Overdrive and Hudson drive master

Aaron D. IL
Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
With my '47 C8 I have both Hudson drive Master and Overdrive on this car. My question is, Was it possible to order this combination from the factory originally?
If so is there anything I should know about the wiring and setup of this combination of systems so that I do not mess up the wiring or have the transmission doing things I don't want it to do ? What special considerations are there if any ?

BTW It is being wired for 6V and original positive ground. (you can question my sanity later)

Comments

  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    I believe the Drivemaster was a combination of the automatic clutch, the automatic vacuum shifter and overdrive combined.
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    Not necessarily. Drive Master allows you to shift without clutching (also refered to as "vacumotive Drive") or in full HDM for the system to operate both the clutch and shifting. My car came originally with Drive Master but did not have overdrive. I had overdrive installed in combo with Drive Master.

    My question is Was that done commonly (if at all) when the '46-'47 models were new ?
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    Aaron & all - It was possible to order your '47 with the Drive Master and Overdrive options. overdrive was not an integral part of the Drive Master. In 1950 & 1951, "SuperMatic Drive" included both as one option, but not until then.
  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    O.K., I stand corrected. Thank you.
  • Edwardjohnsr
    Edwardjohnsr Expert Adviser
    I'm not an expert on this but here's what I know. The transmission used with OD has a shift mechanism that activates a lockout switch at the back of the OD unit when the transmission is in reverse. This switch prevents the OD from kicking in if you are in reverse. I'm not sure if you can activate this switch if you have a non-overdrive transmission with an OD hooked up to it. It might be worth checking whether the switch de-activates the OD when you are in reverse. The switch should be open when you shift into reverse (with the engine shut off). You can check this with an electrical circuit tester.

    I only know about this because I have replaced the switch recently. Again, this info is subject to correction by others who know more about OD's.

    Ed
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    EJ Sr, the trannies that are intended to have OD put behind them differ from the standard tranny ... the main case and certain innards are different. The mechanical lockout mechanism when going into reverse is taken care of in the design of the two assemblies. As for the electricals, the '47 and earlier ODs don't have that lockout switch on the back end of the OD, it's built into the "cockpit end" of the lockout cable.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

In this Discussion