Have any of the builders here ever built a Turboglide? I picked one up today from a local engine builder and this is the first time I have ever seen one. Are parts still available? I am going to tear into it possibly this Saturday and see what it's going to need. I know it's a 3 speed with some funky shift characteristics and a bolt together torque converter.
1961 Turboglide Trans
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One of my first jobs out of high school in 1962 was an R&R installer in a trans shop. the collector cars that are going for big bucks now are what I worked on. That's about 42 years in the automotive trade. That trans your referring too had a very bad failure rate. The strongest trans till the TH400 came along in 65 was the old hydramatic. Which is what made B&M famous back then.they were big & heavy & very strong. But were a bitch to install used 32 bolts to attach the converter to the flywheel with a thin gasket between that leaked if you weren't careful installing it.Automatics back then were in thier infancy & kept the trans shops very busy. I was on piece work & made 10.00 per unit & averaged 40.00 per day. Big money back then. This was in Buffalo N.Y, working on rusty ass cars. You had to be good with a torch to remove seized & rusty bolts. You east coast guys I'm sure are familiar with. I have to laugh at some of the cry baby mechanic's out here in CA.Who think they have it rough.I have always loved the work & still do so today at age 62 Anyways so much for the history lesson for today kid. Regards LouGNeric said:Thanks Lou. All I know is the guy is restoring a vehicle and the 348 is almost done and now the trans needs going thru. I think they said it was a truck. I told them it would be a learning experience for me.We'll see how it goes.
Oh, I still get my fair share of New York and northern cars to work on. Lot's of retiree's here in NM that bring their cars with them and they are rusted almost thru to the carpets. I found out this morning the master kit for this will be about $560 + $65 modulator + $42 filter my cost and whatever hard parts are needed and converter rebuild. The guy is aparently made of money as he was in Arizona picking up 3 more collector cars worth around $152,000 +or- from an auction that he will be storing and showing. I'll have to check them out when they get here and see what he got.
Yes, I've heard some complaints about the Turboglide & Buick Twin Turbine not being that reliable. The regular Dynaflow was reliable as far as not stranding you as much as those 2, but the Dynaflow was very slushy. The Roto Hydramatic also drew lots of complaints.
We're now getting into the era when mechanics who knew how to rebuild the older transmissions are passing away, and with them the tricks to make them work better. Yes, if you can rebuild a 200-4R an Aluminum Powerglide isn't too different, but some of the older units had quirks. Like the Dual Coupling Hydramatic used a clutch release during a clutch apply in one of the shifts, so clutch clearances (and maybe feed hole sizes) were very important.
We're now getting into the era when mechanics who knew how to rebuild the older transmissions are passing away, and with them the tricks to make them work better. Yes, if you can rebuild a 200-4R an Aluminum Powerglide isn't too different, but some of the older units had quirks. Like the Dual Coupling Hydramatic used a clutch release during a clutch apply in one of the shifts, so clutch clearances (and maybe feed hole sizes) were very important.
I see rebuilt Turboglides listed here for sale:
http://www.drivetrain.com/transautogmapp.html
The Turboglide is tied with the Buick Dynaflow for being the most expensive.
http://www.drivetrain.com/transautogmapp.html
The Turboglide is tied with the Buick Dynaflow for being the most expensive.
Bomber '67
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Unless I am forgetting something, wasn't the TurboGlide a single speed trans with a three phase torque converter? A nice idea in a way, but I believe it caused lots of confusion to car buyers when first introduced. I heard that some people brought their cars back thinking there was something wrong with their transmission because they really couldn't feel it shift vs. a conventional automatic.
Thomas
Thomas
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Yes that is correct. there were a lot of innovative transmission ideas tried back then. Not all of them successful. Technology has come a long way since then. I think the most dramatic changes in the auto industry was in the late 70,s when computors were adapted to automotive use.Bomber '67 said:
the industry has reintroduced some new technology recently in the form of the constant velocity transmission / transaxle.it uses a belt drive and gearing that is similar to a 10 speed bike.you never feel a ratio change it just keeps pulling.
Jack Armstrong
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Let's never forget the infamous Pontiac "Slim Jim".
One old odd duck was the air-cooled Corvair PG.
Ask me which of the 2 I'd bet on for durability.
One old odd duck was the air-cooled Corvair PG.
Ask me which of the 2 I'd bet on for durability.
I'd bet on the Corvair PG. I have owned quite a few and many of my friends have over the years. With the exception of pan leaks there wasnt much to go wrong with them.
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Yep..
I had 1 in a 60 Chebby... A real PITA.
The trans was used in some cars that it was not intended for. Seems the GM hydramatic plant burned down, the T'glide was used to keep the lines going.
Kinda gives one a feeling of being ancient!!
I had 1 in a 60 Chebby... A real PITA.
The trans was used in some cars that it was not intended for. Seems the GM hydramatic plant burned down, the T'glide was used to keep the lines going.
Kinda gives one a feeling of being ancient!!
And now the Altima
Kinda like Honda Contiuously Variable Transmission? A type of centrifugal belt drive?
Thats what Polaris uses on there 4 wheelers and they are great until you get in some water and the belt gets wet. Then you're stuck for a while
Honda has been using CVT's on the 96-05 Civic HX models with limited success. Saturn offered it on the 02-04 and the 03-04 ION and called theirs a VTi. Again, they were bad news just like the Honda's model.
Nissan has had numerous issues with their and unfortunately, there are very few people in the transmission field that understand them, let alone trying to get parts for them. Most of the manufacturers that use them consider them disposable and offer nothing for them. Its already an interesting situation when one of the looses a trans as the only option is a used one or a new one from an OEM dealer.
Neat concept on all accounts, poor execution.
Nissan has had numerous issues with their and unfortunately, there are very few people in the transmission field that understand them, let alone trying to get parts for them. Most of the manufacturers that use them consider them disposable and offer nothing for them. Its already an interesting situation when one of the looses a trans as the only option is a used one or a new one from an OEM dealer.
Neat concept on all accounts, poor execution.
2 years ago i got a call from a good customer telling me his daughters honda civic was slipping.i told him bring it in and id fix it as was always great with honda transaxles especially our 95 96 97 98 nyc taxicabs which were honda powered .i told my rnr guy to pull it out.after i saw it i said what the hell is that?opened it up and found it was a cvt and had a burnt set of frictions.i couldnt find any parts.if im not mistaken it was a 97 civic.i called around and finally someone said the only repair was from the dealer and it consisted of a loaded clutch drum,a new valve body and a new computer for 650 bucks.the car was slipping on take off .i put in the parts and road tested and it worked great.six months later i get a call saying its doing the same thing.i pull the unit and push it outside.someone breaks the window and steals the radio.call all techs for a fix and they say the only fix is from the dealer.this time the drum is not burnt.pull it apart ,check the belt drive etc.nothing worn.put it back in it works for 4 months and comes back again.i told the customer to bring it back when i locate a used one.then 2 days later by an act of god the car is cremated by a sanitation truck parked overnite in front of the guys daughters house.as you can see i have not had any good experience with cvts.there was another one in 1992 with a subaru justy.whole nother story:biggrin:
Hey Chris
I have a good friend who does mostly import transmissions during the day. He works on high end imports and does many Lamborgihini, Ferrari and Porsche vehicles. His boss is one of those guys who takes in anything that comes down the pike. Well a customer comes in with an 03 Saturn ION with one of those pieces of poo complaining that its slipping. My buddy calls around to find that there are no service parts available for it. As is typical, the drums are laser welded shut (just like the rear diff in a Saturn Vue and the transfer case in the Ford Exploders). He tells his boss not to touch it. Well the boss thinks he will be slick and get a used one. So they pull the unit and put the used one in which is worse than the one they just pulled out. After a 2nd used one they ended up putting the original one back in a sending them on their way back to Saturn. GM's CVT was so good that it lasted 3 model years and then it was gone.
Advice to anyone out there. STAY AWAY FROM CVT"s!!
Turbo Glide
Wasn.t the Turbo Glide a two speed? My family had one in a 1957 Chevy wagon, seem to remember shift pattern was different from Powerglide. Instead of low gear (on quadrant) it had GR (grade retard) . The little driving I did at time I could not tell any difference between it and PG.
Wasn.t the Turbo Glide a two speed? My family had one in a 1957 Chevy wagon, seem to remember shift pattern was different from Powerglide. Instead of low gear (on quadrant) it had GR (grade retard) . The little driving I did at time I could not tell any difference between it and PG.
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