BHondle'40

I have reviewed the thread with regard to (metal) door sills for your 1941. What did you ever get resolved in that regard? I have a 1940 P-9 Coupe and the passenger-side metal sill is partly disintegrated. The driver's side is in very nice shape and will be used. So I was wondering whether you ever contacted the reference mentioned in a reply to your thread (Donald Kuehn 81 Graham Avenue North Haledon, NJ 07508 973-423-1196 973-904-0433) or whether you resolved your issue some other way. Either way, I would appreciate hearing about it. Thank you, Bruce

Based on your post, and one from "shel_bizzy_48", both of which included pictures for my review, I was unaware there was a flexible-type material built in to the clutch disk. Now that I know this, it may very well be that my clutch does not need to be replaced and, therefore, I am going to try to pry it away from the flywheel and pressure plate and see what happens. It certainly couldn't hurt to try that first, as you have suggested. Again, thank you. Bruce

Forgive my follow-up but I am thinking that perhaps my post got lost in the holiday rush. I was wondering whether anyone might be able to offer any assistance to my post of 11/22? Thanks in advance to anyone who does! Bruce

Thank you for your kind reply. Please forgive me but I didn't quite understand whether or not you meant that the clutch disk would need to be replaced. I have attached some pictures of my clutch issue that I was trying to describe in my earlier post, for purposes of illustration. I attempted to include explanatory notes on the pictures, but I could not save the notes so I am going to try to explain below. The pictures show a "rough" area in the middle of the clutch disk. This is where the clutch disk plysically separates when the clutch pedal is depressed. In the last picture, the "rough" portion can be seen to be sandwiched between two "smooth" portions of the clutch disk. When the clutch pedal is depressed, the disk separates at that "rough" area and the "smooth" portion of the disk which is on the flywheel-side remains solidly affixed to the flywheel, while the "smooth" portion of the disk on the side touching the pressure plate retracts with the pressure plate. So it would appear to me that the disk is not only rusted to the flywheel but is also rusted to the face of the pressure plate. Question #1: I am presuming that the separation of the clutch disk is not a normal occurence and that the disk material has failed. Would that be a correct presumption? Question #2: If the clutch disk is successfully loosened from the flywheel, could the disk still be operational in this fashion? Question #3: Or must the disk be replaced? Thank you, Bruce

I have read this thread and have a bit of a twist on the subject I was hopeful someone might be able to comment on. I was finally able to start my '40 Roadking after it has sat since 1979 (that year is not a typo). In 1979 my father-in-law had the stock engine rebuilt and a new clutch installed by a shop but thereafter never got back to putting the vehicle back together. He is now of an age where he is no longer able to work on it, so he gave the vehicle to me (I was extremely appreciative!) and we recently started it. Fired right up and sounds excellent. However, when I attempted to engage the clutch I could not move the column shift lever without griding the gears. In other words, the clutch was not disengaging. I removed the bottom inspection cover and watched the clutch disk and pressure plate while someone depressed the clutch pedal. I oberved that half of the clutch disk was stuck to the flywheel, while at the same time the other half appeared to be stuck to the pressure plate. So, by all appearances, the clutch disk has physically separated in the middle and has segregated itself into two separate pieces while still on the spline. Has anyone experienced this sort of problem before, where the clutch has separated into two pieces? If so, and I am able to free the clutch disk from both the flywheel and the pressure plate, will the fact that it is separated (i.e., is no longer one solid unit of asbestos) be problematic? Thanks in advance for your courtesy in this regard. Bruce

A "thank you" goes to both you and Bob Riding for following up in this matter. I was going to post the research I have been doing in locating an alternative product for the 1940 (e.g., a steering column seal from a 1940 Pontiac, for example) but it appears there is really nothing left to due but to exercise patience. With regard to your alternative, Rodney, people have been telling me to "put a sock in it" for years. But that's an entirely different story....

Thank you, Bob, for your diligence in this matter, as well as to others on this post! Bruce