Clutch Question

[Riley N]

Hey, so I have a 1948 Dodge Deluxe and as most people do with not knowing how to drive standard I killed the clutch(the car is NOT fluid drive), i’ve done a lot of research and found out i need a 10” clutch with 10 splines but I was thinking of getting the whole thing so new pressure plate, etc. i was curious if there is anything i should look out for when buying a pressure plate for my car, do i need to go OEM or would a more modern pressure plate be okay? I’m from Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. So preferably nothing that’s gonna be insanely expensive with shipping. thank you!

 

edit*** sorry for not putting in any info about what my car is doing, so the car will not move under its own power but it will stay in gear, whenever i clutch out in gear you can hear what i can best describe the clutch slipping it’s a very faint hissing sound, much like it’s barely catching

Edited March 16, 2023 by Riley N

[Tired iron]

andy bernbaum oldmoparts.com has most of what you were referencing

[Sam Buchanan]

What do you mean by “killed the clutch”?

[Riley N]

42 minutes ago, Sam Buchanan said:

What do you mean by “killed the clutch”?

I wore it out

[D35 Torpedo]

I'd price it all out. You need a disk, throw out bearing, pilot bearing and pressure plate. You also need to get the flywheel resurfaced. You might be able to save money by having the pressure plate resurfaced instead of replaced. But, have it checked out to ensure it hasn't gone soft. Before you do all that, check your linkage to make sure it's fully engaging and not hanging up. 

[SteveR]

5 hours ago, Tired iron said:

andy bernbaum oldmoparts.com has most of what you were referencing

AB shipping to England is a flat rate of $65. I doesn't matter if your order is $5 or more you still pay that flat rate. I wonder what it is like in Canada?

[JohnTeee]

Tennessee Clutch & Supply Inc

Address: 1995 Nolensville Pk #113, Nashville, TN 37211

Hours:

Open ⋅8:00AM  Closes 4:30 PM

Phone: (615) 242-4163

 

A good source to price shop for clutch and pressure plate. You can probably get a throw out and pilot bearing at many local auto parts stores. If you have a NAPA Auto Parts Store, they may be able to resurface for you.

[Saskwatch]

Riley N - you may want to check your shop manual , don’t have mine in front of me but “almost , kind of “ sure that it states for a 48’ dodge you will have a 6 spring pressure plate with a 9&1/8” clutch disc …..  the 10” was for special purpose vehicles/ heavy duty ?

[Sam Buchanan]

8 hours ago, Riley N said:

I wore it out

 

Ok...just trying to make sure the clutch disc is indeed completely gone instead of the clutch just being out of adjustment.

[Saskwatch]

I was in your situation this time last year, thought I needed everything new but with guidance from this forum, had the original flywheel & pressure plate resurfaced at the local machine shop , had a new 9&1/8” clutch disc with a “made in Canada” stamped on it laying in the trunk ??‍♂️, Napa has the throw out bearing…… also found out “proper “ clutch linkage adjustment is crucial for everything to work as intended ?

[Saskwatch]

Hey Riley N , just checked out the picture of your 48’ that is on your profile page!  Mercy Sakes man , I think you should post a few photos of it for the rest of the forum to check out soooo we can all see with what we are dealing with here ! (-; 

[Dartgame]

Try and see if there is a heavy truck transmission and clutch rebuilder in your area. They should be able to rebuild the disc and pressure plate.

[Sam Buchanan]

15 minutes ago, Saskwatch said:

Hey Riley N , just checked out the picture of your 48’ that is on your profile page!  Mercy Sakes man , I think you should post a few photos of it for the rest of the forum to check out soooo we can all see with what we are dealing with here ! (-; 

 

Yes, that is an outstanding looking car! The fact it is appreciated by a young driver just enhances its value. 

 

You haven't given us any details on what seems to be wrong with the clutch. Yes, a complete clutch kit can be installed but that might not be necessary. Is the clutch slipping under acceleration? Does it chatter when engaged? Does it make growling or whining noise when disengaged at a stop? All these diagnostics can point toward either a bad disc, improper adjustment, scored flywheel, scored or defective pressure plate, or defective release bearing, a leaking rear main seal....or a combination of factors. You may have already had an experienced person diagnose the clutch for you.

 

I purchased a complete kit for my '48 Plymouth (basically the same car you have) from an online vendor and had the flywheel surfaced locally. I suspect I could have gotten by fine with just a new clutch disc and the release bearing in the kit was junk. I ended up reinstalling the old bearing.

 

So some more info might help us guide you in a good direction. At least the poor abused clutch helped you learn to drive the 'three-on-a-tree'. Enjoy your new ride! ?

Edited March 15, 2023 by Sam Buchanan

[Sniper]

Been a rash of bad but new throw out bearings lately.  The cure has been to find an NOS one instead.

[SteveR]

17 years old and your first car is a 48 Dodge. Oh to go back in time. I would ditch the girlfriend and spend all my time and money on an old car. 

Great choice we look forward to seeing more photos.

[Los_Control]

Just thinking with my fingers here ..... you really need to take it apart to inspect what you have first.

These older pressure plates can be rebuilt.

 

This is a unfair comparison, this is a 1951 Ford flywheel, clutch disk, pressure plate.  It would not bolt to your mopar, but the mechanics are the same.

Looking at the clutch disk you can see it is riveted together.

If you wear the disk too thin, the rivets will grind grooves into the flywheel or the pressure plate or both.

 

The 2 concerns of the pressure plate is the smooth disk surface & the spring length.  I lined my springs up in a row and used a straight edge to check they were all same length. .... Just saying it is not rocket science to go through a pressure plate.

 

Same with the flywheel, you want to check your ring gear & that you have a flat surface ..... any shop that can turn the flywheel can also turn the pressure plate.

 

Looking at the clutch disk, I have had a spring break & fail .... part of the spring tore up the disk & grooved the flywheel, but the pressure plate side was fine.

Just another point of failure.

 

While in there looking, a new pilot shaft bushing , throw out bearing, clutch disk is always a good idea.

Pressure plate & flywheel depends on inspection.

 

 

[Cannuck]

Be careful what you order ,your car is a plodge .

Which is a plymouth with dodge badges ,I always tell the parts people that I have a 48 plymouth that way I get the right parts.

[MarcDeSoto]

According to my 48 Plymouth Parts List, your car should have a 10" or 11" clutch disc.  9 1/4" clutch discs are for Fluid Drive clutches.  Is your clutch a Borg and Beck or an Auburn clutch?  

[Labrauer]

If I'm not mistaken my 48 plymouth coupe has a 10 inch pressure plate and clutch plate. It has been years ago when I redid mine but I think I recall it being 10 inch

[Labrauer]

I stand corrected it is a 9 1/4 inch pressure plate and clutch. Andy has the pressure plate clutch for $128.00 if you want one. Might add one new thing to this if you do take it down you might want to test the springs in your pressure plate for breakage or you might have some weak springs that need to be replaced 

[Riley N]

15 hours ago, Saskwatch said:

Riley N - you may want to check your shop manual , don’t have mine in front of me but “almost , kind of “ sure that it states for a 48’ dodge you will have a 6 spring pressure plate with a 9&1/8” clutch disc …..  the 10” was for special purpose vehicles/ heavy duty ?

i checked and it said 10” diameter for the d-24

[Saskwatch]

7 hours ago, Riley N said:

checked and it said 10” diameter for the d-24

  That is good you double checked it all out , i apologize for giving you conflicting info…

  I did not realize there was a difference in clutch sizes within the different models of the same year . 
 You have a beautiful car there Riley and looks to be in flawless condition, obviously has not been abused. 
   To be honest , if I could ,I would like to take back my posts prior to this one as I believe they do not apply to your car whatsoever….. I really am not qualified to even comment on a vehicle like yours…. I’m trying to resurrect a borderline basket case , you, well, why not post a couple photos of your car for the members to view , we all enjoy pictures here, & will help put your situation in proper perspective…. ?

  

[Riley N]

10 hours ago, Saskwatch said:

  That is good you double checked it all out , i apologize for giving you conflicting info…

  I did not realize there was a difference in clutch sizes within the different models of the same year . 
 You have a beautiful car there Riley and looks to be in flawless condition, obviously has not been abused. 
   To be honest , if I could ,I would like to take back my posts prior to this one as I believe they do not apply to your car whatsoever….. I really am not qualified to even comment on a vehicle like yours…. I’m trying to resurrect a borderline basket case , you, well, why not post a couple photos of your car for the members to view , we all enjoy pictures here, & will help put your situation in proper perspective…. ?

  

thank you and i will post more photos!

[Doug&Deb]

I looked at the pictures of your car. It’s beautiful but it’s not a D24. You have a Canadian Dodge which I believe is a D25. That would explain why it’s not fluid drive equipped. All American Dodges had fluid drive. Ordering D24 parts will cause problems since your car is Plymouth based.

[Bob Riding]

Check the teeth on the ring-gear. I thought mine were OK until I took it to the machine shop and they said they weren't. The machine shop heated the flywheel up and popped off the old one. I ordered a new one from Vintage Power Wagons which the machine shop will reinstall and then surface the flywheel face. Still cheaper than buying everything new.