53 Desoto Fluid drive trans worth using in a Hot Rod

I have a 53 Desoto Firedome engine (276), that has a Fluid drive trans attached to it. Originally I wanted to go with a manual 3 speed, but now I'm thinking about using the fluid drive.
It has three pedals (gas, brakes and ???).
Could this be a good performing transmission, if used in a Model A coupe.
Whats the third pedal for?????????????????????
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!School me on fluid drive transmissions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the fluid drive trans is not worth saving, what should I go with, 3+ speed manual trans?

 

It's a kind of semi-automatic transmission, a three-speed manual with a fluid coupling instead of a clutch. You can use the clutch pedal to start out and then never again unless you stop. Here is a good article on Fluid Drive that explains it way better than I can:

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/fluidrive.html

It would be kind of cool in a hot rod, simply because you never see it. I think it's far from a performance transmission. I have heard they can be manually shifted as well, but I've never owned or driven one, so this is all hearsay.

-Dave

 

When I was growing up my dad had desoto and chrysler with fluid drives. We called them semi-automatics. The third peddle is a clutch. Never had one apart so I don't know if it looks like a standard clutch. You put it in drive and shifted by letting off the gas. Its has been over 25 years since I have driven either one of those cars. I don't remember the full details of how they worked. I believe at a stop you needed to depress the clutch. I don't think I would use one in a hot rod or anything else I wasn't keeping stock.

 

THEY SUCK!!! I wouldn't use it. Go with the stick.

 

The Desoto has the "Tip Toe" transmission. I have several Desotos and one car shifts nice the other is a holy terror. You start out get up to about 25mph, let off the gas and the car shifts up with a Thunk. Once it sounds like it is about to shake apart you manually shift into High. They are interesting to drive but some times I can't tell if it has shifted up and I give it gas and let off and nothing. It had shifted up already.

I drove my white one (Avatar) from Livermore to Paso and back two years ago and it worked fine. It is kind of cool to cruz slowly down a log street and not have to shift. The big downside is finding anybody old enough to repair them, and the cost is high. If I lose one and need to replace it I would go for a 4 speed of some kind.

my 2 cents.

 

Also go to the Imperial Club website lots of info in the Chryco Semi automatics. They are dual range 2 speeds. Shift depends on governor and an ignition inturupter. Interesting and pretty bullet proof but not performance oriented. In a light weight car it probably be OK. Have an aquaintence with a 251 6 cyl DeS engine in a A roadster. It was just pictured in Street Rodder in the Good guy coverage. He has a Wilcap adapter and a 350 auto in it. goes like stink.

 

just to fill a couple holes in the above messages,
fluid drive has a H-shift like a column 3 speed with nothing in the first gear position. the second gear position has two gears 1-2 these are not needed for normal driving, mostly for hills and grades, third gear shift position has two gears 3-4. you can start out from a stop in 3rd then at any speed over 20 let off the gas for an instant and it shifts to fourth just like an overdrive transmission. you can come to complete stops and start out without using the clutch. they are easy to drive and rugged. get decent gas milage but doesn't give you the control of a standard trans. I'd go for it unless I was building for the drags

 

Warning!! The last one I drove had clutch issues, probably from previous owner's shifting the trans like a normal stick. If this is an issue with your trans, read the manual on clutch changing before you decide to use the trans. It is a VERY involved procedure, completely unlike a normal clutch replacement. I believe the clutches are undersized a bit, as Chrysler never intended them to be used as a regular clutch.
Also, you really are better off keeping the entire engine stock, as the ignition and carb are tied to the shifting, and any changes will either affect the shifting, or make it impossible for the trans to shift at all.
Cosmo

 

just scrap the whole driveline and give me the Hemi...

 

Had one in a 50 Desoto( 2 yrs. ago). It shifted fine after I learned how to work it. But you will get your ass run over waiting for it to shift (gotta give it time). I would use something else. Just my opinion.

 

In the words of a 75 year old guy I know whose father sold these cars new, "They couldn't outrun a loaded beer truck".

 

What Bob said . They are very heavy slow to shift. and not for performance. I would go with the 350 Adaptor works great.

 

Ok, I'm scrapping the fluid drive idea.
I want to use a manual gearbox, what are my best options????
I'd like to get a 5 speed, any suggestions?????

 

Thank God you decided not to use the fluid drive tranny. What a piece of crap they were! There are, literally, no good attributes to these flaming pieces of junk. I'm very surprised that any of the respondents to this post even suggested keeping this as a tranny. JUST PLAIN JUNK - and I am a real Mopar nut, but not that nutty!!!

 

Just to explain a bit, they used a 3-speed overdrive witha fluid coupling in front of the clutch and no first gear! The fluid coupling was not a torque converter, so it had no torque multiplication, just a lot of slip. You could leave it in "high range" and drive it like an automatic if you had a lot of patience. When you came to a stop the fluid coupling allowed the engine to idle without pushing in on the clutch, you only used the clutch to go from one range to another or to shift into reverse. And yes, they really sucked!

 

Go to the Wilcap website, they have adapters for the hemi to standard transmissions.
Bob

 

I have a '53 Firedome Town Sedan that has the fluid drive. I have not driven it yet, but I hope to keep the trans if I can. Real different. I say why not use it in your rod. Would be lots of fun and a VERY interesting conversation piece at the shows! Anyone can go the cheap way out....

 

Actually, keeping it is the cheap way out. Those things are tough, but slow. Definition of a hot rod; when you have enough motor to throw the car around. But I don't see it happening with the fluid drive.

 

Yikes! Mr oldandkrusty you seemed to have had a really bad experience with the "innovative" Tip Toe transmission. At least it is technology that dead ended. I would also like to know what transmission will work with the original flatty.

 

I hear you, if it does not "go" it does not deserve the Hot Rod title.

 

I have one in my 53 Desoto Firedome. It's odd, but works good. I miss being able to control the transmission, but it's a novelty engine which makes it fun, to me at least. And I like keeping the car stock if possible. It definitely wont win any races. But it's never been cracked open in 55 years and still works like a charm.

It took me about a year to realize I'd been driving it wrong. I couldn't understand why it wouldn't shift going 55mph on the freeway. CLUNK!

 

Scrap that tranny my buddy had one years ago nothing but headaches besides it would be hard to find a mechanic who knows how to work on them. Also most had a lot of slippage when they shifted.

 

I'm not too familiar with Mopar interchange but I do know on the flathead 6 with the "GyroMatic"(essentially the same type of transmission as the fluid drive) that you can use the bellhousing, trans, linkage, etc... from a PLYMOUTH with a 3spd manual/or 3spd w/od to exterminate the original trans. My dad is familiar with them and his first comment when the 50 Coronet came home was that the trans was getting swapped... IMHO, I would yank it out, sell it to a restorer and by a Wilcap adaptor...

 

i had a '49 dodge coupe with a fluid drive . this was in 1961 , it had a clutch
& the converter . i ran it to death , only replaced 1 clutch ! ... steve

 

I wouldn't use it. They suck.

 

I'm going to go with the don't use it crowd - better to sell off to a restorer and use the cash to buy something else. I'd bet you could come up with a factory adapter combo to run a Torqueflite behind that motor, although by the time you find it you could have just spent the bread on a Wilcap or other adapter and been driving down the road.

 

I've got one behind the flat 6 in my '52 Coronet. It works fine but can take a while to shift. Just to clarify, "fluid drive" refers to the fluid coupling, not the trans. There were semi-autos and regular 3-speeds that both came with fluid drive. One thing is that you can never stall the engine. Just let off the clutch and she starts rollin'

 

As I recall, the owner's manual on my buddy's stock '48 Dodge, made mention of the phrase "flashing acceleration". I laughed my ass off when he showed me the passage, as we both knew the transmission was the biggest dog either one of us had ever driven !! Don't waste your time with it - you'll be real disappointed.

 

For those who do not desire mixing a generic motor trans with the Almighty Chrysler, we can help. No special parts, just nuts and bolts...


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I know I'm a noob to this site and most people will try and flame me for this but i own a 53 desoto with a fluid drive and...

A) Not an H shift.
looks like any other auto shift pattern R-L-N-D you start out with the clutch in and selected in the L position (optional) to start out or you just put it in D which is both 2nd and 3rd gear obviously you start in 2nd but when you reach a decent speed just push in the clutch and let off the gas it will shift itself into 3rd

B) its only a 4 speed if you account for the Reverse gear so 1-2-3-R

C) They are not rugged, and unless you have them built or are lucky enough to get one with less then 3000 miles YOU DRIVE THEM CAREFULLY

D)keep in mind that this transmission was the first to be "automatic" and you should only keep it if you're trying to be original, different, or the hotrod you're building isn't going to be fast (and by fast i mean 12sec 1/4miles)


I kept my trans, mostly because the Hemi in my DeSoto runs great and i dont want to change it... period correct and all. my feelings may change if the car poops itself and i have to play musical transmissions