I Have a '23 t-bucket that I recently acquired. The transmission oul pan is stamped on the right front lip as TO331D. Can anybody tell me what I have? What's it out of etc. Thanks
Toledo ( this is the plant where Powerglides were made), 03 is March, 31st day, D is Day shift. not much use, eh?
if it's aluminum and 25" long, it's a 1962-1964 trans...if it's aluminum and 28" long, it's 1965-1970 if it's cast iron, I can't help you
The 25 inch Glide was only used in the X-frame cars, 62-64 (62 with the 327, all the 283 and 6 cylinders still got the cast iron Powerglide that year except for the Chevy II/Nova's)). All passenger cars after 64, and all the Chevy II/Nova's 62-73, and pickup trucks from 63 on got the 28 inch unit. But, there is a rare 32 inch long glide that was used in some big trucks (I've never seen one however). Some are air cooled with a vane on the torque converter, and a turbine housing in place of the inspection cover, to cool the converter. Most were fluid cooled. The Vega Powerglide had a different bellhousing, but everything else was the same. Then there's the 1./82 first gear setup used in all the 4, 6, and low HP V-8's; the more stout engines got a 1.76 first gear, as did all police/taxi use cars. In 69-70 some Nova's and Camaro's got a full manual shift "Powerglide" known as the Torque Drive; no modulator circuit, no kickdown, and you had to shift from low to high, and high to low. If you left it in high gear after a stop, you left in high gear. Chevrolet built a race "Powerglide" before the Powerglide became the trans of choice in drag racing! I've only seen one of those, and it was in a Nova; I'd like to get one, just to play with. There's a bunch of little things that are different with the Powerglide, depending on what engine it was behind, and what model it came in. I have a Powerglide that came behind a 63, SS, Impala, low HP 409, and the factory floor ship assembly for it, although the extension housing currently on it is just a normal one for a 25 inch Powerglide. I have two other Powerglides waiting to be built, and a ton of aftermarket parts. I used to build Powerglides for the local bracket racers; this is the first year for no longer doing it. We used to say, "slip and slide with a Powerglide"; not any more! You can even build a Powerglide now without using ANY factory parts what-so-ever; everything is aftermarket, and $$$$$. I am Butch/56sedandelivery. I just pulled out my copy of Carl Munroe's book (RIP), Powerglide Transmissionn Handbook-How to Rebuild Or Modify Chevrolet's Powerglide For All Applications. Your pan letters/numbers don't jive with the book. Powerglide's were built in Toledo, Oh., McKinnon, In., and Cleveland, Oh. Are you certain of the ID letters/numbers? The ID won't tell what it came in, just where it was built, when it was built, the year/day it was built, and the shift it was built on.
the decoding I did above is from the 1975 chevy parts book, there is no year given in the number sequence, just month and day. Butch, when did folks start using the PG as a race transmission? It was in the mid 70s or so, wasn't it?
The Junior Stock guys we forced to run the cast iron Powerglide. I was Marv Ripes of A-1 Transmissions who really started the development of racing converters for the cast iron Powerglide. The aluminum Glide came out in 62, and I would imagine development began shortly after. But, NO ONE really wanted to run a Powerglide! I think all that changed in the later 60's, but really took hold in the mid 70's. I know I built my first Glide in about 1976 for a Pro Bracket 56 Utility Sedan I had at the time, and it was converters and steel hubs only. There was a Pontiac case flanged Powerglide that's fairly rare; course it'll also work with Oldsmobile, Buick, and some Cadillacs engines. Never heard of a dual pattern Powerglide however. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Thanks fellas for all the input. I have measured the transmission and it's a 28", aluminum with the rectangle holes (4) in the bell housing. Code on the pan is TO331D. It does not have a vane on the torque converter nor does it have any cooling lines hooked up. It looks as if it was plugged by the factory. Also the T/Q inspection cover is missing as if they were trying to cool the t/q and/or transmission.. Without the vane on the torque converter and no cooling lines, I am worried about overheating the transmission. Do you think a deep pan (2 xtra qts) would do any good? Also I have seen two schools of thought on hooking up the cooling lines. One was take off the caps and hook it up and the other was to remove a cooler bypass valve from the pump and plug it's hole with a soft plug. I've been trying to find a step by step for this, but I'm not sure if I have a front or rear pump and I believe this latter method would only work on a front pump model? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. BTW , I did buy Munroe's Powerglide book. Butch1
In 1976, I installed a freshened up 350 LT in my '55 F100, and backed it with a '66 Powerglide, recently overhauled, out of a parts car. My cool truck towed boats, hauled Hemis (two at a time) and pulled car trailers with hot rods & spare parts. One day it started slipping, after only 70K miles! (those were hard, dutiful miles) I installed a 350 Turbo Hydro, out of a '67 Chev. (350 TH was also a recent rebuild) Hooked it all up, went for a drive...Whole new world, with 3 nicely spaced ratios... The 350 TH has been in there since 1981, serviced regularly. Sooo smooth to drive, 55 MPH and hit passing gear...That's why they call it 'Passing Gear'. Really like this tranny, second only to my old Cad mill with dual range 4 spd Hydro.
they all have a front pump. the early ones had a rear pump also, later ones don't. Rear pump lets you push start the car.
Bought a one owner 58k mile 63 biscayne. Six with an air cooled powerglide. Car had set 5 yrs. Got it running and the glide worked like a champ. Ended up selling the six and giving the air cooled glide away.
Get yourself the book I mentioned earlier; E-Bay and $16.00. As far as the rectangular holes in the bellhousing; that was a one year only thing, and early 62 at that; after that, the cooling holes were round. And, it was strictly a Chevy II/Nova transmission, and air cooled with the rectangular cooling holes; some full size cars got air cooled Glides if they were base models but had the round holes. Someone has just deleted all the converter cooling aspects of the trans in your T-Bucket.. The 51 Chevrolet Business Coupe we built for my nephew had a 63 Chevy II/Nova trans, and did not have the cooling turbine/vane assembly either. Never had a problem with it, but we never went far with the car either; it had 4.88 gears in the rear end. If your trans has't been "messed with", it's a 1.82 first gear, and could have had as little as TWO lined plates in high gear; most cars had 4 lined plates, and if they did't, the rebuilders usually made the upgrade. The other thing, since that appears to be an early 62 Powerglide, it probably has the high gear drum that does't lend itself to modifications; it has a "short" 1 inch space to accept the clutch plates, the later drum has a 1 7/32 inch space, and can accept more plates. The drums look the same externally. By deleting the wavy steel in the high gear clutch pack, you can get five lined plates in; that's a 25% increase in holding power (with the later drum). Unplug the cooling lines, add some lines, and see if fluid circulates when the engine is started; if it does, hook up a trans cooler. If it does't, then you'll need to pull the pump to make the modification with the bypass valve; you'll have to install a valve.. Get a deeper, cast aluminum pan with cooling fins, and don't worry about cooling it any further. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I say Carl Munroe's book, because you'll learn more about the Powerglide transmission than you ever thought possible, or wanted to know. He was the owner of TSR Racing Products, before he passed on about 4 years ago; it's still a family business, ran primarily by his son. His book has been my "Bible" when rebuilding/building Powerglides. I have 2 copies of it; the "garage copy", is getting pretty ragged. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Thanks for the great info. Transmission is almost ready to go. The problem I am having is finding a TQ/Flywheel dust cover that fits. if I get one that bolts to Transmission it will not work with the flywheel/ If I get one that will cover the flywheel , Bolt holes will not line up with trans. Any suggestions? Will one of those "universal" plastic ones on ebay work?
What diameter, or tooth count flexplate, are you using? There should be no problem with a stock Powerglide, 153 tooth, 12-3/4 inch flexplate. The 168 tooth flexplate is 14 inches in diameter. I've never had an inspection cover problem with all the Glides I've had/built/rebuilt. The only "issue" I've had, was when the Nephew bought a chrome cover for the Glide I built for the 51 Bus Coupe Street Gasser; he also bought a chrome pan that fit fine (???). Being an offshore POS, it did't fit well at all, but we made it fit with trimming and enlarging the bolt holes. I could't tell you if a plastic one would fit, having never tried one. I have four currently in the stash, and they're all the same. I am Butch/56serdandelivery.
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