Dustin,
I have looked at this problem my self. The trouble is that a torque
converter uses a sator to direct the fluid from the driving to the
driven torus, this requires a statonary shaft for the stator to fit on.
The early hydramatics with the fluid coupling have no provision to do this.
Further the power flow in them is reversed the early hydras had the
front gearset driven directly by the engine not through the fluid
coupling. When these transmissions were in 4th gear there was a solid
connection from the flywheel to the driveshaft with no power going
through the fluid coupling.
In many ways they were better transmissions than newer models, but they
would not give you "lay you back in the seat acceleration". Thats not
what they were made for. They would however, give better gas mileage
than a standard trans mission and GMC advertised that for all their
trucks including the semis with the Allisons.
John Dorsey
Wauchula, FL
'49 Chevy 3800 panel
'52 GMC 640 Firetruck (wishing it had an Allison!)
CLLLSLS@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hey everyone,
>
> Just wondering if there were ever any retrofit kits made in the 40's or 50's
> to put a torque converter on the Hydra-matics? I've heard these Hydros were
> beefed up and made better than bulletproof on the dragstrips back in their
> day, but I can't imagine these things performing with their torus member type
> fluid coupling. Is there any way to get a power glide TC or even a later
> turbo hydro unit to fit? Can the stock torus unit be retrofitted with torque
> converter guts?
>
> Who knows about this stuff? I'm 17 and it seams like there's a good chance
> anybody who was racing Hydro's in the late 40's is no longer around. Is there
> anybody left out there that cares about this stuff? I think It'd be pretty
> cool to stick an old built 4-spd Hydra-matic behind my 375 horse 270 Jimmy! I
> figure it's got darn near the same characteristics as a 700R4!
>
> Dustin
> 50 & 53 GMC 1/2 tons
> 48 GMC 3/4 ton
>
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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