Mystery Part

SuperDave
SuperDave Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Well, know what the part is, but the mystery is why?

Here is my puzzle

Upon getting my 308 home from Fellsmere, I noticed a Stewert Warner reduction gear attached to the speedometer cable output from the OD transmission. This car had a factory single lever OD and the stock welded cover differential. The rear ratio was stock for an OD transmission. The gear in the transmission had 18 teeth as it should.The reduction gear was stamped .500. Upon removal and inspection it was discovered that the output from the transmission was reduced 50%. In other words, one revolution of the output from the transmission resulted in 1/2 revolutuion of the speedometer cable. Why on earth would someone want the speedometer to read 50% of actual speed? :confused:

Dave W (FL)

Comments

  • hudsonguy
    hudsonguy Senior Contributor
    Dave,



    I'm sure you know that around 49-50 Hudson changed their speedometer ratio to match the rest of the industry. Prior to that the speedometer ran twice as fast as that. This has to enter into your situation somehow....



    It's been a few years now, but I recall that the speedometer shop that went over my Hudson unit said that normally 1000 rpm = 60 mph (I think those are the numbers), but he had to run my Hudson unit at 2000 to get it to 60.



    I remember the late George Schmidt wrote about that in his Hudson Notes column several years ago.
  • super651
    super651 Senior Contributor
    Superdave, I sure do need the adaptor that you have for a project that we are doing. If you want to sell or trade it maby we can work it out.

    Thanks So much Rudy
  • Park_W
    Park_W Senior Contributor
    The reduction gearbox was used on the OD equipped cars for a couple of years because when Hudson changed the "rpm vs. speed" of the speedometer, as mentioned above, either the Borg-Warner folks were slow in offering the appropriate speedo gear change in the OD, or Hudson had a large stock of the OD units with the earlier gears and didn't want to change them all out. I guess this was corrected when the new 2-lever trannys with OD came along in '52.
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Thanks for all the replys.



    By Gosh y'all are right! I seem to have forgotten more than i remember!

    I do recall reading about that some years ago and it cleared up another situation over 30 years ago when i had installed a 48 speedo in my 49 and it ran way too fast. They must have made the change during the 49 model year? I've had three 49 models over the years without the reduction gear and then ran across this one. It is a very early 49 production number compared to the others I had.. Now if I could find one that increased the speed by 12.5% I could fix my Super Six. I wonder if there are different gear sets available for these things ? Anyone needing this thing can send me an email at HETdwad1939earthlink.net just drop the HET or PM me.
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    Just to confuse the issue, I have a '53 Hornet, right hand drive, South-African built. It has a single lever transmission, with o/d, and also has the adapter on the speedo drive. Yet is has the Dana rear end. Talk about a hodge-podge!

    Geoff.
  • J Spencer
    J Spencer Expert Adviser
    SuperDave wrote:
    Thanks for all the replys.



    By Gosh y'all are right! I seem to have forgotten more than i remember!

    I do recall reading about that some years ago and it cleared up another situation over 30 years ago when i had installed a 48 speedo in my 49 and it ran way too fast. They must have made the change during the 49 model year? I've had three 49 models over the years without the reduction gear and then ran across this one. It is a very early 49 production number compared to the others I had.. Now if I could find one that increased the speed by 12.5% I could fix my Super Six. I wonder if there are different gear sets available for these things ? Anyone needing this thing can send me an email at HETdwad1939earthlink.net just drop the HET or PM me.



    My 51 Pacemaker with overdrive has the adapter also, was about five miles an hour fast with the 4:59's in it now with the 4:10's it is right on.



    You may be able to find an adapter if you search around for a shop that used to calibrate speedometers for taxi's etc way back when. that is what was used to recalbrate speedometers.



    Jjim Spencer
  • super651
    super651 Senior Contributor
    hudson308 I left you a PM on the adaptor. Thanks Rudy
  • Clutchguy
    Clutchguy Senior Contributor
    super651 wrote:
    hudson308 I left you a PM on the adaptor. Thanks Rudy



    I believe the adapter was used on the '51 models,and a few exceptions as Geoff noted.This is because it was the first year for the Hydramatic and the speedometer head didn't match,but with the adapter it fixed the problem.I think that was resolved in '52,on most models,or until they ran out of the speedo heads.I think,not for sure,but I think the speedo gear in the single range hydro is different than the dual range.I've seen only the Hudson type rear axle-3:58-ratio and also the different number of teeth in on the gear.I would recommend referring to the shop manual and parts book for the correct combinations.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Geoff C., N.Z. wrote:
    Just to confuse the issue, I have a '53 Hornet, right hand drive, South-African built. It has a single lever transmission, with o/d, and also has the adapter on the speedo drive. Yet is has the Dana rear end. Talk about a hodge-podge!

    Geoff.



    i suspect it may be something to do with the RHD column shift set up geoff,

    Aus market only got the twin lever box in 54, anything before 53 was a single. the levers that come off the column of a RHD are far simpler than the LHD. my reasoning is that the twin lever shifter wasn't available until 54.
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