Thumbs up or down: 54 chevy 6 with hydro?

Thinking of buying a 54 chevy half ton with a 235 and hydra-matic. Im just not sure of the trans. Any input from those that know them?http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/1426583791.html

 

Those things rock! That truck, with that trans in good working order, and a big six (261 with some modern parts to make it run good), would make a cool ride that will scare the wheels off many new cars.

 

Clean little truck...have fun!

 

the ****** is fine i would be more worried about rust in the body, that transmission will be fine no problem

 

thumbs up!!

 

Hydramatic?
P***.
Wide ratios, continuous slip fluid coupling (it's not a torque converter), very heavy. It was old tech even in 1954.

 

I would roll that. B approved.

 

nice truck-hydro, a **** shoot. they are either very good or lousy.

 

drive it til the hydro quits then put in a 5 speed. I wouldn't let the trans stop me from buying it if I liked everything else.

 

Performancewise, especially when working with 235 cubic inches, it beat hell out of a cast iron Powerglide.

 

I agree, but it's not a selling point or a great final choice.

 

A week after I started driving my 52 Pontiac with the "Hydramatic Transmission" the transmission locked on it. I hooked a truck to it and we pulled it about 10 feet and it broke free. Now almost 5 years and 50,000 miles later, not 1 issue. It's been a good transmission, all I've done was made sure the fluid was full. My car sit for around 40 years before I got it.

I do plan to change mine over to straight drive this winter though since I found everything to do it with... and that's what I wanted to begin with. I have nothing against the Hydramatic though. I'm going to keep everything I take off it in case I decide to go back to it one day.

With that said, I'd get that truck... I wouldn't let the transmission hold me back. Drive it until you find what you need to change it over if that's what you want.

 

They were almost indestructible.