transmission designations
"With your extensive knowledge of GM transmissions, you left out one designation: Pontiac for 1956 called their trans Strat-o-flite hydramatic. (Olds was Jet-a-Way hydramatic, Cadillac simply hydramatic)."
Yep, I knew about them, but i just lumped the Hydra-Matics together siince there was nothing differnt about them except the name
"These 4 speed transmissions had a fluid coupling instead of the now-familiar torque converter. The change for 1956 was the addition of a smaller fluid coupling which would fill to change from 1 to 2 and 3 to 4. No clutch or band change ocurred. These shifts were indeed liquid smooth. The shift from 2 to 3 was a little rougher, because clutches and bands were involved.".
It was sort of 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another, since the new design for 1956 with the second fluid coupling simply exchanged 3 small "typical" bumps for 1 LARGE bump
"I was also luckey to have driven a 1959 Chevy Impala with turboglide, and a 1959 Buick with dynaflow. I always loved flooring those cars to feel the pitch switch. Those transmissions were not that efficient, but the engines were so powerful that the performance was pretty good."
Turboglide had a lot of problems, but the final version of the Dynaflow (Turbinie Drive" had been improved so much that the performance of my Grandparent's 1962 Buick Wildcat felt every bit as positive as a geared transmission. That car was FAST!