Gyro-Torque transmission

Looking at an old Dodge with a gyro-torque transmission. Never heard of this ****** before now let alone driven one. Can't seem to find any info on it as far as reliability, drivabilty, repairability, etc...Any info anyone can offer I would be thankful for. The car would eventually be getting a SBC 350 and a GM trans thrown in it, but will the Gyro work well and be reliable enough for a driver?

 

What year??
There were Gyro-Matics that were shifted by hydraulics, and also ones shifted by vacuum. I belive the vacuum ones were less reliable. The hydraulic Gyro-Matics were quite reliable, albeit slow.
The transmission is basically a four speed (generally, three-speeds were used on some early ChryCo self-shifters) manual, rigged to be shifted by hydraulics. However, they could only get the shifting done on one rail, so the automatic shifts are either 1-2, or 3-4, NOT 2-3.
Driving the car is a trip. First, start it (duh), then, place the shifter where third is on a normal column-shifted three-speed; now, holding the brake, let out the clutch. Now you're in gear and ready to go. Just step on the gas and you're moving. Once up to about 15 mph or so, let up on the gas and wait for the trans to shift into fourth (it'll clunk). Now you're good to go.
The clutch feeds a fluid coupling (not a torque converter, though it looks and feels the same) ahead of the trans, which is why you can brake while in gear. There are electrical controls on the carb so it can downshift, too. These basically tell the trans to downshift and kill power to the coil to take load off the input shaft to allow the shift.
This should be enough to let you test-drive without looking a total idiot.
Just for additional trivia, most manufacturers had some form of self-shifting or self-clutching trans around the same time. And we've nearly come full circle with the new trans from Ferrari and others that are full manual transmissions that clutch and shift themselves.

Cosmo, whose OWN car doesn't even have an automatic choke...

 

I Had one in my first car, a 53 Dodge Coronet with 241 hemi Very dependable unit but slow on the upshift. Accelerate in first, lift foot off accelerator, wait for shift, here it comes, a polite cl-unk, you are in Hi now, please continue acelerating.
Low gearing is such that getting off the line is leisurely.

The kickdown was a nice surprise the first time I used it. Hard acceleration at 40mph gave hard downshift which really let the little Hemi wind up and that car jumped. I thought that was pretty slick.
Thanks for the explanation on the electric kickdown. I never was sure how it worked.

Check the AllPar website for more info.

 

Here, I just busted in over at Allpar and ripped this off. If anyone asks you never heard of me.

The M6 "four-speed electro-hydraulic semi-automatic" transmissionThanks to Argent, Bill Watson, and Sam Chase. Additions on shifting technique from S. Berliner's web site.

The M6, sold as Presto-Matic, Fluidmatic, Tip-Toe Shift, Gyro-Matic, and Gyro-Torque, was a two-speed manual transmission with an electric overdrive unit attached. It was used on Dodge (1948-1953), DeSoto (1946-1953) and Chrysler (1946-1953) models, and was coupled to either Fluid Drive (fluid coupling) or Fluid-Torque Drive (torque converter).

The driver would select either low or high range (the two manual forward gear sets) and "shift" the transmission within either range at a predetermined speed by lifting his foot off the accelerator pedal, causing the overdrive unit to kick in. The four "speeds" were Low, Low Overdrive, High, and High Overdrive.

Most people would start out in High range and somewhere between 15/20 mph, lift their foot off the accelerator, whereby the OD unit would kick in for "cruising" gear. The OD would kick out at any speed under 11 MPH, and when the car was brought to a stop. For better low-speed acceleration, you could start in the low range and first gear, at 8 mph release the gas and wait for the clunk as it shifted, then go up to 25 and shift into the high gear.

To use all four speeds, you could start in low range, and, while shifting to high range, floor the gas, which caused the transmission to kick down to the low gear, bringing third gear into play. This could provide a performance boost.

The clutch was necessary any time the gear lever was moved between Low/High, or Reverse. A fluid coupling was attached to the flywheel, and a conventional clutch was mounted in tandem.

Later models had shift quadrants to make the configuration appear as "automatic" as possible. On the 1954 Dodge, the quadrant had four positions in this order: R L Nu [Neutral] Dr, with the same H pattern as a conventional 3-speed, minus 1st gear ("L" was in the 2nd gear position, "Dr" in the 3rd gear slot.)

Bill Watson noted "The shifting of gears within low or high range was not done automatically as you had to lift your foot off the accelerator and wait for the "clunk" when the higher gear engaged. Some, including Chrysler, decribe it as a 'click,' but I used to own a 1949 DeSoto and it was a 'clunk'! The downshift occurred automatically when the car slowed down to a stop."

Fluid Drive referred to the fluid coupling between the engine and the clutch, and had nothing to do with the transmission. The Fluid-Torque Drive (torque converter) arrived for the 1951 model year as an option. This combination got a shift quadrant, but as it was coupled to the M-6, it still had a clutch.

Mike Sealey noted that the M-6 was marketed under the name "Prestomatic" at Chrysler, "Tip-Toe Shift" at DeSoto, and "Gyro-Matic," "Fluid-matic," "Fluidtorque," and "Gyrotorque" at Dodge. Dodge was the only division to put the fancy name on its cars... check out the model name badge on 2nd series '49 through '52 Dodge Meadowbrooks and Coronets; if it says "Fluid Drive" below the model name, that originally meant the standard transmission with the fluid flywheel action, while if it says "Gyro-Matic", that emblem belongs on a car with the M-6. The M-6 transmissions often confuse modern drivers who believe them to be 3-speed sticks that refuse to go into first. Besides the clutch pedal, later versions can be told apart from the later PowerFlite by their strange "D-N-R-L" range of gears - the position of reverse making a strong argument for keeping the clutch pedal!

 

I LOVE those old Mopars but those Fluid-Drive transmissions make a Dynaflow look like a Lenco...poor performance, slooow shifting...not much to recommend 'em unless you keep the eng/trans stock then they are fine. Why not a 318/Torqueflite?

 

Benny,
I bought new a 1953 Dodge 2-door sedan flat-head six. After two years, I pulled the six and installed a used Red Ram V-8. This required changing the frame, dashboard, radiator and all electrical and fuel connections. All done in our backyard, using Dad’s front end loader.
Couldn’t find a used stick shift ****** so went with the Gyro-Torque, 4 speed semi-automatic.
I wanted a drag racer. The G T high and low range: upper position gears 1 and 2, lower 3and 4.
Disengage clutch, shift to high or low, engage clutch, while braking. Release brake and go.
Say you’re in low range, 1st gear, about 20-25 mph release accelerator to idle, wait for hydraulics to shift (clunk) into 2nd, accelerate and proceed.Obviously not effective for dragging.
A fellow in California developed system using a modified shift lever, with a ****on on the end, connected to a wire running to the ****** , connected to an electrical post. Concept was, by depressing the shifter ****on, the ****** would default to the lower gear of the range engaged..
Racing, I’d start in low, at about 30-35 mph depresses said ****on and clutch, shifting to high range, 3rd gear. ( without ****on depressed it could go directly to fourth gear, which would not be good).
To shift to 4th gear, disengage clutch, shift to neutral then back to high range as quickly as possible.
Installed an Iskiderian 3/4 Road cam, 4 barrel Stromberg, dual ignition, solid tappers, dual “Smittys”.
1955: Our drag strip was a nine mile section of I-83, between Timonium, MD to Sparks, MD, neither end connected to anything (poor planning by Feds, great for dragging).
Racing mostly Olds and Fords, I was unbeaten for 1-1/2 years, racing probably 25 times. Eventually, a 52 Plymouth 6 cylinder , bored to th max, racing (shaved) head, twin 2-barrel carbs, high lift cam left me in the proverbial dust. Basically the same 6, I removed from my Dodge. A humbling experience.