Transmission Swap on a 61 Coupe Deville

[61CAD]

OK!

I think I have had it with hydromatics. My brother has a buddy who did a frame off on 59 sedan and according to him an early Powerglide (maybe a 64) will bolt upto a 390 block. Anyone hear of such a thing? If it's true, what do you do with the flywheel, flex plate and torque converter?

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

OK!

I think I have had it with hydromatics. My brother has a buddy who did a frame off on 59 sedan and according to him an early Powerglide (maybe a 64) will bolt upto a 390 block. Anyone hear of such a thing? If it's true, what do you do with the flywheel, flex plate and torque converter?

All I will say on the matter is that anything will bolt up to anything else with the correct number of adaptors.

But the secret is finding where to buy, or find someone to make, the adaptors.

But, I have never heard of such a swap, and if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.

Bruce.

[Chris McBride]

wilcap is one provider of adapters

wilcap.com

see, e.g.,

http://www.wilcap.com/CAD3502.PDF

i have no experience with the vendor nor any opinion as to its products

i just have noted prior posting with its info and am passing it along

HTH

Chris

[Doug Houston]

I have a '56 Cadillac, and while the transmission is shifting properly now, I anticipate that, at some point, it will go the way of so many of those 56-63 (and some 65) transmissions.

A while back, I had been talking to Joe Scott, in Houston, Texas, and he described through the whole process of putting a THM 400 transmission on a '56, and probably later ones. Sad but true, the Jetaway was a folly for GM. The THM 400 is about as indestructable as any transmission ever built. I've driven a couple over 100k....one of them over 200K, without neven changing the fluid. The one in my '70 convertible was worked on at Hydra-Matic, and it shifts so positively, it's a joy just to feel the shifts!

And, I had a '61 convert. once, and surprise.......The H-M gave me trouble.