Is there clutch fluid AND transmission fluid?

OK, now for my two cents worth. I had a very similar problem with my 1951 Pacemaker. I was 99% sure my clutch was OK as I had put a new one in years ago and the mileage use on it was not exsessive. What I did find (that cured mine) was that the frame bracket for the cross shaft was badly worn egg shaped and the shaft had corresponding groove in it and the clutch pads on the linkage were bad. Welded the shaft and bracket, new pads and all is well now. All the wear made it so the clutch likage could not travel far enough to release the clutch. If you have the tranny out look at the fork that pushes against the throwout bearing and make sure that it is not worn flat sided, it should be a half moon shape. It's possible the collar for the throw out bearing where the fork rides has a worn area in it also. Fix it while it's out. Mine acted just like yours, OK cold go a few miles, could not shift into low or reverse. Shut the engine off, put it in gear, start the engine, then go.

I just added photos of worn bracket, cross shaft

Eric,

Have you gotten the disk recorked yet? Or are you going to clean it up and try it again?

The clutch fluid reservoir and the transmission are completely separate. The transmission has thick oil (about 75W-90), the clutch has Hudsonite, which is the consistency of automatic transmission fluid.

I recently encountered the same clutch behavior in a friend's 1947 8 cylinder Hudson. I am mystified as to the cause of this problem, and am anxious to hear how things go with your clutch.

Per

Gentlemen,
Thank you for the input. Yes I have had the disc recorked and baked (by Ron Fellows) along with a rebuilt throwout bearing. I will check the frame bracket for the cross shaft and locate the transmission fluid reservoir next. I did get a quart of Hudsonite from a HET Chapter friend that was added to the clutch. Any other suggestions?

Eric,

As I mentioned on July 26, check the clutch fingers when you have bolted the clutch onto the flywheel, before you attach the transmission.

There's a plug part way up the wall of the transmission. Remove the plug and check by putting your little finger in the hole to make sure the oil is up to the edge of the hole (or almost). If you have overdrive, there is also a filler plug in that.

Per

Yes I did inspect the clutch fingers as you mentioned on July 26. They appeared the same distance and did not show unusual wear. it look rather "new" to be honest.

Sounds like mis-matched parts. We're the clutch guys in Shelbyville,IN. I know we can fix your problem. We've seen this many times before, especially when we first purchased the business from the guy in FL.

UPDATE: Doug and the Wildrick team have been a huge help and has solved my clutch issues with new parts and guidance. I am now back on the road!

I also recently purchased a fuel pump from them and will be installing that in the next week or so. Thanks Wildrick!! 🙂

Thanks Eric. We hope you have a great Holiday season!

Does anyone sell the frame brackets for cross shaft linkage?

I don't' know if anyone does, but unless they are NOS, you're likely to get one that also has the typical hole wear as in the photo. My suggestion is to have a welder slowly build up metal in the lost area, and finish it with file. I did this and it greatly improved the smoothness of motion and reduced the lost pedal travel.

Photo of mine below.

Pat

Eric, it's good to see that you've worked through your clutch problems at last! I'm sorry you had to go through that. Honest, these clutches do work just fine, and for decades. In 40 years of driving my '37, I haven't had any serious problems with mine, though I once allowed the clutch oil to get a bit low and the car didn't want to get out of gear when it was hot. (A clutch fill, solved the problem.)

As to your wish to buy the frame bracket, the "weld" solution may be the quickest, though you could shoot out some e-mails to some of the Hudson vendors who regularly advertise in the WTN. Send along a photo of the entire bracket as well as the original part number. You never know what people might have sitting on their shelves!

I bored/ reamed the hole in the clutch cross-shaft frame bracket oversize to accept a bronze Oilite shouldered bushing, which I pressed in. I re-used the felt oil wick, and Oilite bushing is permeable so the oil can can saturate the bronze for excellent long wearing characteristics. The bushing has much more bearing surface area than the original, and will NOT wear a groove in the steel cross-shaft. "OldFarmer47" has posted pictures of this modification I did about 10 years ago.

Have you tried greasing them? Machinery definitely works better if lubricated.