The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 55 2nd edition/4 spd hydramatic??

This question is just for my information-doesn't actually apply to my truck. Back in the old days, my dad had a 55 second edition long bed. The truck has a 235 engine and a 4 speed hydramatic. At the time I was a teenager who thought he knew everything, but in reality knew almost nothing. I thought the transmission was really good. Were these transmissions rare and when did they stop making them?
Lee Beckman

Lee,

They were relatively rare compared to manual transmissions (maybe someone has Chevrolet truck hydra-matic production numbers but I doubt it).

GM supposedly stopped making the 4-speed Hydra-Matic transmissions sometime around 1964.

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

As far as trucks go, what Tim said is true but Hydra-matics were quite common in cars. Not just in GM cars either. They were also used in Lincolns, Packards and others.

Most of the "others" are listed at the wikipedia link:

1951-1953 Hudson
1950-1953 Nash
1951 Frazer
1951-1955 Kaiser
1954-1955 Willys
1949-1954 Lincoln
In 1952, Rolls-Royce acquired a license to produce the HydraMatic under license for Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles. It continued production through 1967.

First used in Oldsmobile in 1939 (then Cadillac in 1941). Saw service in WWII.

this sounds very much like the transmission that is in the 55 2nd serie,s i just bought its coupled to a 347 v8,

I had a '52, a couple of 53's and a '57 olds with Hydramatics and they were a good solid
hard shifting transmission. Beefing up the valve body with stiffer springs and or shims
allowed higher rpm between shifts and even when stock you could manually shift them
almost like a stick.
I would think that they were the same trans used in the mid-50's trucks.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

i,m shure thats what it is but the shifters missing so i,v got to find something suitable or make something

i,m led to believe the position lay out is unesual /odd as regards the reverse position and that it does,nt have a park position that you place it in reverse with the motor switched off to park????

The early HydraMatics used a parking pawl on the output shaft that engaged when the shifter was moved to reverse with the engine off. Beginning in 1956, the Controlled Coupling Hydramatic shift quadrant included a Park position, but that transmission was never used in trucks.
Jerry

i,m ,,still,, learning,, lol

i think the tranny may have come from a car
the info i have on it is
CA-56
number 5899
made in 1956

i dont know if anyone can tell me more about it

i,d appreiciate any thing anyone can share