'51 crestline new to me

In my opinion, you would be wise to keep the overdrive locked out until you know exactly what you have. I have driven my current '51 for the last 39 years without one; it's not much of a sacrifice.
 
tubman said:
In my opinion, you would be wise to keep the overdrive locked out until you know exactly what you have. I have driven my current '51 for the last 39 years without one; it's not much of a sacrifice.
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Yes i will keep the od cable pulled out completely and the toggle off. should be safe that way. im used to driving the '37 3 spd. its more of a granny ****** than the '51 i believe. did you get my pm this morning. Tom.
 
I installed a Borg Warner Overdrive in my 54 Meteor a few years ago. After a couple of weeks of tweaking and making sure it was all working, I bet I've only pulled the handle out a few times since then. You will LOVE that OD. My car is on the highway all the time so it is a must have for me to keep up with modern traffic. Better on fuel too.
 
I have a 51 convert that I drove from MD to Maine last summer for an AACA tour. A great car on the highway and excellent gas mileage with the OD.
 
Tom F OHIO said:
Farmertom, what color is your new car??
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Sienna red metallic i believe.i will have to look at the PPG left over paint can.again. dash and all trim same color other than the than all that chrome trim. man,i forgot how much chrome was in those 50s 60s cars. im thinkin ill need to wear sun glasses on a cloudy day:) interior color,cream headliner and accent in front and rear seats with burgandy/maroon main color and carpet. coker wide whites tubeless,fender skirts were removed after 2 days. i had mixed feelings about,but much easier to wash and check tire press. im as old as the car so i dont care for the up and down off cement. saving that activity for other maint. well ive got to get pics and change my avatar. i traded my '37 fordor for the '51. thanks for the interest. Tom.
 
If I'm just driving around with some stop and go, I like to leave the switch off and the od engaged. It puts a little more wear on the brakes because of no engine braking which I like, (freewheeling has it's advantages), but a lot less clutch wear and clutching. Saves having the solenoid kicking in and out a lot at the 28mph kick in. I know the roads and don't anticipate a panic stop. Here's a great od manual. https://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/TechData/BWOverdriveManual.pdf Have fun learning the od. Do not disengage the lever uless at a full stop, or engine under load while accelerating. Do not try to back up with the lever engaged.
 
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Joe B. said:
If I'm just driving around with some stop and go, I like to leave the switch off and the od engaged. It puts a little more wear on the brakes because of no engine braking which I like, (freewheeling has it's advantages), but a lot less clutch wear and clutching. Saves having the solenoid kicking in and out a lot at the 28mph kick in. I know the roads and don't anticipate a panic stop. Here's a great od manual. https://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/TechData/BWOverdriveManual.pdf Have fun learning the od. Do not disengage the lever uless at a full stop, or engine under load while accelerating. Do not try to back up with the lever engaged.
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You have to remember that it is not hooked up in a strictly stock manner, so we don't know what safeguards may have been bypassed. To eliminate the possibility of damage to the internal overdrive components, I still recommend locking the overdrive out. Once he determines what is hooked up and how, further determination can be made. Separating the unit from the transmission (with all that entails) and going through it is not a lot of fun.
 
I've come to remember which way the OD handle/cable goes as follows. It's the same as the handle so, It's locked OUT with the handle out or IN with the handle in.
 
tubman said:
You have to remember that it is not hooked up in a strictly stock manner, so we don't know what safeguards may have been bypassed. To eliminate the possibility of damage to the internal overdrive components, I still recommend locking the overdrive out. Once he determines what is hooked up and how, further determination can be made. Separating the unit from the transmission (with all that entails) and going through it is not a lot of fun.
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Good advice.
 
tubman said:
You have to remember that it is not hooked up in a strictly stock manner, so we don't know what safeguards may have been bypassed. To eliminate the possibility of damage to the internal overdrive components, I still recommend locking the overdrive out. Once he determines what is hooked up and how, further determination can be made. Separating the unit from the transmission (with all that entails) and going through it is not a lot of fun.
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thanks so much tubman,for keeping me in the (disengaged) mode. im definitely keeping the cable pulled completely out. there is a transmission shop here that i owned and operated i beleive still by guy that started it in the late 1960s.i might have him look at the setup.he and i havent seen each other for since the 70s. oh yeah,hows your quest for a hood assist. i thought the '37 hood was heavy,man the '51 it is a heavy beast and even a struggle with one bad shoulder and a arthritic neck. Tom.
 
farmertom said:
thanks so much tubman, for keeping me in the (disengaged) mode. im definitely keeping the cable pulled completely out. there is a transmission shop here that i owned and operated i beleive still by guy that started it in the late 1960s.i might have him look at the setup.he and i havent seen each other for since the 70s. oh yeah,hows your quest for a hood assist. i thought the '37 hood was heavy,man the '51 it is a heavy beast and even a struggle with one bad shoulder and a arthritic neck. Tom.
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I received the lift and associated parts I ordered the other day and have been playing around with them. The variety of lift struts (lengths and capacity) available are amazing, so I am sure I can come up with something. The problem is mounting it. I'd like to use some existing holes and am now leaning towards mounting the lift strut between the frame and hood hinge. I am trying to avoid using any sheet metal parts for mounting. Once I ger the mounting figured out, getting the proper strut should be easy. I'll keep you informed.
 
tubman said:
I received the lift and associated parts I ordered the other day and have been playing around with them. The variety of lift struts (lengths and capacity) available are amazing, so I am sure I can come up with something. The problem is mounting it. I'd like to use some existing holes and am now leaning towards mounting the lift strut between the frame and hood hinge. I am trying to avoid using any sheet metal parts for mounting. Once I ger the mounting figured out, getting the proper strut should be easy. I'll keep you informed.
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sounds great,tubman will you be using a lift strut on each side? i know there is only one prop rod. wondering how it would work being lifted using one strut. let me /us know how it works out. pictures? Tom.
 
The trunk is even worse IMO, at least on the '50's w/exposed hinges. I was diagnosing a trunk leak and whacked out my shoulder. It's like doing a clean and jerk. lol
 
farmertom said:
sounds great,tubman will you be using a lift strut on each side? i know there is only one prop rod. wondering how it would work being lifted using one strut. let me /us know how it works out. pictures? Tom.
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I'm starting out with one side. When I get close, I will probably go to one on each side to keep from "tweaking" the hood (which is one of the reasons I don't want to use sheet metal as an attachment point). Since this is going to be a "trial and error" process, I am trying to keep the costs down for now. (I "flunked out" of the Mechanical Engineering program at the U of M in 1961, which was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.)

"Joe", thanks a lot; I haven't even tried the deck lid yet. Hopefully, it'll be OK, as I don't remember it being the problem that the hood always was.

BTW, I installed the missing hood springs; as I expected, they don't help with this prticular problem.
 
tubman said:
I received the lift and associated parts I ordered the other day and have been playing around with them. The variety of lift struts (lengths and capacity) available are amazing, so I am sure I can come up with something. The problem is mounting it. I'd like to use some existing holes and am now leaning towards mounting the lift strut between the frame and hood hinge. I am trying to avoid using any sheet metal parts for mounting. Once I ger the mounting figured out, getting the proper strut should be easy. I'll keep you informed.
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this is what happens when i spend time on the barn late night. i wasnlooking at the post id written and it sounded like i also owned and operated the same transmission shop.ha ha Tom.
 
Joe B. said:
The trunk is even worse IMO, at least on the '50's w/exposed hinges. I was diagnosing a trunk leak and whacked out my shoulder. It's like doing a clean and jerk. lol
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joe B. yeah, the trunk also is heavy,but not like the hoodwhich is much like a clean and jerk.the trunk on my '51 does not open vey high and will drop on you if not for my prop rod. Tom.
 
tubman said:
I'm starting out with one side. When I get close, I will probably go to one on each side to keep from "tweaking" the hood (which is one of the reasons I don't want to use sheet metal as an attachment point). Since this is going to be a "trial and error" process, I am trying to keep the costs down for now. (I "flunked out" of the Mechanical Engineering program at the U of M in 1961, which was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.)

"Joe", thanks a lot; I haven't even tried the deck lid yet. Hopefully, it'll be OK, as I don't remember it being the problem that the hood always was.

BTW, I installed the missing hood springs; as I expected, they don't help with this prticular problem.
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yeah,those hood hinges i assume only there to keep the hood aligned during the (clean and jerk). I have to wonder if henry ford ever attempted to lift those hoods. when was the first year he installed helper springs on the hood i wonder. Tom.
 
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