1955 transmission rebuild near San Jose?

[craig-o]

Can anyone recommend a shop that will work on a 1955 Hydramatic transmission in or around San Jose, California?

While getting ready to take my car to Reno for Hot August nights, I decided to replace the transmission pan gasket that had been leaking for years.  Now I’m regretting that decision as I discovered a triangular-shaped piece of metal in the bottom of the pan that measured approximately 5/8” on its longest side.  I called around, and found a shop that said they would work on it.  That was a week ago.  They drove it, and couldn’t find any symptoms, which they said would definitely be apparent if this chunk of metal had come from inside the transmission.

The previous rebuild was March, 2001, but <1,700 miles ago; but that shop closed more than 10 years ago when the owner retired.  Based on the limited mileage since the last rebuild, 3 mechanics at this shop speculated that this may have been in the pan the whole time...

They returned it to me today without ever putting it up in the air, removing the pan or the side panel, and said not to worry about it until/unless I have a problem.  Fortunately, they didn’t charge me anything, even though they topped-up the fluid.

I spent the next few hours trying to get the idle-air mixture screws dialed-in, as I was having some hesitation/stalling on takeoff.  Things were getting mighty hot as I’d make adjustments with the car running and in gear, then back out of the garage, start and stop to test if I’d made any improvement, then pull into the garage and start the sequence all over again.  After about 2+ hours of this, the transmission started to act up - going into reverse made a strange clunk, and it seemed to takeoff in 2nd gear, even with the gear selector in Low.  So I thought I would check the fluid level.  The dipstick was too hot to pull with my bare hand, and when I pulled it out with a rag, the dipstick was smoking!

Reno is about a 300 mile drive (1-way) and over a 7,000’ mountain pass.  I think it would be unwise to start off on this trip before a competent transmission specialist can look this over.  As much as I want to go to Hot August nights, that show is only a week away, and I’m not sure a rebuild is even feasible in this timeframe.  Any help would be appreciated!

[savemy67]

Hello Craig,

Can you post a couple of photos of the piece of metal?  Does it look like a cast or machined part?  Does it look to be part of an identifiable component (gear tooth, snap ring, sealing ring, etc.), or does it look like an unidentifiable chunk of metal?

If the dipstick was smoking and the car put itself into a gear other than what was selected, I might think that there is unintended application of the frictions due to valve body or servo problems.  Something is generating enough heat to smoke your fluid.  Unfortunately, if the fluid smells and looks burnt, it would probably be best that you not drive the car to Reno.

Living in Maryland, I don't know of any shops in San Jose.  You might call some of the vendors who sell parts for the older Hydra-Matics (Fatsco, Northwest Transmissions, Auto Tran), and ask them if they are selling to any shops near San Jose.  Good luck.

Respectfully submitted,

Christopher Winter