I have a nice Powerglide I was thinking of running in the '37, behind a '66 l-79 327. Any feed back? It's in good shape and I'm thinking might as well use it. ?
Running one in my roadster with 327. Runs good. They have always been a good choice/ Pretty much bullet proof
Tough, simple transmission. They take lots less HP to run that any other automatic I can think of. Lighter, and smaller too. Great for a rod, especially a light one.
Never had any use for them. I know they are one of the prefered trans for a drag car. I understand why, torque multiplication and other things. That is great after the right parts are put in. Stock.. I could waste one in a weekend. ( near stock 327, ot camaro) Turbo 350 would last all summer. I also do not like the way it drives on the street because of only 2 gears. 3 speed trans works nicer when you need to downshift to pass ect. This is my opinion. I know I am going against the favorite trans of many people, But I feel that though it can be the right thing for a race car, it might not be the best on the street.
I'm putting one behind my 283. It'll be in a super light car and the engine is kinda mild. I would rather a 3spd trans behind a built 327 for sure.
You can have all of them. Assuming we are talking real world street usage, I can't stand them. I bought my fathers 60 Bel air in 1969. 6 cyl PG what a turd!!!! I can't imagine trying to drive it in 2013. It might be better in a light car but it really bothered me to have to floor it and have the engine racing and not go any faster in order to keep up in traffic. Having only 2 gears is a PITA. I'd sell it to a restorer that wants the old trans if you really want to enjoy driving it. Even if free, wasting time and money on a product that you may not like is not a bargain to me.
I ran one in my 39 for years,good reliable trans. That being said ,I would opt for a 350 turbo, the extra gear split makes a big difference in street performance.
We had one in my Dad's '65 Impala station wagon. He hated it. Every few years it would have to be rebuilt. Never had a problem with the 350th.
I'm running on in my car. Always seems like its missing a gear or two. But I knew that going into the deal. I'm currently replacing my 409/PG setup with a 283/PG setup (409 needs to be rebuilt) 283/PG was the stock setup in my '66 Impy. It worked then, it'll work now Simple fact, PG is a 2spd, there is a reason they were phased out for 3spds, and they are nothing like an OD.
I had one in my '68 Camaro and couldn't ditch it fast enough for a four-speed. I must be mellowing, though, as I'm kind of excited to put it my wife's car. Should be more fun with 3.42s than with 2.73s, though.
Have one in my Model A. It works just fine for me. The car is not a race car, just a little hotrod. Would love a four speed, but am lucky to have what I built. Aint hotrodding great. Im pushing seventy years old, and enjoy the automatic.
Your 1960 PG was cast iron Tommy...and they were turds. The aluminum ones are much better. 283/PG is a great street combo in a lighter car. Just make sure the PG you want to use is the 1965 and later 28" long one...fine rear spline. Early 1962-64 aluminum ones were 25" long and were coarse rear spline.
Yep, key here is a light car and a daily driver. Further to the aluminum case comments, if you can find one that was behind a 350 motor, they are built stronger. I'm a little surprised at the comments about them not lasting because they had a reputation for going 200,000 miles trouble free. I had one in a stock 1967 Pontiac Strato Chief 4 door with a 283... took some determination to get a tire spinning but it had over 150k miles on it when I totalled it. Only thing that stopped that tranny was a minister's daughter going the wrong way on a one way street on Friday 13th!
I hate them. Replaced every one with a th350 as soon as was possible. Aluminum or cast iron, doesn't matter, they suck in a street car. Let the drag racers have them.
If you truly have an L79 327 Chevy never offered an automatic behind this engine. I would want a 4 speed manual to make the 327 sing!!!
I have used them in light hot rods and have another put back. Here they are hard to find at a reasonable price.(free is a reasonable price)
I bought a 65 Elcamino years ago it had been upgraded to a 350 but still had the powerglide. I wanted to swap in a turbo 350 but not while it still ran. I tried my best to destroy the bitch but after a year or so of total abuse I not only respected it I actually loved it
Damn you Larry, you just shit in my Cherios! The tranny I'm pulling is a '64, the tranny I'm putting in is a '65. Fuck me, theres another driveshaft mod....
Thanks to all for taking the time to look and comment. I'm just trying to save a buck for now. Maybe next year when I'm back to work I'll upgrade .. Being my kids first ride, 4-speed's out for now.. Sure would scream though! But hey, I've got one in my Geo Tracker. Hey wait. Why do I get the Tracker and he gets the '37?
Those that are complaining about the motor screaming down the freeway, would still do so with anything that doesnt have an over drive high gear. I agree with the newer ones being better, if you can find one with the 1.82 (IFIRC) first gear that would prob be better with a taller rear gear or tall rear tires. The completely stock one I have has seen 6800 engine RPMs and nearly 90 mph while never ever leaving first gear (3.08 or 3.50 rear diff gear) out on the oval dirt track. It was built in 1991, still has most of that fluid in it, and has never had the pan off (10 years of off and on racing and lots of wins). The things are near bullet proof. A bit of mathmatics and a tach will tell you exactly when you are safe to pull it into 1st as a passing gear. I have days that if I would just pull it out from the corner and install it into some of my projects, it would save me tons of heartache. Good Luck PS mine came out of a 68 Chevelle Malibu.