Ok, working with a slant pan hydro and my experience with them is nearly nonexistent. 1. Have you modified a shifter to work on a hydro? What kind and what did you have to do to get it to work? Could a cable shifter be made to work? 2. What is this thing sticking out of the hydro? I’m talking about the rod with the universal joint in it. See pictures... Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I believe that thing with the u-joint was used to release the band when towing the car back to the pits. I've seen the handles sticking through the floor of several old gassers. As far as the shifter, for mine, I'm just going to modify one of several old shifters I've gathered up over the years and add detents and a NSS as required. I don't see why you couldn't use a cable, the lever just swings forward and back to change gears there's no in and out motion like the old selector stick shift trans. The interesting part will come when trying to get the throttle pressure lever hooked up to the carburetor (6 Strombergs in my case). Have you seen all the monkey motion linkage Olds and Pontiac used?
That is a band release lever. I modified a Mustang II floor shifter for my hydro. Just welded and filed the MII detent to match the Hydro detents. Here is the shifter. Great self contained module. Just file the needed detents in this plate. I didn't like the hokey T-shifter so I converted it to a ball shifter that looks like a 4-speed. Saw this conversion in a rod mag years ago. Just lift up on the ball to disengage the detent and shift.
I bought a swap meet shifter of unknown origin and modified the mount and lever on the bottom of the handle to fit as required. Also added a neutral-start switch while I was at it...
Awesome, thanks guys. This is the kind of information I was hoping to get. So does anyone have images of how the band release mechanism/lever would work? r Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Seems like it’s a towing thing. Some information from an old thread that I found. (I was curious as well) The rear band (3rd gear) is spring applied and hydrolicly released. Shut the engine off and the band is applied. Because the band is on while towing, it's the rear clutch pack that fries, not the pump. In the olden days, an aftermarket quick release handle was attached to the rear band adjuster on top of the hydro. The handle kept the band adjusment lock nut in the same position on the adjuster, and you could reach down from a sitting position and back-off on the adjusting screw without losing your initial adjustment. When you wanted to race, turn the adjuster down with the handle until the handle stops. You're in adjustment and ready to go. I don't remember what they called this handle but it worked great. It was used more for shutting down the engine so you could make a good plug reading after a hard pass. I don't have any pictures or drawings of the handle, I don't even have a handle. Anybody out there got one? I need one to take measurments off of for production. I will be offering band adjusting gauges. If I get a request for the assorted rebuilding fixtures, I'll make those also. I'm a tool & die maker by trade and I've got a machine shop. A hydro that's out of adjustment is worse than a case of crabs.
Hydramatics have that rear pump and can be push started. Nice feature but not if you want to flat tow the car. Either have to disconnect the drive shaft (big hassle) or add that lever to release the rear band to allow towing back to the pits. Otherwise you quickly fry the tranny. Definitely a racer mod.
Should be plenty of information in the Hydro Group forum. I know the band release has been talked about in the past and some photos were posted of commercially made release handles. One release was just a "flip lever" that either tighten or released the band in one motion. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
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