AHHHH those old four speed hydramatics were quite a tranny.A wicked first gear,and they would sure take a beating.I had them in 52 and 53 Oldsmobiles and they were a great performing setup.If my memory serves me correctly I think Olds and Cadilac were the first to use them,starting in 1941.In the mid 50s GM started installing them in pickup trucks,but very few buyers wanted an automatic in a pickup.Very few people thought the automatics would stand up to hard work.But over the years things changed and now most pickups sold new have automatics cause they have proven themselves.My first experience with automatic tranny trucks was in Uncle Sams Army. The GMC 2 1/2 ton trucks were equipped with automatics.
