What's this shift pattern?

Most of the automatic shift indicators I've seen read "PNRDL". At Hershey, I bought a piece of chrome that I thought I could cut down and use in my A. But the shift pattern on it is PNDLR". Have I just not paid attention? Can anyone tell me what manufacturer used this pattern? Thanks.

 

i think my 60 caddy had that pattern

 

if memory serves me correctly the early powerglides had that pattern.

 

i'm thinkin powerglide

 

cast iron powerglide in the 50's

 

Could be a 1964 or earlier GM Hydramatic or slim jim transmission, they were PNDLR.

 

my friend has that in his 54 chevy.

 

old gm turbo-glide, the "R" was for "grade-retard" to slow you down on long hills when towing. they came behind 348's usually with a posi in a tow package. my 60' impala had this combo. people used to burn them up hitting the gas and dropping them in "R"!

 

I think 60 Pontiac´s also have this shift pattern, if I recall correctly...

 

What the hell ****** has that? I've NEVER seen that one before.

 

My Father's '56 Bel-Air convertable has that exact pattern. It's a powerglide.

 

Green dot C4's from the mid 60's Fords had that pattern I think. P-R-N-D-"green dot"-L

 

Yep, my '63 Poncho is that way.

 

At least on Corvairs, on PowerGlides, there was no "P", just NDLR. You had to set the parking brake to keep from rolling.

 

am I missin something - typically trannies have reverse on the park side before neutral, no? PRNDL
later PGs were NOT the second pattern you mention, but I think theyre right about it maybe for an early PG -seems like inevitable ****** work in the waitin unless theres a real reliable lockout

 

I seen that pattern on 2 '59 Buick's a month or so ago.

 

Studebaker Flightomatic had that.

 

It was a 50s thing, very common back then.

 

I believe this man.

 

yep, Just had a 1962 Vauxhall (British for Chevrolet) that left the shop this morning with a powerglide (hydromatic) with that shift pattern.

 

ya, early 60s buicks had the second pattern too, from what i remember

 

That was the pattern of most lever selected automatics. In 64/65 the Safety Nazis were just getting started and along with telling chyrsler to do away with the push****on selector, and told everybody else to put reverse where it couldn't be accidently engaged while looking for a forward gear. Didn't want folks slapping the lever down a click or 2 or was that 3 and then stompog the gas in reverse. Some early automatics lacked the Park position also. The shifter was put into neutral and the parking brake needed to be used to secure the car from rolling.

 

Dad had a '55 Chev 6 cyl with powerslide trans with PNDLR. I tried downshifting it on a hill one night and slid right into reverse at about 25 mph. The car survived the ordeal but how I have no idea. The PRNDL pattern was created to prevent that occurance

 

Ahh, but the trick was that R (reverse) was the parking position. And in the cars that used a pattern like that, R was supposed to lock out above 7 mph. My Olds certainly locked R out, but grit and grime could possibly defeat this feature.

Truth is, most automatics made before 1965 used this pattern, or one similar (prior to about '53 there was no P position). And there was NO standardisation (until NHTSA and about 1965).

Just for one example, a Ford Cruise-O-Matic (prior to 1967, after were Select-Shift) had a pattern of: P R N D D L with the second 'D' being a white circle with a green dot. The trans worked like this: P was Park. R was Reverse. First D was second and third gear ONLY, useful for rain and snow, lowered the torque that the rear wheels saw. Second D (green dot) was first through third, intended as the usual Drive position. L held the trans in a lower gear, it did NOT limit the trans to first, but instead held the gear the trans was in, be it first or second. Manual shifting one of these is accomplished thusly: Starting in L, accelerate until you wish to shift to second; move the lever to D, then back to L after the shift. Into third - just move the lever back to D.

And all the rest had similar 'secrets' for shifting.

Cosmo (the TMI guy)

 

All Studebakers had PNDLR

 

1959 olds had it!!! ****s too, if you hit a big bump and your shifter is loose, it'll drop down in Reverse!!!!

 

Thank you Cosmo, Perfect explanation. If you really want to mess them up, you could bring in Fluid-Drive to the party.-MIKE

 

Nope, the R is for reverse, you may be thinking HR (57 only) which meant hill retarder. 58-61 changed to GR (grade retarder)

Turboglide: PRNDHr, PRNDGr
Buick Flightpitch: PRNDG

PRNDL (58 and up Powerglides, 64 turbo hydramatic 400.

PNDLR came from some of the early GM transmissions:

-pre 58 Cast Iron Powerglides
all twin turbine Dynaflows.
Buick dual path dynaflow


Early Hydramatics were:

NDLR (Single range Hydramatics)
NDSLR (Dual range Hydramatics)
PNDSLR (Dual Coupling & Roto Hydramatics) used in Olds and Pontiacs
PND4D3LR (Dual coupling used in Cadillacs)

 

The Dual Coupling was a 4-speed and could be shifted to any of the 4 gears, is why. My '60 Pontiac had D indicated as two positions on the dash, but I can't remember if they marked it D4D3 or some other way. I do know if you left it in third it would shift to drive by itself - at about 70.

 

Ah, that's because I am an idiot who can't type and won't proofread. Should have been "PRNDL"