At first I thought it was an issue with the reverse gear but I'm not so sure because when the car gets moving it goes just fine. I have been driving the car like this and it runs out great. It's something while in reverse that is makeing this sound. Also the brakes seem to be working good and the parking brake seems to be working right but I haven't ruled out an issue in those two places. So I don't know if it's in the clutch, the rear end, etc..... Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 52 Dodge Coronet with the gyromatic transmission. Everything was working well till about two weeks ago when I went to back the car out of the garage. As I was backing out of the garage I heard some loud clunking sounds and the car wanted to stop sunddenly. The car didn't make the sound or the stopping action if I drove in reverse quickly until the car started to slow down. The car would go forward just fine and would shift like it is supposed to.

I have this type of transmission in my 52 Dodge. I'm no expert on these but there are a couple of things to check. The fluid in the tranny is seperate from the fluid drive coupling. That's the first place I would check. Pull the access cover which should be located on the passengers side floor board on the tranny hump. When you pull the cover you will see the solenoid, governor, and the interuptor switch, as well as the plugs for the oil. Fill or replace the oil. It takes SAE 10W or SAE20W if you can't find 10W. Also there is a member on here that has told me that modern SAE 5W-20 works well in his tranny. You'll need 3 pints according to my manuel. If that doens't clear up your issue, then next I would go to the chrysler imperial website and find the repair section on our type transmissions. It explains how to test each solenoid, governor and the interuptor switch. There is also some great repair vidoes from Chrysler on youtube. These were videos that were sent out to the repair shops back in the 40's. They walk you through step by step in what to check and are very easy to follow. Also, if you don't have a repair manuel I suggest buying one. Reprints can be found on ebay for around $30. They too will tell you how to trouble shoot the tranny and all it's parts. Some of the possibilities it could be are, low oil, governor points are failing to open, excessive engine idling speed, direct speed rail piston sticking in cylinder, loose shifter fork lock screw, damaged direct speed blocker ring....... You can check the solenoid by simply turning your key to the on position and placing a metal object such as a screw driver to the solenoid. If the solenoid is working it will become magnatized and will attract the screw driver. The contact points in the governor could be going bad. Remove the 4 screws and top plate. The points are attched to the top plate. Inspect, if they need cleaning use a silver cleaner. Do not use sand paper or a file. It will ruin them! What I learned with my tranny is that I had the engine idle speed up to high. There were a couple of things causing that on my car. The first was in my carb adjustment, the second was in my carb to gas pedal linkage, it was sticking a little, and the third was in the pedal itself. After cleaning and readjusting I was able to get the RPM's back to the 450 to 475 the book calls for. If the RPMs are to high it makes the electronics think that you are still accelerating and it won't upshift when needed. Also I found, when in high range, that if I let the car shift around 15 to 20 MPH's that I get a smoother shift. When above 20 it shifts much harder. I would also check the kick down at the carb just to be sure the connections are good as well as checking the resistor and breaker up by the air breather. These M6 transsmissions are pretty common in Chryslers, Desotos, Dodges, and some times Plymouths. They have a variety of names like "tip-toe shift" and "gyro-matic". They are all the same tranny. There are however a couple of minor differnences in wiring of the electronics and location of the interuptor switch. So just be aware of that when comparing and buying replacement parts from differnt year models. For the most part every part is the same across the board and will interchange from make, model, and year. So any repair manuel from any of the various "Chrysler" products will tell you the same repair and trouble shooting info as well.

Thanks for letting me know. I was curious to know if there was an alternative to SAE 10W. I actually have some 5W-20 here at the house. My wifes Saturn uses that same weight. I like knowing the "alternatives" that work in these old cars as some of the things we need to keep them running are starting to get scarce.

Thanks to everyone who replied! Today I decided to call O'Rielly's one more time. This time I talked to someone differnt. When I told her what I was looking for, she said," yeah I think we have that, let me check." About a minute later she came back and said that she has 7 quarts on hand. Someone else in town with an older car needed some so they ordered a bunch for him and there were a few quarts left over. Every store I called didn't have it or could get it. So it's lesson learned, it's all in who you get on the phone, there knowledge, and how willing they are to help you. So thanks to all of you and Barbra at the store I am now one step closer to having the car on the road for the summer! Can't wait to get it out on the road.

Thanks for the replys. I had called Napa, Carquest, O'Riellys, Advanced, and Autozone. Nobody has it or can get it. Could also be that people I was dealing with don't really know much about such oil because it's not common anymore. I haven't checked Tractor Supply yet. I was there yesterday to buy a 6 volt battery and didn't think about checking to see if they had 10W. I'll look for it the next time I'm there. I'll also check out the link from greg g. I noticed wayfarerstranger said to use the universal tractor hydraulic fluid. My question is, are we talking about using it in the tranny, fluid drive, or both???

After 18 months of dreaming and looking at the old Dodge in the drive way, I have finally been able to get it road worthy. It's no longer yard art but a functioning, driving automobile. It now even sports a brand new state of Tennesse license plate on it's tail end. There is however one last thing for me to do to it to enjoy it for the summer and that's to change out the fluids. The tranny is the M6 "gyromatic". My shop manuel is calling for 10W oil. My delema is that every where I call they not only do not carry 10W nor can they get it. So I'm now asking the help of those who may know. Where can I find 10W???? And is there an alternative lubricant that I could use??? Please enlighten me on any info you all may have on lubricants as I am willing to learn. The car is running and shifting really well so I don't want to compromise any of the hard work I have put into the car. Thanks for any info you all can bring my way.

The CD Rom manuel I'm sure would be fine, but I think you will find yourself either carrying the laptop outside with you to the car or printing off pages to take outside with you to use as reference. I personally like a hard copy better but it's each to his own. The repro manuel I bought I'm pretty happy with and I think it's the same compnay that also sells the CD Rom version.

You can get a reproduction repair manuel off of ebay for around $30 plus shipping. I bought one for my 52 Coronet and it has been a life saver! I have used the wiring diagrams to get me out of a jamb on many occasions. There are a ton of diagrams to help you put the car back together for things such as the body, engine, transmission, exhaust, brakes, wiring, etc.... A parts book would also be a great investment just for it's diagrams as well. As far as running the numbers to find out original color, motor, tranny, etc. you can apply to the Chrysler Museum with your VIN number and they can do a search for the original build sheet. Costs around $60 and it can help you in rebuilding your car back to it's original state. Just like some others have said, most parts are fairly easy to get, but some are getting a little more rare such as fuel pumps and some trim pieces. Do your homework and shop around. I have seen some vendors charge double than what another vendor would charge for the same part. Shop your local auto parts store(s) then check places like ebay, rock auto, etc... and salvage yards like Desert Valley. Be patient when looking for these parts and also be patient with the people selling the parts because many of them have never delt with any cars of this age and will not know much about them. Best wishes with the build!

It's all a matter of preference as to how you strip the paint off your car. I grew up working with my Dad who is a body man by trade. We painted countless cars just by sanding the old paint and reshooting on top of the old paint without any issues later on. With that being said we also at times had to strip body panels down to bare metal due to surface rust and old flaking paint that couldn't be sanded and painted over. We used a varity of methods for this that included 60 to 80 grit sandpaper on a DA sander, wire wheels on an angel grinder, a 9 inch grinder with 80 to 100 grit disk, sand blasting, and aircraft paint remover. All methods work well but have limitations as well as pro's and con's. For me it all depends on how many layers of paint, primer and rust that I need to remove. If the paint is thin, with or without surface rust, I would use a DA sander with 80 to 100 grit paper. Keep the sander flat and moving to prevent uneven sanding, gouging into the metal, and to avoid excessive heat. If the area to be stripped is rusty with some rust holes I would use a grinder 4 1/2" or 9" with 80 grit. Same princapal with the angel grinder keep it moving. If there are a lot of layers of paint to remove then I would turn to something like sand blasting or aircraft paint remover/stripper. I found this method to be easier on my hands, back, arms and shoulders instead of a grinder or sander when there are mulitple layers to remove. The stripper is a matter of applying it with a brush, letting it set, when the paint bubbles up scrape with a putty knife. Repeat as neccessary until all the paint is gone. I also like the wire wheel disks for the 4 1/2" angel grinder. I have used the brass ones with good success although they don't last long. They were good at removing paint without gouging the metal. With any method, the main things to consider are the amount of time needed to do the job right and your budget. Also consider the amount of time it will take once the metal is stripped to the time it will take to get the car in primer and then to the paint shop. To much time inbetween will lead to paint failure later on. With any method the metal needs to be clean before the first bit of primer is applied. Any dust, dirt, grease, oil, paint stripper, etc left on the car will cause problems later on. Just a few tips: Make sure that you don't build excessive heat in the metal as that can cause warpage, take your time and pay attention to what your doing. If using a sander or grinder, we always would sand/grind a couple of passes, take the tool off the metal and look to see what was just done, then reapply tool for a few passes, then recheck work. It saved us from doing damage that would we would have to fix and taking more time to get the job done. Keep the tool moving not spending to much time in one area. Also remember that with grinding or with heavy grit sandpaper, you scratch the metal much deeper than with lighter grits such as 220 or 320. So becareful with the heavier grits because the deeper the sanding marks the more sanding that has to be done to sand them out. Same applies to the wire brush method. The paint remover/stripper is messy. Be prepared for a lot of clean up, where rubber gloves, and a resperator. And with any method be sure to protect your eyes with saftey glasses, goggles,or a grinding shield, where hearing protection such as ear plugs or muffs, and a N95 dust mask when grinding or sanding.

What a GREAT video!!!

I'm not an authority in this area by no means but I would think that the lug nuts would keep the rotor centered even without the hub protruding through the middle or the rotor. I would think as long as there isn't any slop in between the lug nuts and the lug holes in the rotor then there would be no way for the rotor to get off center.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. The horn on my car isn't hooked up. One day I ran a jumper wire over to the horn itself just to hear what it sounded like. When I touched the lead to the horn I just about jumped out of my shoes because of how LOUD it was. I could only imagine having both horns working and scaring other drivers with them

So I finally had a little time to perform a couple of tests to see what is going on with the car. From the previous posts you'll know that I was having trouble with the car only going 42 mph as a top speed and that the car wouldn't start with the tranny circuit hooked up to the coil. That lead to questions, such as, is the tranny in high range, is the speedometer acurate, Is the wiring hooked up right, so on and so forth. The first thing I did was a little rewiring. I wanted to rule any of that out as a potential problem. I had already run all new wires for the tranny and the carburetor, so next I ran new wires from the generator to the regulator and from the horn relay to the coil. In doing so I did away with the resistor that someone added to the power lead to the coil. So I am now getting the full 6 volts to the coil and to the tranny circuit. Next I pulled the distributor cap and rotor. I wanted to check the spring tension on the breaker points. I kept thinking that just maybe there wasn't enough tension and at the higher rpm's that they were not making good contact. So I pulled the points, cleaned up an old set I had with more spring tension, and put those in the distibutor. Gapped the points and put it all back together. Turns out it was the breaker points that was the cause of the car not going faster than the 42 mph. Now the car starts right up like it should. So my next step was a test drive. In this test drive I wanted to check the high range on the tranny to make sure it was up-shifting and down shifting like it is supposed to do, I wanted to check the speedomter against my hand held gps, and to see if the car would go faster than the 42mph I had been going. I started out in high range, got to around 15 mph, let off the gas pedal, and it up-shifted. All is good so far. As I was driving I was checking the speedometer against the gps. I am happy to say that the speed was checking out to be right. I kept speeding up and got to 42 mph and pushed it past to almost 55mph before I ran out of straight away and had to slow down. Yeah! So far so good. Next was to check the kick down. It down shifted like it is supposed to. So that's the update on the car. Slowly but surely I'm getting the bugs worked out of it. Hopefully it will not be to much longer and I'll have the car on the road as a daily driver. Thank you to all who posted in helping me get this problem taken care of.

Yeah the trany resistor up by the aircleaner checked out good. I think someone at one time added a resistor in the power lead to the coil. So my wiring is as such, from my horn relay I have the power lead, then a ceramic resistor, then the wire to the negative side of the coil. I have 6 volts coming from the relay to the resistor, then 2 volts coming out of the resistor to the coil. It's this resistor that has me baffled. Is it needed to protect the electronics on the tranny from getting to much voltage??? See with the trany wires hooked to the coil the car will not start, and without them being hooked up the car starts right up. When I bypass the resistor with everything hooked up the car starts. The 2 volts is enough to start the car without the trany hooked up but not enough with it hooked up. So with the resistor bypassed it's getting the full 6 volts. If it's ok to bypass it then I'll do that, but if it's needed to protect the trany then I want to keep it. any thought on this???

When I get the car up to the 42mph it sounds like I have run out of gear, similar to what it sounds like when you are in 1st gear and the engine is reving like helk. So I guess I'm over reving the engine. Without a tach I'm not sure what the rpm's are when I'm running at the 42mph. As far as I can tell I'm in 2nd gear in the high range. Do you think that I could be having an issue with the breaker points not making contact at the higher speeds/rpms? Or maybe an issue with the fluid drive? I bought the car as a way to "slow" down, although my intentions aren't to drive at 70 I would like for it to easily run 45. How fast should this car be able to run?

Ok, just a quick update on the progress of the car. I worked on the car yesterday and looked at the things the others told me to look at. The interrupter switch turned out to be ok, as did the solenoid, and the governor. Rechecked the new wiring, all of the connections, and the circut breaker/resistor combo. All seemed right. So I was still stumped as to why the car wouldn't fire with the transmission wires hooked up to the coil. I then realized that I hadn't checked the anti-stall solenoid on the carburetor to make sure it was working. So I turned on the ignition and didn't hear a "click" from it or was it magnatizing either. I next ran a jumper wire from the battery to the anti-stall and low and behold it clicked and was magnatizing like it was suppose to. So my car has a ballast resistor in the negative power feed from the ignition switch to the coil that feeds the coil and the transmission circut. I checked the resistance at the resistor and I have 6 volts going in but only 2 volts coming out. Now the car would fire without the trans hooked up to the coil on the 2 volts, but when the trans circut was added it wouldn't do anything. So I bypassed the resistor with a jumper wire to get a full 6 volts to the engine and trany. With the resistor being bypassed I turned the key and the car fired right up. I took it out for a test drive and everything shifted and worked like it is supposed to! The only thing is, the top speed on the car is only 42mph. So I have two questions. 1} Do I even need the ballast resistor? I didn't want to put 6 volts in the system if it only needs, lets say, 4 volts and burn something up. The electronics for the trany are pretty pricey. But in the wiring diagram in my shop manuel it doesn't show a ballast resistor. And 2} Why is the top speed only 42mph? I know that the speedometer may be off and I could be going faster than what's showing or even slower but I want to make sure that I have everything right before I put this car on the road. What can I do or check to help get a little more top speed?