Classic/Antique Car Repair: 1949 Mercury, jim gentry, current cut

Question
QUESTION: Hello
 I'm trying to find a short in the car---my  questions is are all three terminals on the generator regulator supposed to be hot when the key is in the off position?  Mine are !!
Thank you for any help you can give me-

ANSWER: The short answer is NO. The GEN and FLD should only be hot when the generator is charging and the engine running. It would appear that the current cut out portion of the regulator is stuck in the closed position. this is the part of the regulator that when the generator charging voltage drops disconnects the generator from the battery. The problem is that when this sticks shut it will discharge the battery and can harm the generator. A replacement regulator is in order here.

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QUESTION: I have a transmission problem and question--with the engine running letting out the clutch in any gear or even netural causes a clunk-clunk sound that won't stop till the clutch is disengaged--I'm afraid to drive it, thinking may be doing a lot of damage--there are no repair shops that can pull the engine and store the car inside while the work is being done--It's a shame--the car has been garaged for the last 35 years and only driven 10 a year--factory manual says engine must be removed to get transmission out--or can be removed thru the front floorboard--doing that would damage the orginal floor mat--don't want that to happen--I want to sell the car but can't with this problem-car is pure stock and runs like a sewing machine--thanks for any help you can give me--wish you lived across the road !!    jim Gentry

Answer
This problem can almost always be traced to a chipped tooth on the cluster gear, the one that runs along the bottom of the transmission, and turns all the time that the clutch is engaged, even in neutral. We used to sneak those transmission out most of the time back in the day from under the car. It is a bit of a trick. I agree that disturbing the floor mat if it is original is asking to destroy it. We used to disconnect the drive shaft and the rear transmission mount. Then jack the engine slightly so that the weight was off the transmission. Then unbolt the transmission from the bell housing, disconnect the linkage and speedometer cable. Then slide the transmission back as far as it will go. Then we disconnected the bell housing from the engine and wiggled it out of the car. Then you can wiggle the transmission out. However if the car has overdrive this might not work and then removing the engine transmission as a unit is the best bet. I live in Southwest Florida and run a carburetion/tune up service for the old car hobby down here and if you were close by would love to work on your old Mercury.