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Ford followed up the next year with it's Fordomatic.
In comparing Powerglide and Fordomatic, Fordomatic was the more efficient and versatile of the two transmissions, although if you left the gear lever in "Drive" the car started in second gear, thereby utilizing only two of its three gears. You had to place the selector in "Low" to start out in first. I believe the early Powerslides, whoops Powerglides, were similar to the Dynaflows, in that they started in the second of two gears, if you placed the selector in "Drive." You engaged first by putting the selector in "Low." Because off-the-line acceleration was painfully slow in Drive, Chevy changed it (in '53 or '55) so that the car started in first regardless of whether the selector was in Drive or Low. Ford didn't make that change, apparently feeling it wasn't necessary, since their automatic used two gears in normal every day driving, just like Chevy's. Another difference was that Chevy's first gear was lower than Ford's second gear, so under normal use Chevys were a little more responsive off the line, with comparable engines.
Now when it came to durability, Powerglide was more rugged than Fordomatic. That's not to say that Fordomatics were problematic for the average owner, but Powerglides rarely failed.
In 1953, the Powerglides started shifting by themselves.
Plymouth didn't get a "real" automatic until, I think 1954.
Chrysler messed around with Fluid Drive and Hy Drives.
How would a Powerflite compare to a Powerglide or FordoMatic? Wasn't the FordoMatic a 2-speed? One of my officemates recently bought a '62 Ford Galaxie 4-door, and he said it had a 2-speed, and called it "Fordomatic".
Ford introduced a two speed automatic, similar to Powerflte and Powerglide, well after they offered the original three speed unit, but I don't know off hand just when that was. Maybe it was 1959, when they introduced the 1960 Falcon. The Falcon automatic was a two speed unit. That transmission was also featured in the Mercury Comet and, I believe, the Ford Fairlane and Mercury Meteor, or at least the smaller engine versions of those intermediates. They continued to make the three speed unit (Cruisomatic?) available, however, for a few or several years. The two speed was an additional Ford transmission.
Man, I hope I don't offend anyone, but it occurred to me that we must all be a bunch of certified nuts, living in the distant past, agonizing over such trivia. Oh well, I suppose it's no different than recalling old baseball scores and related details. At least it's legal and harmless.
"Well Yah Jerry Farnsworth came up from Triple A in February of '96 with an ERA of 2.54 against lefties but interestingly 5.57 against righties in cloudy weather conditions. He always wore one blue and one red sock...I'm not sure which one on which foot---anyone out there remember that?"
In my high-performance days, the PowerGlide was called the "slip'n'slide" and would be thrown away as quickly as possible to replace it with a Turbo 400 as the best performance automatic. Well...I have a good friend who's drag racing, and guess what the performance auto for racing is today? Yep, the PowerGlide - with many modifications, of course. But I've seen street rods that are using the PowerGlide for high-horsepower motors, like 600+ hp! Truly strange...
But yes, we are going way off topic here so either we have to steer back to the Cosmo and related areas or wrap this one up I guess.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1950-Lincoln-Hot-Rod-49-50-51-Mercu- ry-Lead-Sled_W0QQitemZ320310166263QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewI- tem?hash=item320310166263&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A7%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c- 0.m245
Current bid is $25,500.
http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/lincoln/cosmopolitan/?year=1950
1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan 4dr sedan. 2 tone green. Ca.unrestored rust free survivor. 76k miles. 337 V8 & hydramatic run well. P/windows and seat work... more... $10,500
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan sedan, all or part, nice solid body & nice grille, trim, etc. 209-984-5858, CA.**15-YR**... more...
Location: Jamestown, CA
1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan sedan, gorgeous example, has correct mint interior, Verde green exterior, smooth & quiet flathead, nice as they get.... more... $19,500 Location: Santa Barbara, CA
For sale by: Auto Store
Cars shown by prior Appointment
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
PH: 805-966-3272
FAX 805-966-3202
For pics: http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/lincoln/cosmopolitan/685539.html-
I have had the frame cut on my '51 Ford business coupe, '53 Ford Victoria, and '68 Cadillac hearse to accomodate dual exhausts. No problems with frame issues, they are strong enough that the metal that was cut out didn't compromise the frame's integrity.
As to wiring, IIRC the insulation on the 50's wiring was tar-impregnated cotton. It's, as we've all experienced, vulnerable to age and will get brittle over time. Any kind of kinks in the wiring will cause the insulation to fray and expose the wire itself. My '49 Ford had to be re-wired, and I sat down with a Motor's Manual, set of connectors, & 5-6 rolls of colored wire and hand re-wired it; only problem was using the high beams made the taillights go out. I also didn't rewire the dash, which would be a huge task by itself. But it was arduous and only really possible as the headliner was gone and all the main wiring was (relatively) easy to access - not sure how the wiring could be pulled through the top with the headliner in place without difficulty.
You can order short blocks from classic car companies, but they are spendy and shipping is nasty.
I overhauled the flathead 8 in my '51 coupe about 20 years ago and it was quite an experience. The big thing is - get adjustable lifters!! The stock lifters are solid, so to adjust the valves the end of the valve itself has to be carefully ground off; too much and you have to start over with a new valve.
It's actually less complicated than an overhead 8 as the valve train is much simpler - no rocker arms or pushrods. But finding the parts locally can be a real challenge. I was lucky and found a local guy that had lots of specialized flathead parts and worked out of his garage.
I also replaced the pushrod for the fuel pump in addition to the pump itself. Of course the carb had to be overhauled and the oil pump replaced, along with all the usual stuff like a crank kit, rings, boring over (if necessary), etc. If you've overhauled any overhead valve motor, the flathead will be different but easier for the most part.
Hopefully this isn't a boring review of what everyone already knows, was hoping to add to the knowledge of the group.
18 inches by 58 inches.
"The 1950 custom Lincoln Cosmopolitan 7-passenger limousine was one of nineteen vehicles made for White House use. It was garaged at Metuchen, New Jersey and was reserved for President Truman whenever he was in the New York area. Alexander J. Barket gave the limousine to the Truman Presidential Museum & Library on April 14, 1972. It has a special body built by the Henney Motor Company of Freeport, Illinois under the direction of the Lincoln-Mercury engineers and with the aid of Lincoln technicians. It is equipped with a high compression V-8 engine. The limousine is part of the museum's permanent collection."
Harry like Chryslers for personal cars. He even took a road trip, just him and his wife alone (!!!) in 1953, and stayed in motels along the way.
I'm researching these cars, too, and need to get in touch with you about yours. Do you mind sharing the 4 middle #s of the VIN (serial number)? Should be 62- -. You can do it privately if you wish.
Thanks,
TG
See post # 79 above about your car.
Thanks,
TG
It's gibs8662"at"bellsouth.net (just replace at with @)
I'm only concerned with the 145" wheelbase Cosmo limos at this time,
so thanks in advance.
TomG
HERSHEY 2013
I wonder if some sedan parts would work? You might visit the Lincoln parts section at www.hemmings.com