Packard was the only independent that designed and built its own automatic
transmission. The Ultramatic, with torque converter lockup, was a Packard
design and was built in Packard factories. It was a 2-speed with "Low" and
"High" ranges. The later "Twin Ultramatic' of 1955-56 had a selection for a
1st gear start with shift to high gear then TC lockup. The Ultramatic used
AQ-ATF fluid.
Borg-Warner built two automatics back in the early 1950's. One was Ford's
Ford-o-matic (and Merc-o-matic) that were three-speed units with "L" (1st
gear) and "D" (2nd-3rd) gear selection and was built by the Warner Gear
Division of B-W. The aluminum-case Cruise-o-Matic of the late 1950's used
1-2-3 in Drive, and is known around the world as the Borg-Warner 35.
Rambler used these transmissions (Flashomatic) as did Studebaker from 1956
(Flightomatic). Early Ford units used AQ-ATF fluid, as did the Rambler and
Studebaker uints. Not sure when Ford switched to type "F" fluid, but only
Ford used type "F". Rambler, Studebaker, Checker, Rootes, BMC, Jaguar,
Triumph, Rover, etc. never used type "F".
Which brings us to B-W's other unit, built by the Detroit Gear Division of
B-W. This unit was designed in conjunction with Studebaker, who used it
from 1950 to 1955. They called it "Automatic". It was the only automatic
of the 1950's that had no marketing name. It, too, was a 3-speed unit
("L" was 1st gear and "D" was 2nd-3rd) with a torque converter lockup and a
built-in anti-creep device. The unit used SAE 10-10W ENGINE OIL. This is
probably the unit the 1950's Jaguar had.
General Motors, the world's largest auto maker, designed and built three
different transmissions - Hydramatic (1940), Dynaflow (Buick - 1948) and
Powerglide (Chevrolet - 1950). Chevrolet's Powerglide of 1950 to 1952 was
similar to Dynaflow in that it used the torque converter only in "D",
although both did have a low gear in "L". These units had a distinctive
whine to them. For 1953 Powerglide was revised to start in low gear in "D"
and shift to high.
Getting back to Mopar, Dodge called their version Gyromatic and the prewar
DeSoto was called Simplimatic. Although Vacamatic name was used on
American-built Chryslers in 1941 and 1942, Chrysler of Canada called the
unit Simplimatic for both DeSoto and Chysler. Postwar, the Chrysler
version was Prestomatic while the DeSoto was, are you ready? - Tip-Toe
Hydraulic Shift.
I owned a 1949 DeSoto Custom and, although the name was not on the car, it
was in the owners' manual and brochure. You could have the lever in high
range and drive brake-accelerator, just lifting your foot at the appropriate
moment to shift from low gear of high range to high gear of high range,
along with the "clunk" . It would automatically downshift when stopping,
clunk and all.
Chrysler was the only other American firm that designed and built its own
automatic transmissions back then. The 2-speed Powerflite arrived late in
1953 on the Imperial and spread across the rest of the car lines during
1954. The 3-speed Torqueflite, introduced in mid-year 1956 on the
Imperial, was not the first 3-speed unit on the market, but it was the first
unit to use all 3 gears in drive. Plus, you could choose 1st gear on its
own ("1"), 1st / 2nd gears ("2") or all three ("D").
Chrysler did build a 4-speed unit - Ultra Drive, a name more F*** than
Chrysler. It should have been Ultraflite. No wonder they had so many
problems with it.
Bill
Vancouver, BC
----- Original Message -----
From: "John G. Napoli" <john@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 12:57 PM
Subject: Re: IML: Favorite Car with semi-automatic
> > Those of you who haven't driven a car with clunk-o-matic
> > have missed out. Taking your foot off the "foot-feed" and
> > waiting for the clunk is a real experience, especially when
> > passing.
>
> It also confuses the heck out of your passengers, who can't figure out
what
> you're doing. Sometimes you are using the clutch, sometimes you're not.
> Sometimes you're shifting to accelerate, sometimes you're not. I can only
> imagine what it would be like to explain it to a teenaged valet.
>
> >
> > There is no lockup fluid coupling on either Fluid Drive or
> > Fluid-Torque Drive as there is on a modern torque converter.
> > The only '50's lockup converter I've heard of is the Packard
> > Ultramatic.
> >
>
> Correct, there is no lockup clutch. However, the nature of a fluid
coupling
> (as opposed to a torque converter) permits it to effectively lock up once
it
> reaches a certain rpm. At that point, the entire fluid mass is rotating
> around and 'locking' the driven disk to the driver. Fluid couplings have
> straight vanes, and just a driver and driven member. Torque converters
have
> curved vanes and three elements. This is an oversimplification that
perhaps
> someone can expound upon, but the fluid coupling does act as if it is
locked
> up.
>
> Now, fluid couplings do not offer any torque multiplication, either.
That's
> why the early GM Hydramatic automatic transmissions had 4 forward gears -
> there was no torque multiplication available to assist in getting the car
> off the line - Hydramatics used fluid couplings. At the other end of the
> spectrum was the GM Dynaflow, that was essentially all torque converter
and
> no gears. Many, many different combinations were experimented with by the
> early automakers as they sought to find the 'best' automatic transmission
> design. For better or worse, the auto industry has evolved pretty much
> across the board to a torque converter backed by 3 or more gears with a
> mecahanical lockup element in the torque converter.
>
> Fluid couplings also produce less heat than torque converters, making it
> easier to get away with an air-cooled tranny.
>
> I've got an old Jaguar saloon (1953, a Mark VII) with a Borg-Warner three
> speed automatic. This tranny was very advanced for its day. It has a
> torque converter with a mechanical lockup clutch (!). Why? Well, not for
> economy as today, but to minimize heat in this air-cooled tranny. The
> tranny also starts in second and shifts to third (high) when in normal
> (D)rive. Sound familiar? <grin>
>
> Was that Packard Prestomatic made by B-W? If so, it might be the same B-W
> unit I have in my Jag.
>
> > The name "Gyromatic" is exclusive to Dodge. Each make had
> > their own trade name for the semi-automatic, though the
> > technology was the same. Pre-war Chrysler semi-automatics
> > were vacuum-controlled and were hence called Vacamatics;
> > post-war were hydraulically activated Prestomatics.
> >
>
> Yes, you're right. I have been using the Dodge name - quite frankly, I
did
> not know the Chrysler name. Thank you!
>
> John
>
>
>
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