1951 Hudson Commodore 8

jscottpilot

I bought a 1951 Hudson Commodore 8. The overdrive will not engage. Upon further investigation it looks like the electrics to the overdrive has been disconnected. The car has been converted to 12 volt so I suspect that is the reason. I am not an electrical engineer. If I go buy the new replacement parts to restore the overdrive system can someone advise me where to start. I dont even know if all the parts are there. There is an unmarked toggle switch right next to the overdrive lever. I suspect that replaced the switch on the throttle. 

superwasp

You might start at Ken's website and see what you can find.
https://hudsonrestoration1948-54.com/Transmission.htm

29sptphaeton

The toggle switch is all you need. It should be wired with an inline fuse, and the solenoid should be changed to a 12 volt solenoid which may have already been done?

29sptphaeton

My 46 pickup with a commodore 8 engine and 12 volts with overdrive works fine this way. And I had a 54 Hudson Jet with overdrive with just a toggle switch that worked fine.

50SuperFalcon

If the solinoid is still 6v then you will need a voltage reducer to keep it from burning up. 

29sptphaeton

 I used a 12 volt solenoid from a mid 60’s ford. I checked out a couple of solenoid. They all look the same but some have a short throw and some have a longer throw shaft. I used a couple of jumper wires with a battery to check them. Most all of the overdrives were Borg Warner no matter what make of vehicle used them.