Cord Transmission in Tucker?

We owned Tucker number 11 and it had a Cord transmisison.

The Y-1 was easily distinguishable externally from the Cord drive unit. It had a sizable mailbox-shaped housing on what would be the left (driver's) side of the Cord transmission which enclosed the switches that replaced the Cord's interlock and neutral switches. It was also several inches longer.

I've had fairly extensive exposure to three different Tuckeers. One was the car the movie called the number two car, the gold one. It was actually , I think, number twenty one. It was painted gold for the movie because the owner of the real number two would not let the movie use it.

We had one for awhile that came with some story about it being one of the last Tuckers. The Tucker OQuinn had was number forty something.

All three had Cord transmissions, unless the Y-1 was identiccal to the Cord externally.

It could be that when these later cars were restored no Y-1 transmissions were availabe, and Cords were.

Torsten's chronology may well be correct. The bottom line is that of the 50 or so Tuckers completed before and after the shutdown 22-23 were driven through unmodified Cord transmissions.

The story about the Tucker transmission is a little more complicated than described above.
The production model of the Tucker was meant to have an automatic transmission and Preston Tucker engaged a young engineer Allan Rice to develop it. While waiting for a working automatic transmission, they needed a manual transmission to make the prototypes drivable. Because they didn't have much time, they decided to use the Cord transmission. 22 Cord transmissions were found, but only 12 were actually used in the prototypes. Because of the problems with the Cord transmission, a more suitable manual transmission were developed, the Ypsilanti-1 (Y-1).
When the Y-1 became available they were used from number 1013. 3 of the Cord transmission already installed were later replaced with Y-1. when the automatic transmission was ready, it was going to replace all the Y-1.
Before the factory closed down only 3 automatic transmissions were made and tested. One is still in Tucker 1026.
After the close down the unfinished Tucker prototypes were sold and most of them were finished with leftover spare parts and the rest of the Cord transmissions.


Torsten Vig
Denmark

Don't make fun of the Tucker "convertible". Crossing the block right after it will come my barn find Cord 810 woody station wagon.

And if you buy the car, you get first dibs on a bridge in Brooklyn, and a chance to hunt for the elusive snipe.

I looked at that when I had my Cord at Meadowbrook (brag). It was blue, and as you may know, I like green, so I am waiting. 5 million is a few nothings more than I can afford. Ric, (still ranting in his padded cell).

Hi

You could buy the alleged Tucker Convertible for about 5 million... Then you could get a look-see.

--Tom

I'm not 100% sure but I believe Tucker used a different oil pump on some (or all) transmissions. Instead of having 3 bolts down one side and only one on the other for mounting, it had some more on the single side? I think that might make it more difficult to missposition the pump and break the single side casting off, no fun at all. It looks like I may never find out as so far I haven't seen too many Tuckers in the local wrecking yards with or without transmissions! If you have an extra for about $25 please bring it to the KooK gathering in February. I'll make sure you win a prize! Going back under my rock with the groundhog now, bye! Ric. (I think driving top down is affecting my mental powers!)

I have driven into show with me sitting on the front bumper of a Cord with the transmission cover of and shifting the tranmission by hand.

The last Tucker we took to a show I took the back seat out, removed the bulkhead and shifted the transmission by hand.

The Cord trans has a nuetral. The thing is, if it is parked in gear the engine has to be running to shift. I haven't encountered may lube problems, but low vacuum, or dirty vacuum cylinders will keep you parked.

Tucker was looking for a semiautomatic electro-hydroulic gearbox but had no time and no money to develope a own design, so he and some employers went over junkyards to find abondend Cords and took 23 or so, of these gearboxes out. They merely cleaned them out, painted them black and fitted them with a own designed bellhousing to their engine. All the lubrication-problem remaind, because one has to disengage the clutch while running the engine in neutral. The gearbox is only lubricated while in motion.
Later they produced own gearboxes that looked almost the same safe beiing longer and having two synchonizer (one for fist and second, the other third and fourth ) Have a look in Josh Malks new book " Cord Complete " page 232 to read more details.

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The following link concerns the Tucker. It mentions that the Tucker used the Cord transmission (also mentions lubrication problems). Did Tucker buy the tooling, license the design (and if so from whom), or what?

www.laubly.com/1948tucker.htm