friends 52/w 55trans

[steve scott]

has anybody ever encountered this???.completely restored car.car drives and shifts normally when cold and on short trips say 6 miles.but on longer trips car will lock up in reverse as you backup,sometimes as if you hit the brakes.i have taken the govnor and valve body apart looking for stuck pistons orhung up but dont see anything wrong.any ideas at a loss.

[Doug Houston]

Same old question: Completely restored car, huh? What was done to the transmission, if anything (and probably nothing).

So often. the restorer installs some kind of transmission that came out of a salvage car, and that was working, and will hopefully work on the restored car. This sounds like what you are describing. Most likely, if the original transmission had been torn down, cleaned, had new seals installed, valve body made sanitary, the car would run and shift perfectly. I did that on my own cars, and I KNOW whats in the transmission. And they shift magnificently.

Theres a 41 Cadillac here in this srea. Its an auction baby, and the guy has spent more getting the car going properly than he paid for it. It has a who-knows-what Hydra-Matic in it that leaked badly. His restorer told me that it was a 47 Cadillac transmission.....with the dipstick in the engine compartment?

Well hear this tale many more times.

[steve scott]

hey be nice now.we spent 7 years on this car.trans was completely re build to the tune of $1800 in 2000 installed in car . and only driven about 130 miles between body/paint interior ect. so now do you have an answer?

[steve scott]

doug reread message also original was junk along with 331 so the 52 has a 59 390 now w/the 55 trans.

[Doug Houston]

Well O.K. Its hard to tell just what you have with a transmission that wasnt used with that engine. Normally, if the transmission has been rebuilt properly, it should work. Speaking generally, the transmission doesnt know whats driving it, so if its going to work, it should work! I might remark that its a better box than the 56 and later one.

the fact that the transmission is acting peculiarly means that the trouble is in the transmission, either in the controls, or possibly, has been assembled incorrectly or couild have failed in the planetary units.  The engine could not likely have a part in this misfunctioning.

Ive already said that I have done all of my own, and they work perfectly. There are thrre 41 Cadillacs with postwar transmissions and a 41 Olds with a 50  Olds transmission. Your engine-transmission mix seems as though it should work, but if you can get the transmission on a bench, there should be something in it causing your problems. Theyre unusual for that transmission.
Perhaps it is in the control valve body, causing improper functioning of bands and clutches, but I want to think that something is in the transmission, causing the strange operation.  I wish I could suggest what to look for, but nothing makes much sense here. I think that youll have to open it up and look for something amiss in it.

[steve scott]

well  i have decided to help john pull it out and tear it apart myself  too see  what we find . i had a 50,54,and56 and never expierenced this problem.and the trans was built by a guy who knew what he was doing on these r series hydros.as i said everything has been done right on this car from the ground up we just did not expect this.i own a streetrod and expect this stuff too happen even after 40 years of building them but not this one any way thanks for your reply.

[anthony]

doug
do you think the 55 transmission is better than the 1956 transmission? if so, i was wondering why? i have a 55 cad with the original trans.
regards
anthony