Bought this on marketplace listed as a 56 hydrostatick. The gentleman that I bought it from bought it from iron trap garage as a hydrostatick. The story is that it was owned by a man named Donny Besley who had it attached to a supercharged olds but he upgraded to a beefier trans.(!) It’s very clean with chrome pans and I got it for a good price. Not hydrostatick price. It is a slant pan with mechanical reverse, no b&m markings and no b&m valve, the shift plate appears to have been modified,(?) the flywheel has been balanced and uses larger bolts than my 49 and the torus assembly appears unmodified. Also, what is this hole on the top for? Thanks!
On a few B&M hydros I've had they also stamped the info on a machined surface under the tailshaft extension. I think its maybe on the main case of the trans right below where the tailshaft extension bolts up. Check there for codes...
Can't help with the id but I think it probably came from Lonnie Beasley. Long time Denver hot rodder and all around good guy. He passed away a couple years ago. He had a model A roadster with a blown Olds.
Found the tag under the rear housing, time has taken its toll and I can’t read it. Also compared shift assembly to my old trans and there is definitely a notch cut to hold in first gear. I couldn’t imagine using it.
It looks like you might get some information off of that data plate by holding a piece of paper over it and rubbing with a pencil.
I tried this but all I saw was “ drink more ovaltine.” I ended up painting the tag black and lightly sanded it, turns out it’s just a factory tag.
How many “detents” does the shift selector arm have. Five would be a stock hydro. N, 4, 3, 2-1, R ……Six N, 4, 3, 2, 1, R would be a Stick hydro.
Thanks for asking, it has 5. I’ve been reading up on dual range hydramatics since I originally posted and they are a little different than the 49 that I currently have. Looks like I have a very nice stock transmission.
Why even mention Iron Trap garage ? They didn't sell it to you. I know Matt Murray ( Iron Trap Garage ) and his reputation is worth a lot more than your transmission.
Knew this was coming. When I made original post iron trap was part of the story. There is a possibility that the gentleman I purchased the transmission from misunderstood what he was buying but he did pay quite a bit for it and sold it to me for a loss. Or maybe I’m just gullible.
Here’s what B&M stamped on the rear of the main case, adjacent to the tailshaft housing. And the B&M valve…. A lot of companies modified Hydramatic transmissions back then, not all of them identified them and the modifications performed. Those do appear to be stock torus wheels though, if that’s any indication.
The Jalopy Journal
