cast iron Powerglide/aluminum Powerglide

[Chuck Norton]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

I know we ran an aluminum glide in 71 in a 61 Vette and a 59 Chevy, as a superceded replacement item.
I never thought about the 55-57's at the time.
So, the alum. Glide was okayed in 72 in 55-57's in Super Stock?

It may have been OK but it was tough in a '55 or '56 Chevy powered by a 265 because there were no side-mount bosses on the relatively small-bore '56 265 block. The '55 didn't have an integral oil filter as I recall so everyone had to have a '56 block that incorporated a filter but had no side-mounts. I don't recall that the rules allowed an extra cross member to support the transmission in a tri-five Chevrolet. The Corvette had such a cross member but a '55 did not since the mid-mount was cast into the iron 'Glide bell housing.

I was racing with Val Hedworth around that time and he ran an iron PG in both his '55 station wagon and '55 4-door 210 in Super Stock during the 1972 season.

c