Does anyone remember an article from the late sixties or maybe the early seventies entitled "When 283's ruled the Earth" (or something similar)? It may have been in Car Craft or Super Stock.. I know it is a rather vague description, but it is in keeping with my other vague memories. Thanks to all that contribute to this thread. It is very much appreciated.
Top, Rich Beibel is still racing..Lou Cuviello still around. Joe DeLorenzo is on the right. (Artie Johnson) Jere Stahl vs. Bruce Wilkerson (or maybe Dickie Ogles..Car is still around at BG shows)
I know this isn't a tech forum. I am getting parts together to build a tribute car( aggregation 57 chevy 210 2dr sedan)of my late brothers jr stocker m/sa or l/sa depending on the year. Got carbs, intake ,58 283 block ,steel 3" crank small j, pp heads. But I know nothing about cast iron powerglides. Is there a glide for v8 and one for 6cyl like aluminum glides with different 1st gear ratios. I have built a lot of aluminum glides ,Is anything the same. I know Barry said something about a Opel converter one time. They ran a a1 conv but that's all I know. Plan on running 4.56 rear end 245hp 283. Any info will be greatly appreciated thanks. Aggregation was totaled at Spencer IA on the street late 70s it was all red at the time. No one knows what happened to it after that. Be nice to have the chrome stahls off of it. Lol Had pics but won't load.
YES, I remember it very well, and have used that title as a catch phrase for years. It was a 2 part article on junior stock racing in the last issue of Super Stock and the following month in Drag Racing Monthly. Your timeline is off a little bit though, the first half was published in June of 96. A well written and researched article by Ro McGonegal with lots of insider information from Jenkins, Stahl, Marv Ripes, Bob Lambeck and others. Any Junior Stock fan would do well to hunt up the issues.
Thank you for the detailed reply. I just went on Ebay and got both issues! You are right about my timeline being off just a little. Almost thirty years... seems about par for the course anymore.... although I may have set a new personal record with that one. Thanks again.
Would that article have info on the iron glides used? Sorry if this is the wrong forum for my post, but I want to get this car right. I have got a lot of info from people involved with the car that r still kicken ,but not much on the tranny. We all know how scarce this old classic iron is. So no time to waste. Just looking for the best choice of iron glide for the car. Is there a specific glide that's better or r they all the same.?Barry built the glide in the car and used a A1 converter, that's all I know. Just trying get all the right parts together. M/sa 57 210 2dr sedan 245 hp 283 4.56 rear slicks they ran, told 7" wrinkle wall mh. Any info on tranny would be greatly appreciated. Just trying to get as close to they way it was as possible. Thanks!! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I am sure Marv Ripes would give you any information you might need. I have his card some where at home but will not be there until next week. You might contact A1 and see if they can get you in contact with him.
I "think" the biggest improvement, would be to get away from the rather large, bolt-together, torque converter, and swap to a more "modern", donut-style converter; lighter, and lends itself to more possibilities. I also think the low gear ratio is the same, six VS V-8 transmissions (not like the aluminum Glides). But, I wonder IF you could use the "thin" style drive and driven plates, and a thicker, machined steel, direct hub, to "up" the direct clutch count for more holding power? I keep waiting to hear from Tim (^^^^^), that the cast iron Powerglide in his 57 Delivery has finally died (and put that trans-brake, electric shift Glide in the car I gave him with it). Why not use an aluminum Powerglide to start with; there's so much more that's available for them, not to mention the weight issue? They even allow them in the re-done, NHRA Stock Classes, for the 55-57 Chevrolet's, once again being allowed in Stock. It's what I eventually plan on doing with my 56 Delivery, using a 57, 265 block (for the block mounted starter motor pad; even though that was only used with the Turboglide at the time. Now, more modern transmissions can also be used). I had a "race prepped", cast iron Glide at one time many years ago; I traded a scattershield for it. It eventually found it's way into a 62 Chevrolet Bel Air, 4 door, sedan, owned by the son of a nurse I worked with. It was a full manual shift, and had an update to a "donut style" torque converter. He had to shorten the front shaft of his 2 piece driveline, and then he did't care for the manual shift; it was just too harsh if you can believe that! I remember an aluminum plate, more like a pie tin plate, was used under the valve body, but I did't tear it down completely. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Marv ripes yeah that be great, he might know a little about the subject , talk about going to the horses mouth. I didn't know a1 was still going. Monday I will try them. Thanks. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I thought about going aluminum glide. I built several for dirt and drag and have some parts and know a lot about them. But I guess I being a little anal about trying to make the car exactly how it was. Some private junkyard guys I know said they threw the iron glides in the junk pile and hauled them for scrap. The only iron glide we had come in the shop was 57 chevy some guys had built a 327 for. They could get it to turn over they decided to pull it behind another car and kept pulling the shifter from neutral all the down into reverse. Barry fixed the tranny. The 327 wouldn't run because they tighten all the rocker arms down till they ran out of threads on the studs. Thanks for the reply. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Old chevy luver I can understand where you are coming from I had the same dilemma with my MG. I decided to race it occasionally, so it looks correct but only brother Mike I know. Consider when you put in an aluminum glide you will need to put a rear trans mount in or Danchuk had bolt on trans mounts for this situation. Also if you go for the rear trans mount it would be wise to put in side engine mts, which means a later 283. I think a cast iron glide would be the expedient way to go just have it built by a reputable trans shop. That eliminates all the starter and mount woes and keeps the car the way you want it. Pat
Old Chevy Luver, I checked the article for information on the Powerglides used in the Junior Stock era. It describes in '69 the smallest torque converter available was a 10 inch Chrysler unit, and how Bob Lambeck (a Buick Parts Dept. employee) discovered Opel torque converters were 8.75 inches which led Marv Ripes to adapt it to the Powerglide. What may of be more interest to you, according to McGonegal, is that by 1971 Ripes and Larry Tores were offering low gear ratios of 1.9, 1.98, 2.08, and 2.18 in addition to the stock ratio of 1.84. I see your avatar photo was taken at Thunder Valley Dragways. PM me, I probably have more photos of your brothers 57.
Butch, I have had the Powerglide apart but never saw anything really wrong with it but it was the first automatic I ever tore apart. A1 use to make a replacement bellhousing for the aluminum glide that had the side mounts cast into it. I called and left a message with the new owners as Marv told me there might be some still there but never heard from them. He also told me to just put a Turbo 350 in the car since NHRA considers the Turboglide a 3 speed.
I'd heard the same thing regarding the Turboglide "replacements"; the Metric 200 has become "the" Stock/Super Stock trans due to the gearing and weight. For what most guys consider to be a throw-a-way transmission, the racing trans builders sure are asking a small fortune for one. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
WOW!! Thanks for all the info. I have thought about the aluminum glide, my nephew ( Barry's son) builds dirt modified chassis out of my shop. He is a good fabricator and we looked at the 50 chevy Barry put a 327 in with a hurst v8 mount kit. It has a t10 4 speed, uses the same bell housing side mounts. And looked at retro mounts for 57 chev he could fab everything. But I guess I want to keep it old school. The metric tranny was considered.I have built a couple and with a few mods & after market parts are tough little transmissions . I did find something on the internet about the Opel conv. Had to mod the iron glide and they got 4000 rpm stall that smoked the 7" slicks. But track prep probably wasn't as good back then. Still sounds like fun. Stall speed obviously made up for the inertia lost from small diameter. I gathered it was oem gm part. The lower planetary options is very interesting, but I will probably stay stock because I'm sure thats how it was . If 1.84 was what they all had factory that keeps it simple for the stupid which I fall into on this deal. story about Barry. About 1979 I found a 69 z/28 no motor or trans rough car. Fixed her all up. Needed a motor. Barry had a 283 punch out to 4" with new trw 12.1 pistons steel 283 crank molly rings recondition hd small j rods. Not assembled, but all checked out and ready. Perfect I wanted a 302 for it (or 301 for u jr stock guys) I think he was going to build a cheater for the 57. Barry said, I'll take $350 for all of it. Great ! And paid him. Started putting it together and noticed no side motor mount bosses. Went to him ,said that block won't work. He replied, looks like u need to get a different block. He knew it wouldn't work. He'd kick me in the nuts if he knew I told that story. Ha thanks for all your help great info I am going to call a1. Oh 69 z had old factory 2x4 carbs & intake on it. After market linkage had a clip for front carb that came off, linkage dropped down and locked back carb wide open ,rapped it around a tree at about 70. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The convertor in Kyle Marshall"s car is out of a Cortina I think he told me. Had it built by some guy in Indy.
Tim, you had the cast iron Glide out of the Delivery and torn own? Was there a reason to do that? There are actually "2" valve bodies in them, a "main valve body" that's between the bellhousing and case, and a "low and drive valve body" made of aluminum and under the servo cover; this is where the aluminum "plate" was in the built, cast iron Glide I talked about a little earlier. My guess is, that's how a full manual cast iron Glide was made (?). Does your cast iron Glide have any automatic shift of low to drive, or is it a full manual shift? Is there a "kickdown" linkage setup? Since I never actually "drove" the car on the street (open headers and all), I did't know.That converter had to be pretty small, like 8 or 9 inches in diameter? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Has anyone tried this? We use to build a cheater glide for dirt that used a fake converter(just a converter shell with a locked hub in side to drive the input shaft) then bleed of band servo pressure so it would slip at idle also bleed off reverse pressure so rev would slip.As soon as u got on the gas line pressure would be enough to apply the band or reverse and away you'd go. High gear was left alone. I have never thought about drag application. We also built glides to use a slave cylinder to run the t.v valve on valve body where line pressure was directed to. Then the t.v.v valve basically became a on off valve for the line pressure. I still have one or two of the valve bodies so I could remember what passages to block and which to grind open and how much to taper the t.v valve so pressure would come up gradually. Those just had a splined shaft that slid into a hub bolted to the crank. Tci and other have built these for a while ,I have never heard them used in drag cars. I am sure iron glides use a low band servo and reverse piston. What the hell is a cortina. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
It's a 9" core from an English Ford that came with the 1600 Ford (Kent ) pushrod engine, later used in the very first Pintos. Pre-dates the 8" Opel by a year or so. Used to build the original B&M Mopar J converters. Modern 9" cores include the GM 245 mm, and the Toyota unit .(slightly bigger than the Opel, but usually equipped with an Opel style stator for racing applications.
Thanks Mark, yes it is a 9". Here's a picture of the one in the Marshall car when I had the trans out.
LB - Any more of the new Hydrophobia? Ultra sano, tow tabs & left front about to touch off the ground!
My good friend Al Andrews owned that car for many years.He just sold it recent ly . He put it together with all rare period correct parts.You are right the car was sweet. I am still kicking myself for not buying it.
I just had never heard of a cortina, but not much into British cars or fords for that matter.. just a joke!! Thanks for the converter lesson. I remember back in the day when people bought up all the vega conv around. They ran a TH spline in the powerglide input. In 73 went to a TH tranny. What is the difference in a iron glide conv. and alum glide conv. as far as splines, snout etc. I have never built or even seen a iron glide. I don't imagine they make a tunable conv for them. So got go with the tell them what u got & what u r going do, hope for the best ,option. No disrespect to conv builders most work ok, but there's some junk out there. When u get 1 that is so lose it biilds so much heat it smokes everything in a tranny u just built for a guy, well u know. I'm sure they have problems with tranny builders to. Thanks for any info. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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