The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 55 1st Hydramatic tranny rebuild adjusting tools

Has anyone seen the adjusting tools used in adjusting the bands after rebuilding the Hydramatic. I have read some posts but the descriptions on doing it are a little vague. Or does someone know a good website for this?

1954 Hydra-Matic booklets are listed on this page (in the 1954 section).

Here is the 54 GMC H-M manual. The GMC and Chevrolet Hydra-Matics were similar, except for the shift linkage/indicator.

Someone else might know how different the 55-1st H-M is from the 54 H-M (besides the open driveshaft in 1955).

There are some manuals listed on eBay. Search on: (1955, 55) (GMC, chev*) hydr* man*

Thanks, Extreme Gabster. More info is always great. Was wondering if you knew which car had the same tranny as the 55.1. I have a Motor's manual that gives some great explanations and photos but only refers to Cads, Hudsons, Kaisers, Lincolns, Nashs, Pontaics, and Willys. This Motor's has some measurements for the throttle lever position, but the chevy pickup is not one of them. And the measurements are all different. The only thing that the shop manual says is to use a special tool guage (no specs)

several years ago the 4 or 5 nessessary adjusting tools were hot sellers on ebay going for mad money. Frankly I have not seen any in years. Over on oldgmctrucks.com Bill Hanlon will rent them to you. but expect to pay big security while you barrow them. And you'll get it back.

Linkage between a chevy 6 and a gmc six is different
bell housing and torus are different between chevy and gmc too.

The factory manuals turn up more often. There are factory service manuals and manuals sold by Napa and some vocational training manuals used by high school auto shops back in the day. those are tough to find but the do show up. All told if you start collecting the manuals there like 11-12 of them. each one very good in its own right.

Dont get too frustrated and replace the old hydro. Properly tuned they are agood tranny and quit a novelty. Seems to me they are easier to rebuild than a newr trany. They have a wide range of adjustments depending on driving style but if you dont know what your doing it will go bad in short order

A Motors Truck Repair Manual will come in handy. You say you have a Motors car manual so you already know how valuable they are. I just glanced at my truck manual and there's several pages on the Hydra-matic with adjustments, diagrams and troubleshooting tips.

The Motors manual is great but shop manual and motors look like they were written and printed by same people. Some differences which is helpful. Bit all the books refer to the same specialty tools. When I start putting it back together (about 20 boxes to hold all the components from the tranny!), I will ask for imput. I may even take photos while assembling it for others future reference or for others critique.

I dont know dudes. I got a motors manual and I got about 12 other manuals specificly on rebuilding, adjusting and trouble shooting hydro's. and each one is extreamly important in thier own way. I would hold out for the correct factory service manual and any of the others as the come up on Ebay.

The time you take and the money you spend on manuals will save you enourmously down the road. I got 3 57 gmc/hydros and a 60 GMC hydro.

especially if you got your tranny in boxs. Your gonna need alot mor than a fricken motors manual. sorry but it needs sayin. Stick with that hydro though!

Tim listed excellent links to most all of the information needed and even more can be found in liked areas of the same site. Keith has compiled an unbelievable resource. The tools are out there also.

rodfisher1,

What size 1955 New Design (Z-series, early 1955) truck do you have? I have a small collection of mid-50s GMC/Chevrolet Hydra-Matic manuals for GMC trucks (collected by Greg_H and me). I do not have any Hydra-Matic specialty-tools.

By the way, if you are interested, Hydra-Matic is the correct spelling (as you spelled it, but with a hyphen, not Hydro).

six dozen of one half of another hydro tomado potato patado apple oranges:) Hydro sounds better alone than hydra does. Hydra is all greek to me;)

anyway, the manuals.... the manuals...

My 55 is the 1st series 3100. It sits behind a rebuilt 235, well not yet. The chevy truck shop manual is sufficient for disassembly/assembly. I would just like to get the bands adjusted close enough as I reassemble it so it will function as close as possible to normal. The tools seem the best way to do so. I'll contact the guy at oldgmctrucks and rent them. It is extra help to have several resources. I learned alot taking the hydra-matic apart. Found a broken spring in one of the servos. I look forward to putting it back together in my new shop (500 sq. Ft. Steel building)

no problem, myke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydramatic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Hydramatic

My truck is a 55.1 deluxe cab with the 235 engine. Doing a ground up rebuild with improvements like 12V conv, disc brakes. Learned so much taking the hydra-matic completely apart. The truck shop manual is great. Has a huge chapter on disassembly, cleaning and reassembly of the Hydra-matic. Just wish I had the special tools to get the bands close enough so I could start it and see where I'm at. I'm going to contact the guy at oldgmctrucks for the tools. Just need them for a moment. Hoping I can get the specs on the tools to manufacture my own. Will keep everyone informed. Is there an easy way to do photos to share?

My truck is a 55.1 deluxe cab with the 235 engine. Doing a ground up rebuild with improvements like 12V conv, disc brakes. Learned so much taking the hydra-matic completely apart. The truck shop manual is great. Has a huge chapter on disassembly, cleaning and reassembly of the Hydra-matic. Just wish I had the special tools to get the bands close enough so I could start it and see where I'm at. I'm going to contact the guy at oldgmctrucks for the tools. Just need them for a moment. Hoping I can get the specs on the tools to manufacture my own. Will keep everyone informed. Is there an easy way to do photos to share?

If Bill is unable to help you out, let me know. I will look around and see if I can't locate the internal band guage. I loaned the tools out before but I get real nervous now that they don't show up for sale as often.

may be its not bill...maybe its some one else but for a while there they were available. Please return them when yer done.

Greg h, the gauges for the rear band and throttle lever are simply measuring. If you have them, I would appreciate some real size outlines or accurate measurements of the distances. I can easily manufacture those. I could possibly manufacture the front band gauge but would probably need it in my possession to do it. Sounds like someone needs to manufacture these tools. Seems like there is a need to have more floating around. Thanks for the imput. Greatly appreciated

I will take a look and see what I can find for you. They are in a storage building right now and it's cold and dark!