There is a reason for that. They weren't that well thought of when new. Buy an adapter and upgrade to a newer GM automatic. www.transmissionadapters.com or Wilcap can hook you up. Ray
I barely have opposable thumbs and I was able to rebuild my own Hydramatic. Fatsco has rebuild kits and replacement parts for just about any old tranny for just a few hundred dollars per kit. What have you got to lose? Felt great after it was done and it actually worked. You need a good manual and a table top.
I've been fighting this same issue for almost a year. I couldn't find anyone who knew what it was or would even give it a shot. Upgrading the trans is the best option. Mine is in great shape besides the front and rear seals needing to be replaced. I did replace those with the Fatsco kit and have every other gasket still in the box because of how complex it is. The reason I say switch is because they shift weird you have to get use to it and they clunk hard when going into 2nd/3rd. I'm going to get my block tapped by a machinist so I can use a newer trans. What Pontiac do you have? Mines a 63 Catalina
What Pontiac do you have? Mines a 63 Catalina[/QUOTE] Mine is a '63 Star chief. I found a guy on line in California who works on them but he quoted me $4000 plus shipping. That's just not an option for me. I do have a shop manual and it has a lengthy section on this trans. If it comes down to it I guess I'll give it a shot myself.
[QUOTE="I found a guy on line in California who works on them but he quoted me $4000 plus shipping. That's just not an option for me. I do have a shop manual and it has a lengthy section on this trans. If it comes down to it I guess I'll give it a shot myself.[/QUOTE] You'll be able to do it, no problem. Just disassemble everything, deep inside are some seals that typically fail, 99% is just rubber seals and snap rings. If you put it right back together it will help you remember where everything goes. (I am not a great mechanic, wish I was, still able to get through it. It was actually funner than rebuilding the engine). My hydramatic worked for 60 years before it had to be rebuilt, even worked after the seals were super hard, so that says something positive about it. Drag racers used them, they propelled our tanks in WW11. If it's irreversibly damaged internally somehow then you can look into a swap, just prepare to fab new kick down, shifter linkage, speedo, customizing u-joints, possibly altering length of drive shaft, altering trans mount, trans to engine adapters, will starter motor work?, etc. sounds like a lot of others have done it so maybe they can tell us how all that works, maybe it's not that hard.
Ditch that Roto-matic and go with an adapter and a modern trans. You will be $$$$, time, and many happy miles down the road. They were crap from the get-go. Hydramatics from the early to mid 50's were different and far superior.
He's got a '63 Star Chief, I don't think he has a roto-hydramatic, I think he has the controlled-coupling Hydramatic, same as in Caddys, same one I'm talking about. Verified from several different sources: "In 1961, a somewhat less complex, but also far less reliable three-speed Roto Hydramatic also dubbed the "Slim Jim" Hydramatic (in which the "dump and fill" shifting principle was retained) was adopted for all Oldsmobiles as well as Pontiac's full-sized Catalina, Ventura, and Grand Prix models, while all Cadillacs and Pontiac's Bonneville and Star Chief models retained the older four-speed "Controlled Coupling HydraMatic" unit. Hydramatic transmissions were ultimately replaced by a new three-speed torque converter automatic transmission called Turbo-Hydramatic in 1964 and 1965.....
Take a look under your car. The blue one is a slim jim (roto), the other is a controlled coupling hydramatic
The oldest transmission shop in town was the ticket for the old hydros... but all the guys who knew their shit are long gone. The going price was $1200 by me 15 years ago. I sealed one in my '64 Olds when I was 18. It worked fairly well considering how long I drove it when it was pissing fluid like a race horse.
If it's a stock 63 Star Chief, it does not have the Roto (Slim Jim)...it has the dual coupling hydramatic....known as Jetaway, Super Hydro, etc. The dual coupling trans was not the one modified by B&M and others for drag racing....that was the dual range hydramatic. Don't know why there is still so much mis-info out there regarding the dual coupling vs dual range. You really can't mod the dual coupling to increase performance.
My Dad's 64 Grand Prix had the Roto (Slim Jim), My 64 2+2 Catalina had the dual coupling hydramatic. I rebuilt them both when I was 18 years old. Wasn't that big of deal in 1972! Dad always wanted to change his but the trany tunnel was too small in the Grand Prix.
The shops I dealt with were on a carry-in basis and the prices were great. I'd just install it and bring it back for a check out to complete the warranty. I don't think there is any mystery to taking one apart as long as you take pictures, keep track of all the parts and don't run into any badly scored up drums or have a cracked case to deal with. Which was fairly common on anything I opened up.
Around here you can get parts from Seatac Transmission Service, Kent WA. or carry in also. Good guys to deal with.
I'll look tonight. But I believe it is not the blue one. I recall that it says HYDRAMATIC on the bottom of the pan.
Either trans, the dual coupling or Roto models, are inferior in many ways to later GM turbo hydramatics. In good condition they work, and if that is all that is required here, overhaul your own. But I sure as hell wouldn't spend $4000 to have it done. A THM400 is (relatively) bullet proof though does absorb some power in the process. A THM350 is highly reliable in normal driving conditions. Both are fairly inexpensive alternatives, even after an adapter and driveshaft mod. For the greatest gain, a 700R4 offers more benefits for not a lot more money. Your car, your money, your decision. Just offering food for thought. Ray
FYI, I checked the S/N on the tag against my Pontiac shop manual. It's a Super Hydramatic. I believe they were called a Jetaway by Olds and a 315 Hydramatic by Cadillac. I believe I have found someone here in Mich. who works on them and has given me a very reasonable quote. I got 100,000 miles out of this trans so it doesn't seem that they are all that bad. And I only drive this car 2000 - 3000 miles a year anymore. So I believe staying with the original trans is the best option.
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