Hello all !! I have a 1953 Plymouth cranbrook with a hydride transmission that is giving me problems. My mechanic buddy thinks that the clutch has collapsed, but he is new to these wacky things so I am not sure he is correct. When I go to put it into any gear, it grinds real bad making it impossible to get a gear. When I first bought it, the column shift was real tight and hard to move the shifter and get into gear... But it would go into gear. Now it won't go into gear at all... Any suggestions what you think is wrong? Do I need a new clutch?? I went under the car and seen that when you step on the clutch, the plunger doesn't go real far into the housing. Is there a swap in transmissions that will bolt directly to the original flat 218 6 cylinder. I want to keep it manual, but I know this is going to be a difficult job to find a bolt on replacement....
from what I've read, the engine and transmission share the oil.. it may be difficult if there's oil channels between the engine and transmission. I still have the hy-drive in mine. It shifts ok, but I sometimes it seems that it does take some effort. Have you taken it apart yet?
How long was the car out of commission? Sometimes the clutch gets stuck together. Is there an access plate on the bottom of the bellhousing? If you can get at the clutch have someone hold the clutch down, or prop it down with a stick against the dash board. Then slip a knife blade or putty knife between the clutch plate and pressure plate and free it up. You need to turn the engine over and do this in different places to be sure the clutch is not stuck. If this works the clutch will soon polish itself smooth and give no more trouble. But if you leave the car parked for long periods, like more than a couple of months, prop the clutch down with a stick. If this does not work you may need to take the clutch out. The Hydrive is a peculiar mix of standard and automatic. It has a torque converter that feeds off the engine oil supply. Then it has a regular clutch and 3 speed manual trans. Do a web search for Hydrive to learn all the gory details.
There is no bolt in replacement. The engine, trans, clutch etc are all different, the floor pan, frame, etc are all different. Best keep the Hydrive or trade it in for another car.
The Jalopy Journal
