Driving A Car With a Transmission Half Made Out of Paper

[@Neojhun]

Wow that clutch & transmission combo is genius

[@justmechanicthings]

except that it slips when there is too much torque, assuming it did that when it was new

[@Akokaontawu]

@@justmechanicthings They should've used rubber instead of paper

[@samiam5557]

no its a asinine idea

[@justmechanicthings]

@@Akokaontawu well that would defo solve that problem but it wouldn't last long! and it would make a burning smell. You'd be changing the ''clutch'' more often than the tires 🤣🤣

[@scootergeorge9576]

Looks like it would go just as fast in reverses as forward.

[@nsbioy]

Does fixing it involve paperwork?

[@AudioOrchardMusic]

nsbioy ooohhhh

[@styldsteel1]

nsbioy lol!!! You got me on that one

[@atranas6018]

A lot of paperwork

[@billietyree6139]

No job is ever finished till the paperwork is done.

[@Car_and_classic_lover]

Haha

[@abbaby555]

I never knew this existed, he one up'd Leno for sure

[@rancidpitts8243]

Jay's knees hurt from begging him to sell.

[@taylordignan8486]

my snowblower drive wheels work the same way!! friction wheel/flywheel. Cool!

[@samiam5557]

whats the MPG?

[@CPB1]

Jason ..you are the only reason I subscribe to Jalopnic. Keep it up. Always learning something. If I may suggest, no music. Let us hear what you are experiencing. You mentioned the sound ( whine maybe) of the engine. Unfortunately all I heard was somewhat Jazzy music. So please help put us with you and experience what you experience drop the music. Thank you again.

[@martinshow5146]

same here

[@CPB1]

@@martinshow5146 ......I was worried I was the only one....thank you

[@Andre-cj1ds]

Completely agree, these engines should be heard in detail not dubbed over

[@rollingtroll]

Yup, mainly here for Jason as well

[@mysock351C]

Your average powered snow blower also uses the same type of transmission. Fascinated that they ACTUALLY used it in a car. Never knew that.

[@nico.c97]

Clutch? Torque Converter? Gears? No, Just a paper wheel and a Jason.

[@styldsteel1]

N Cion lol!!

[@albear972]

4:37 Owww! Sick burn there, Jason. Ouch!

[@zabnat]

She was having it again at the end. :)

[@CaptPanOfSteel]

god I would have just quit being a reported after that LMAO

[@EvanMoon]

The transmission design was very simple but it gives you such good control. If you want to see another CVT, Look at one of the snapper mower’s like the one in Forrest Gump.

[@Sprocketboy1956]

These old cars are really fascinating since everything was being tried out. Very enjoyable although Jason really needs to work on his Armstrong Starter. Dog seemed very happy with Jason too.

[@chabka34]

This guy and his dog... He just looks like the person who would own that car lol and his dog

[@nicostenfors5690]

No grinding in this episode of Jason Grinds!

[@Oof-o6b]

Amazing what paper can do!

[@mysock351C]

Automatic transmissions still use friction paper for most of the clutches, although it works much differently than the one pictured above.

[@DavidLieffring]

My grandfather had a couple of 2 cylinder Metz cars. Snapper rider lawnmowers had the same style transmission.

[@datsunz152]

Lol you blew straight through that stop sign

[@travishagan8951]

datsunz1 he did a California stop lol

[@cannabinized]

Stopping is too complicated

[@04dram04]

No he didnt. 5:12 you can see him stop

[@fpvillegas9084]

I love Jason's style of presentation. So honest and unpretentious. More videos of rare cars and technologies please 👍

[@silubr1]

A lot of companies experimented with this sort of variable friction drivetrain in the early days (this Metz seems almost a bit late to the party). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction_drive (list very much incomplete, I can think of Maurer-Union, among others)

[@22ron81]

Man this is an awesome series Jason’s sense of humor is on point and he is super knowledgeable...keep up coming jalopnik!!

[@G56AG]

Helps to make you appreciate a modern car! A Model T is a real nightmare to drive, this one is slightly less complicated.

[@jareknowak8712]

Transmission type: "Rolling Burnout" :)

[@TalenGryphon]

I had a lawn tractor like this O.o: An 8hp Polaron. Same style of transmission except using vulcanized rubber instead of paper. Would go just as fast in reverse as it would forward. But if it was raining, or the grass was even slightly damp, water would get in, and that stupid rubber wheel would just slip on the aluminum drive plate. That severely limited its usefulness. And caused it to be hastily replaced with an MTD I wonder if this Metz has the same problem

[@theirishaxe9405]

I love the lanterns

[@kw9849]

4:32 Jason demonstrates why you never, ever grip a hand crank with your thumb wrapped around the handle. You should also never crank in a downward motion; a kickback could break your wrist or arm. He's lucky he wasn't injured.

[@therestorationshop]

Yep you always want to be pulling up with the fingers and thumb not involved.

[@jeffmullinix7916]

The transmission type was also used by Snapper . Snapper was a company that built push mowers , self propeled and riding mowers .

[@themadsmith857]

Wow my 1968 snowblower has the same clutch and transmission set up!!

[@Devills_hill]

you know, of all of the car channels, this might be the one i envy most... all the amazing cars you guys get to touch and see and smell

[@asd36f]

Between 1909 and 1912, the Metz was sold in kit form. Buyers completed the first group of parts before taking delivery of the second group of parts. The packages came in 14 parts and sold for $25 each. The advantage of the system was that Charles Metz could dispose of a large quantity of parts left over from the Waltham Manufacturing Co, without the capital outlay of paying a workforce to assemble them. Once Metz had obtained a reasonable sum from the sale of the kits, he started to offer complete cars as well.

[@ThegMAH]

That CVT is amazing in its simplicity :o

[@visekual6248]

I think this type of transmission can be rethought for modern days, I imagine it would be much cheaper than a conventional transmission and be used in very cheap cars sold in low-income countries

[@grandinosour]

No.... Reliability issues would overcome the savings

[@AtheistDD]

A somewhat similar transmission was introduced for bicycles not that long ago.

[@chadcountiss5290]

My great grandmother broke her wrist once crank-starting a car because my great grandfather couldn't be bothered to start it himself.

[@MrZcotty]

it was awfully nice of dude to let you learn exactly how to NOT, start a hand crank engine.

[@samiam5557]

yeah it could end in a broken wrist or arm if done wrong

[@fisqual]

The drive on my old Snapper lawnmower works just like that. I used it commercially for almost 6 years and it never had a problem.

[@Backroad_Junkie]

Is that Sam Elliot's long lost brother?

[@Doctor_Robert]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that!

[@styldsteel1]

Backroad Junkie I’m sorry to say but I’d rather the owner not be in this video. Jason is a professional by himself

[@rollingtroll]

A modern rendition of this system would be really amazing. Great video again!

[@Stinkymens]

It’s so funny cause that transmission design is the same as our snowblower! When we took it apart to change a belt on it I was stunned at how simple and genius it is

[@Ichigo_Keba]

You need to drive a Ford model a, it’s a different experience from the model T... more modern, but with a twist.

[@spdwebdotnet]

I had an old Snapper lawn tractor which had the same setup to get power to the rear wheels.. used two discs.. (not made of paper) but the same exact concept.

[@kevinwilkinson1510]

I used to have a Gilson Brothers 8 HP snow blower with the same type of transmission. The drive selector handle could be set at 7 different positions for 5 forward speeds and two reverse. In Fifth you would have to jog to keep up with it.

[@paulnadratowski3942]

You’re supposed to crank with your left hand to prevent kickback

[@vwsaiphone]

My car ate my homework Na my car changed gears with my homework lmao

[@tiziocaio4561]

Loved the humor in this episode

[@silverpairaducks]

That tension spring on the hood strap is amazing

[@geyotepilkington2892]

Wow that really helped me visualize the difference between torque and top end

[@ChrisXif1]

Great car, great dog, kind of douchey owner ( 4:37). Loved the complete lack of any stopping through the 4-way stop intersections!

[@Munkenba]

he did a petrolicious vid on his tatra once, I thought he was pretty cool

[@ttbalog]

"...one of the co-owners. Haha hilarious. This looks like some nice adventure.

[@CardboardSliver]

Ok we get it! Same transmission as a snowblower or Snapper 98% of the comments are the same damn thing. We get it. Jeeze

[@seed_drill7135]

I've seen that transmission before in an unrestored car with the wooden floorboards out of it. Don't recall if it was a Metz or a different make. Very cool.

[@eberbacher007]

amazing, what happens if you drive it in the rain?

[@Munkenba]

You don't, you take a visit to the local library to use the town phone, you get through to the operator and you make pleasant small talk, then you ask to be put through to whichever of your unreasonably wealthy friends you were going to visit and you tell them why you can't make it for afternoon tea. They give you heck for ever investing in a motorcar and you miss an evening's aristocratic bantering. Sell the car, get a horse, stop trying to be the cool cat on the block.

[@lazertag720]

@@Munkenba horses dont have roofs

[@TalenGryphon]

Your transmission turns into mush

[@styldsteel1]

eberbacher007 it gets wet.

[@jtp336]

@@lazertag720 , but the carriages they pull do.

[@04dram04]

How does your videos not have over a million views?

[@shawncurtis3686]

A locomotive with a similar transmission use to be on display at Caboose Hobbies in Denver. Pretty cool car .

[@ChrisDragotta]

Nice proportions.

[@Francois_L_7933]

Funny thing is, those transmissions are still being used in snowblowers! The only difference is that they have a rubber surface on one of the transmission wheels (a bit like a belt) that needs to be replaced once in a while.

[@ajaychoudhary9817]

flying a fuckin fighter jets has lesser steps but i would pay top dollar for this its just so fuckin awesome

[@shahinsha108]

.he has a bunch of tatras . awesome person

[@Bout_TreeFiddy]

the 1950s Bogen record player uses the same "CVT" design for infinitely variable speed

[@mikezeke7041]

This is why I watch! 👍👍

[@dylanlaughlin6715]

This is one of the most clever things I have ever seen.

[@nohopeforthekids]

I knew I had seen the owner of this vehicle before and after a couple searches found him in the Tatra T87 Petrolicious video. What a cool dude, wonder what other obscure cars he has.

[@jamesdeen8158]

Some lawnmowers and other yard equipment also use the friction wheel design.

[@y.s8915]

amazing

[@gtb81.]

old snapper lawnmowers had a similar system

[@mohammadnoor8429]

cool, reminds me of old track mantenance trains

[@drewsey5733]

ive seen self propeled lawnmowers with transmissions using the same concept

[@bigusdickus8503]

A lot of snapper lawn mowers also have those transmissions

[@JasonDoege]

LOL @6:44 blows through a stop sign...

[@Meton12765]

You guys should make "Jason Drives" a weekly deal. I'd pay good money for that.

[@paulverstraete9157]

the old snapper mower my parents had when I was a kid worked this way...

[@pvccannon1966]

It works like a snow blower. with a movable disc that moves from the inner to outer surface of a disc

[@etmccaus]

GM tried a much larger version of this - dubbed a "Toric transmission" - in several of its gas turbine-powered experimental buses in the '60s, notably the spage-age RTX.

[@thecommenter578]

Way better than my Fiesta transmission

[@knightsofnee8626]

Its like old Snapper mowers but without gears!

[@trainchugger53]

Holy crap, this is in Highland Park?

[@aseheavyindustries798]

that looks like one of the more pleasant turn of the century cars

[@John-Laird]

Some lawnmowers use similar transmissions.

[@ironwill8596]

Oh it's a friction drive transmission the same one they put on old snow blowers cvd in cars

[@critterIMHO]

I had a lawnmower with a transmission just like this.

[@drdremd]

Just like a snapper riding mower.

[@valterslacis614]

Funny enough the same transmission system today is used on snow blowers. They are probably also more powerfull.

[@Nad_0618]

Sounds like a Engine swap opportunity to me.

[@fishandchimps170]

And while repeating the same sentence with slight variations minutes apart may not make alot of sense in modern times if you think about it in the context of ad revenue it becomes really really clever.

[@BikerTrashWolf]

It's like the transmission on a snapper rear engine riding lawnmower.

[@dave1135]

Very similar to a transmission in a older snapper rear engine riding mower

[@snjert8406]

I have this as a toy car! It's from my great aunt

[@jsawyer0617]

Half made outta paper? ITS ALL PAPER!!!!

[@jwalster9412]

Just imagine the smell when it overheats, worse than a clutch.

[@joro8604]

This guy is way cool to let you just go off and drive it.

[@shahinsha108]

Better than model T

[@stephendoherty1275]

Sam Elliot is a gear-head? I didn't know that.

[@travishagan8951]

Nice California stop

[@KipppopotamusJR]

Nice

[@MostlyInteresting]

Snapper lawnmowers for 30 years.

[@sashley616]

if you look at a drive on a snowblower it is just like that except the paper is replaced by rubber

[@theneil007]

Are you going to drive Paul's Tatra, too???

[@turdferguson7270]

That's what clutches in an automatic or Harley was made of forever. Still use paper in rebuilds

[@04dram04]

How the hell does he get drivetrain parts for this? Like the paper wheel?

[@treserious]

Snowblower drive works like this. hard rubber instead of paper

[@gundism]

So it has the same powertrain as most snow blowers

[@rockytoady5875]

That's the same transmission as most snow blowers

[@delosdmi]

Does Jay Leno have one of these?

[@rADIOLINJA]

I wonder if Nissan got inspired by this car to design their Extroid CVT transmission for their rear wheel driven vehicles.

[@Elky-yn3ev]

It's just a really big Snapper without a deck.