Oddball Muscle Cars

[bill dedman]

Thanks for the great info, Jim!

The amazing thing was that any of those ('57-up cars {Pontiacs}) would even get out of its own way with that miserable Jetaway/Strato-Flight, dual-coupling transmission. If they'd just left a Dual Range Hydro in those cars for three or four more years, you'd have SEEN some "runners"!!! Oh well, at least it didn't have a torque converter...

To its credit, it did have marginally better ratios than the Dual Range units (3.95; 2.55; 1.55; 1;1 vs.. early Dual Range's 3.81; 2.63; 1.45; 1:1.)

In '56, G.M. engineering gave the Pontiac's Dual Range Hydros a 1.55 third gear which resulted in ratios of 4.08; 2.55; 1.55 and 1:1, a big improvement over that huge 2nd-to-3rd gap in the earlier transmissions.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Bill,
Any information on the exact/approximate weight of those 58's.
General info; Bonneville around #3800, and the Chieftain #3700.
Is that in the 'range'?
That seems a little light, for all that chrome and steel.
Pontiac Paul,,,

[treessavoy]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Bill,
Any information on the exact/approximate weight of those 58's.
General info; Bonneville around #3800, and the Chieftain #3700.
Is that in the 'range'?
That seems a little light, for all that chrome and steel.
Pontiac Paul,,,

Paul,

I went to one site that said a Chieftain weighed 3070lbs......that must have been the hood only!

Here's the weights from a reliable site: 2dr Chieftain shipping weight, 3640lbs; Bonneville coupe, 3785lbs and the Convertible, 1 million lbs. (couldn't find it).

We all know that the shipping weight is always soft, probably by at least 200lbs.

JimR