Re: '50 Custom Eight Sedan

Posted by HH56 On 2019/3/10 19:42:52

If it is a Custom it will have the 9 main 356 engine and could have an Ultramatic or perhaps an overdrive and maybe an optional Electromatic clutch. Obviously the Ultramatic needs to work but if a standard and OD then see if the OD works. The EC might not be functional but if all the parts are still there it probably could be made to work -- if not for drive reasons, at least as an interesting conversation piece since not many still have functional units.

Standard and OD is no different from other cars. If it has the EC the clutch is vacuum operated and if turned on, once the engine is started and vacuum is present the clutch rarely needs to be touched again. Turn the EC off and it works like a conventional clutch.

If it has an Ultramatic and you have never driven one then it is not quite like other automatics of the day. That trans is a two speed non shifting unit with a torque converter which provides a simulated low gear ratio and contains a clutch to lock out the converter when at speed. If you select H it starts and stays in High. At approx 20 mph depending on throttle the direct drive clutch comes in to lock out the converter and effectively puts you in a solid gear train just as you would be in a standard trans. Same action if you start in Low except all happens at lower speed. When coming to a stop, at approx 11 mph the direct drive drops out and you are in converter drive again. There is NO automatic shift between L and H as there was in some other auto trans of the day so that part has confused many unfamiliar with the operation. Acceleration in H is very smooth but also somewhat leisurely. You can do a manual L to H shift for better acceleration but the trans was not designed for this so there is no synchronization between gears and could be a rough shift. Doing the manual shift under power can result in damage so if you do the manual shift be sure to let off the gas a brief time to let things change in the trans to avoid undue stress.

You probably won't be driving in the dark during a test but the instruments had what Packard called Flite-Glo illumination. Basically the numerals and pointers are painted with luminescent paint which is activated by UV filters over the bulbs. They are supposed to glow a bright green but over the years the paint could have worn out or flaked off leaving the instruments very dim or even dark at night.