any 55 Desoto transmission experts on here?

Just want to know what I have....
55 Desoto auto trans was the 2 speed powerflite, said to be air cooled.
"Air cooled" puzzles me since both of these trans have cooling lines on the left side running to an intercooler at the front of the motor.

First photo shows a 2 speed that was said to come from a 55, note the screen near the right front bottom...
The fellow said the engine in this 55 was a V-8 but not a hemi, which I find puzzling.

Second photo shows the 2 speed that came out of my 55 fireflite (S-21 hemi engine), looks the same but has no screen.

What models are these trans?

 

The screen on the bell housing helps cool the converter, while the box gets liquid cooling from the cooler at the front of the engine. Both are the NEW Powerflites, before the pushbutton controls hit the market.

 

OK, but why does one have the screen, and the other one doesn't?

 

Guess Chrysler had the screen and Desoto, Dodge, and Plymouth did not. All of them that had cooling lines also cooled the converter too.

 

There were two Powerflites, heavy duty used in Chryslers and Desotos with water cooling and in Fury and D500 without. The standard duty had no water cooling and was used in Plymouth and Dodge. Besides the water cooling with fluid lines running up to the radiator, the heavy duty type can be identified by the slightly larger U-joints.

 

Shoot me if my old memory has gone to pot, BUT when I replaced my brake lines & exhaust on my '55 Fireflite, I seem to remember the screen. And, also, on my dad's '55 Firedome.

I'm puzzled about the NO-Hemi mention, though. Might THAT trans have been connected to a CHRYSLER Poly-head, NOT a DeSoto Hemi? Unless I missed osmething, I thought DeSoto ditched the old PowerMaster 6 and went totally Hemi for '55.

 

The "air cooled" trans also had a whole pile of little blades spotwelded to the outside of the torque converter that helped to cool the converter as it spun around.............air cooled.......

 

The '55 DeSoto Powerflite is water cooled by a heat exchanger at the front of the engine, and the "screen" is to allow cooling air in, to cool the torque converter (which doesn't have cooling fins) and keep varmints out. Any Powerflite can be converted to water cooled by replacing the cooler line block off plugs in the transmission with fittings to allow the oil to run to a cooler, and back...NOT to be confused with the oil pressure test plugs...