Powerglide transmission performance

[A . M. Aitkins]

I know this isn't a tractor related question. But I'm getting ready to restore a 1953 Chevrolet bel air sedan with a ci235 and power glide. my concern is how well will the power glide perform on hills? I have a couple of mountains in the area that are about 1800-2000ft in elevation with a 8-10 percent grade that I cross regularly and I was concerned how well the current engine and drive train setup would perform. I was considering a manual transmission to try and gain some power But I would prefer to keep the power glide. I don't have any experience with power glides so I'm not sure about performance. Thanks

 

[rmcky]

Powerglides were put in the corvettes, thru 1967. We had one for 30 years, never a problem. I do not know if they were different from the sedan version.

 

[used red MN]

What is the lowest powered modern vehicle (say 1980 or later) you driven through this area and what kind of speed can you maintain. With a Powerglide you won’t have a passing gear or kick-down after about 40-45mph and at that speed in low gear the 235 is going to be churning pretty good. In that heavy old car I doubt that you will hold 55 on an 8 - 10 percent grade. That means it will slow down and shift into low and you will be revving the engine pretty good if you insist on holding it at 40 mph.
Me and a brother and sister put a lot of miles on the “school car” a 67 4 door Bel Air 283 and a Powerglide. A 283 was a lot more tolerable of revving higher. They made a section of the major highway 4 lanes we lived a mile from that and it was 7 miles to the town where we went to high school. That car made more trips over that stretch at 80 to 100mph then it did at 60 or 70mph.

 

[Keith True]

If you're going to drive it and treat it like the antique car that it is,no problems.If you treat it like a modern car,and expect modern car performance,you will be disappointed.If you have one that is operating right now they are a pretty easy transmission to just freshen up.Mostly the adhesive holding the faces onto the clutch discs will fail from age after they get put back into service.Parts have always been relatively cheap for those things.All that heavy iron in those things held up real well.The engines using those early glides were set up a little different.The ones equipped with glides used either hydraulic lifters,or solids,and the standards the opposite.I don't remember just which one used what.I first went through one when I was 20,and was told that if I paid attention and followed the book for every adjustment in order,I could do it.The 1954 Motors manual was very thorough on how to do it.That was in 1977 and it is still going today.The guy that has it now drives it everywhere.

 

[504]

The cast iron power glide is not worth the rebuild. An aluminum one,a 350, will bolt in with some minor modifications

 

[560Dennis]

pulled a towed Chevy nova over the Rocky’s to Utah with a 283 powerglide I 80 , I say that’s pretty stout.

 

[Keith True]

Changing to a TH in those cars is done every day,but it is a bit of a project.When you go to the aluminum transmission you lose your rear motor mounts.With the cast glide they are on that adapter plate between the engine and trans.There is an aftermarket kit made to do just that.Then you need a radiator with a cooler,or an add on cooler,(probably better).Then the kickdown setup,the transmission will kick down at odd times reading the vacuum off that old 235.But,there are modulator valves made to correct that.Driveshaft is different,but pretty easy to deal with too,change the rear end.Shift linkage is completely different,it may hook right up,but you put it into park by pulling the lever all the way down,where reverse would be in the old iron monster.

 

[Richard G.]

I know this isn't a tractor related question. But I'm getting ready to restore a 1953 Chevrolet bel air sedan with a ci235 and power glide. my concern is how well will the power glide perform on hills? I have a couple of mountains in the area that are about 1800-2000ft in elevation with a 8-10 percent grade that I cross regularly and I was concerned how well the current engine and drive train setup would perform. I was considering a manual transmission to try and gain some power But I would prefer to keep the power glide. I don't have any experience with power glides so I'm not sure about performance. Thanks

Around here in the hills of SC, Powerglides did great.
Race car builders wanted the cast iron ones to beef up and put in their cars.
They were about bullet proof.

 

[Mule Meat]

What would make a transmission built for roads 60 or 70 years ago not work on the same roads today?

 

[used red MN]

Around here in the hills of SC, Powerglides did great.
Race car builders wanted the cast iron ones to beef up and put in their cars.
They were about bullet proof.

That must have been a lonnggg… time ago when a race car builder preferred a heavy cast iron one over the aluminum model. In some drag race classes the Poweglide is the preferred transmission, but a totally race built Powerglide shares very little with a stock GM one.

 

[buickanddeere]

You will be happier with TH7004R. A very low first gear, overdrive and a lockup torque converter. few are the people who will notice a late model 250 or 292 .

 

[jwal10]

I have the 4 cyl from early Chevy II's in 5 different street rods with the 2 speed air cooled powerglide. Love them, but I am use to 4 cyl cars. Every new car since 1984 was a 4 cyl, auto. 2 Chevy Cavaliers, S-10, Tracker, 2-HHR's. Mom had a '59 Chevy with a 235 and 3 sp overdrive, she loved that car, Big but it got good gas mileage and you just pushed down on the throttle, it shifted down, get over the hill and let up on gas pedal and it shifted back into overdrive. Pretty big hills here and never had to shift the 3 on the tree lever. She also had a '48 with 3 on the tree, she loved it. It was wore out and she got a '52, 235 and powerglide, she did not like it but her complaint was gas mileage. Then she got the '59 and was very happy again. I had Pontiac's version of the 2 sp powerglide but it had a 400 engine....James

 

[Duner Wi]

My guess is the power glide will pretty much equal the performance of 3 speed manual.If you can crest the hill in top gear in 3 speed you should be able to do the same with PG providing you get a decent run at it.

 

[kencombs]

IMO, the thing to be concerned about is not the PG, as it will handle all the power the old babbitt rod 235(if original) will produce. They are ok in mild hills and flat country but lack enough to keep up with modern traffic speeds.

IF, you want to change transmissions I'd strongly recommend a newer matching engine and transmission. Avoid engineering a mismatched engine and transmission as that always cost more. Use something the factory has done the engineering already. And, include an overdrive in the planning. My choice would not be a TH700 as it and the preceding 400 both eat up a lot of power. A 200r4 is more than strong enough, /much lighter and efficient. Of course that also means a rear end change as there are no modern transmissions that mate up to the torque tube rear.

In my mind the first decision is stay near stock and live with 60-65 cruise speed and weaker uphill power or upgrade. If you do that a later full pressure lubed 235 (or 261 if you can find one) would be great. In my area a 261 with the powerglide would be fine, except for the interstates. Not going to beat on an old engine like that. But, I've driven 216s,235s and 261s and know what to expect.

My first 'good' car was a 52 chevy. Really slick all stock, low mileage car that threw a rod on hwy66 passing through our town. 216 just couldn't handle the speed the owner was asking of it all day. It got a later 235 and was a great high school car.

 

[drsportster]

Powerglide 2 speeds Tough as nails

 

[John P.]

Wow, one of the old original Cast Iron Powerglides. I remember how heavy those things were.

 

[Keith True]

On the first one I did for myself my first thought was to just go to the later transmission.I could deal with the motor mounts,and the cooling,and I would have lived with no kickdown.But,dealing with that closed driveshaft was another story.The kit to do the iron glide back then was about $80. I think it's around $300.now.Do you want to keep your old car pretty much original,or do you want to spend big bucks and endless hours modernizing it?There are a few places that sell those kits.Fatsco is one,I happened to know that price because I may aquire a 54 with that transmission.My friend says it's been slipping a little for over 30 years.

 

[Duner Wi]

AMAitkins, Look at your oil pressure gauge, If it reads to 60 lbs or so it has full press oiling and rods with inserts and aluminum pistons O. E
If gauge only reads to 15-20 lbs O E. was splash oiling. Manual transmission 53 had splash oiling but I thought PG had full pressure oiling

 

[Frank(Mi.)]

I know this isn't a tractor related question. But I'm getting ready to restore a 1953 Chevrolet bel air sedan with a ci235 and power glide. my concern is how well will the power glide perform on hills? I have a couple of mountains in the area that are about 1800-2000ft in elevation with a 8-10 percent grade that I cross regularly and I was concerned how well the current engine and drive train setup would perform. I was considering a manual transmission to try and gain some power But I would prefer to keep the power glide. I don't have any experience with power glides so I'm not sure about performance. Thanks

Dunno about the steep hills but I had a '65 Impala with a 283 and powerglide trans. I used to pull my 18' wooden boat with it a half a dozen times a year. The launch ramp was fairly steep but never had any problem with it...

 

[Keith True]

Duner,you woke something up in my mind.If a 235 came equipped with a glide,it had insert bearings.Of course,engines got changed all the time,so checking your way would help determine if it was original or not.I have replaced 216's with 235's,and it seems I had to use the water pump from an early glide equipped engine.Now they are produced for just that purpose,and sold by an outfit called Patricks.