Originally Posted By: ctrcbob
70 years ago would be 1942. Back then, 99.9% of cars were manual shift. The only "automatics" were the very first Oldsmobiles that introduced the hydomatic back around 1940 (but nobody bought them) and the Dodge (Chrysler) which had the "Fluid Drive" mostly for people with handicaps, and did not have full use of their legs. I knew a woman who drove a late 1930's (think it was a 39) Dodge with the Fluid Drive. Also, don't even know if it was for sale to people without handicaps.
"Fluid drive" had nothing to do with handicap assistance at all. It was available to the general public. There were a couple of different implementations of it, and I don't remember all the subtle differences. One was still a fully manual transmission that just happened to have a fluid coupling between the clutch and the input shaft. You shifted it entirely normally EXCEPT that you didn't have to put it in neutral at a stop. Come to a stop... depress the clutch, shift from high to first, release the clutch while holding the brake. Then when you want to move, lift foot off brake and press the gas. That system was also sold by Chrysler for about 10 zillion industrial applications- everything from big forklifts to airport tugs to yard cranes. Its especially handy in things like forklifts and cranes where you have to nudge the load forward and back a few inches, then hold the brake and raise/lower. You don't have to worry about stalling the engine or riding the clutch.
The other common implementation was a dual range semi-automatic. As I recall, you left it in gear at a stop in "low" range. Drive off and when ready, lift off the gas foot slightly and it would shift to the next gear a bit like the Auburn/Cord "preselect" semi-auto. Then you did a manual shift to "high" range and repeat the foot lift when ready for 4 forward speeds.
Neither 'Fluid drive' version had a true torque convertor with a stator, they were just fluid clutches. No torque amplification other than allowing the engine to run at a higher RPM where more torque might be available. Also they were filled with engine oil, not transmission oil. They add quit a lot to the engine oil capacity, and also rejected their heat to the oiling system. That was never really a problem as far as I know.
70 years ago would be 1942. Back then, 99.9% of cars were manual shift. The only "automatics" were the very first Oldsmobiles that introduced the hydomatic back around 1940 (but nobody bought them) and the Dodge (Chrysler) which had the "Fluid Drive" mostly for people with handicaps, and did not have full use of their legs. I knew a woman who drove a late 1930's (think it was a 39) Dodge with the Fluid Drive. Also, don't even know if it was for sale to people without handicaps.
"Fluid drive" had nothing to do with handicap assistance at all. It was available to the general public. There were a couple of different implementations of it, and I don't remember all the subtle differences. One was still a fully manual transmission that just happened to have a fluid coupling between the clutch and the input shaft. You shifted it entirely normally EXCEPT that you didn't have to put it in neutral at a stop. Come to a stop... depress the clutch, shift from high to first, release the clutch while holding the brake. Then when you want to move, lift foot off brake and press the gas. That system was also sold by Chrysler for about 10 zillion industrial applications- everything from big forklifts to airport tugs to yard cranes. Its especially handy in things like forklifts and cranes where you have to nudge the load forward and back a few inches, then hold the brake and raise/lower. You don't have to worry about stalling the engine or riding the clutch.
The other common implementation was a dual range semi-automatic. As I recall, you left it in gear at a stop in "low" range. Drive off and when ready, lift off the gas foot slightly and it would shift to the next gear a bit like the Auburn/Cord "preselect" semi-auto. Then you did a manual shift to "high" range and repeat the foot lift when ready for 4 forward speeds.
Neither 'Fluid drive' version had a true torque convertor with a stator, they were just fluid clutches. No torque amplification other than allowing the engine to run at a higher RPM where more torque might be available. Also they were filled with engine oil, not transmission oil. They add quit a lot to the engine oil capacity, and also rejected their heat to the oiling system. That was never really a problem as far as I know.
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