CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post - 4 speeds for 55-56 chevrolet superstockers

bill dedman · 12-24-2007, 01:29 PM

Mike,
Thanks to you and everybody else for all the good info about the "Pontiaction" (with apologies to Jerry Stealy) that was going on on the West Coast back in the mid-'60s.

I appreciate the nice comments from the X-TechMan about my so-called "expertise" RE the West Coast cars, but I really know VERY LITTLE compared to Chuck Norton and Tony Janes, who were actually there and "lived it".... I never even set foot in California until 1980, and as you know, Jr. Stock action was L-O-N-G G-O-N-E, way before then. Everything I know about that era I read in a magazine, Nat'l Dragster, or Drag News, at the time.

One thing I did manage to remember (can't remember much, at 69...) is that the "Slim Jim" was introduced in the '61 model year cars, and was a 3-speed automatic... probably the worst one ever put in a car... had horrible ratios, and a strictly mechanical 2nd-gear (no fluid coupling in the powertrain circuit in that gear) so that when you shifted into 2nd, you lost ALL the rpm possible... and the 1st-to-2nd ratio change was just traumatic.

I had a drag racing buddy who bought a new '61 Pontiac with one of those transmissions and asked him how it ran, and he said, "Like it's missing a gear!"

The "Strato-Flight" 4-speed, dual-coupling transmission it replaced, was an outgrowth of the Dual Range Hydros, but in an effort to make them shift smoooooooth, they replaced the front clutch-pack / band arrangement with a sprag and a small-diameter fluid coupling (no kidding!!!). Shifting into 2nd and 4th gear was accomplished by filling the front coupling with fluid, which took about a full second, and the engine sounded like a sick cow.while this was going on, but they didn't run that bad... (their ratios were an improvement over the prior "Dual Range" units.) Oldsmobile called 'em "Jetaway" but, it was the same transmission as the one in the Pontiac

Oh yes... the "Slim-Jim" ALSO got into top gear by virtue of filling a small, secondary fluid coupling, but by that time, you were so far behind, you didn't care....

More useless trivia from the '60s....

Thanks again for all the GOOD information!!!

12-24-2007, 01:29 PM	#40
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: 4 speeds for 55-56 chevrolet superstockers Mike, Thanks to you and everybody else for all the good info about the "Pontiaction" (with apologies to Jerry Stealy) that was going on on the West Coast back in the mid-'60s. I appreciate the nice comments from the X-TechMan about my so-called "expertise" RE the West Coast cars, but I really know VERY LITTLE compared to Chuck Norton and Tony Janes, who were actually there and "lived it".... I never even set foot in California until 1980, and as you know, Jr. Stock action was L-O-N-G G-O-N-E, way before then. Everything I know about that era I read in a magazine, Nat'l Dragster, or Drag News, at the time. One thing I did manage to remember (can't remember much, at 69...) is that the "Slim Jim" was introduced in the '61 model year cars, and was a 3-speed automatic... probably the worst one ever put in a car... had horrible ratios, and a strictly mechanical 2nd-gear (no fluid coupling in the powertrain circuit in that gear) so that when you shifted into 2nd, you lost ALL the rpm possible... and the 1st-to-2nd ratio change was just traumatic. I had a drag racing buddy who bought a new '61 Pontiac with one of those transmissions and asked him how it ran, and he said, "Like it's missing a gear!" The "Strato-Flight" 4-speed, dual-coupling transmission it replaced, was an outgrowth of the Dual Range Hydros, but in an effort to make them shift smoooooooth, they replaced the front clutch-pack / band arrangement with a sprag and a small-diameter fluid coupling (no kidding!!!). Shifting into 2nd and 4th gear was accomplished by filling the front coupling with fluid, which took about a full second, and the engine sounded like a sick cow.while this was going on, but they didn't run that bad... (their ratios were an improvement over the prior "Dual Range" units.) Oldsmobile called 'em "Jetaway" but, it was the same transmission as the one in the Pontiac Oh yes... the "Slim-Jim" ALSO got into top gear by virtue of filling a small, secondary fluid coupling, but by that time, you were so far behind, you didn't care.... More useless trivia from the '60s.... Thanks again for all the GOOD information!!! __________________ Bill Last edited by bill dedman; 06-26-2016 at 01:26 AM.