Owners & Service Manuals

[toolguybak]

I apologize if this topic has been discussed before (I couldn't find anything with the search function).

Was an owners manual created for the Tucker 48?

Was a shop service manual created?

If yes to either, are reprints/scans available for viewing?

[Tuckeroo]

The Tucker Technical Manual was created by some of the earliest Tucker restorers for the club and is still sold (in updated form) by TACA. I'm not sure when the earliest edition was created, but it was quite some time after the company folded. I don't know of any service manual created prior to that.

[Tuckerfan1053]

The Tucker Technical Manual is no longer available through the club due to copyright issues, but copies show up on eBay every now and then. The Tucker Corporation never got around to producing any service or owner manuals.

[toolguybak]

The Tucker Technical Manual is no longer available through the club due to copyright issues...

Please elaborate--I don't know the back story here.

The Tucker Corporation never got around to producing any service or owner manuals.

That seems odd. I would think that some sort of owners manual would have been prepared for the first production cars.
I wonder if a service manual was being drafted. (It would be cool to find something like that.)

[Tuckerfan1053]

The manual stopped being produced because one of the authors died, and no one's sure who his share of the rights would have transfered to. A club member is attempting to find out, but I don't know if they've made any progress on the matter or not.

As for why they hadn't produced any manuals yet, well, they hadn't even gotten close to a production model when the company was shutdown. The fifty cars that had been produced were really just pilot models, and had a number of differences between them (the later ones had a longer wheelbase than the first models, for example). There were probably some efforts underway, but nobody's turned anything up, to my knowledge.

[toolguybak]

Thanks to everyone that responded!

Change in wheelbase?! Interesting...do you know the back story on this one? (Sorry if I sound like a total newbie.)

[Tuckeroo]

The biggest changes made on the pilot production line came along between cars #1025 and #1026 (am I correct?). The whhelbase was changed from 128 inches to 130 inches, bringing the rear wheels back two inch to inprove weight distribution and handling. Suspension was changed, at least in the front. The gas tank was moved from the mid-rear to the front. Ventilated wheel covers were replaced with smooth ones. The rod that steered the center light was replaced with a cable. That these changes occured exactly halfway through the pilot run is certainly a coincidence, at that time no one could have known that the total run would equal only fifty cars.

[Tuckerfan1053]

There were also changes to the transmissions. The first few cars had a modified Cord transmission. Others had an improved Cord design. At least one had an automatic transmission, and others had a new manual (or semi-automatic) design transmission. And one had a Borg Warner unit installed in it. I don't remember if that was done at the factory or after the car had been sold to someone.

[Tuckeroo]

That's true, The Tin Goose through #1012 had Cord transmissions, #1013 was the first to have the Y1. #1026 and #1042 had R1 "Tuckermatics." #1048 had the Borg Warner 3-speed manual. All of the other cars had either Y1 or Cord transmissions.

[toolguybak]

Wow, this is great info! You experts should document this stuff in a Wiki or a section/page on this site.

[Tuckeroo]

Addendum to my previous reply: the Tin Goose was originally fitted with the 589cid engine and fluid drive couplings, but later (though in the course of the Tucker Corporation still in business) it was fitted with a 335cid engine and a Cord transmission.