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Overview

In the early 20th century, automobile manufacturing was at the cutting edge of innovation. After World War II, car companies began to turn their attentions to domestic vehicles and how to make them more efficient and sturdy. The invention of the automatic transmission by Chevy, and parent company GM, started a new era in the passenger car industry.

History

Chevy Motor Company was formed in 1911, but it wasn’t until 1918 that it became part of the General Motors family of automobiles. Throughout the 20th century GM had not only been a leading company in automobile manufacturing, but NASA commissioned the corporation to develop the guidance systems for the Apollo 11 mission, and develop and manufacture the first vehicle to drive on the moon.

Facts

In 1948, General Motors developed and introduced the Powerglide transmission. A 2-speed automatic transmission used mainly in Chevrolets, the Powerglide was originally built out of cast-iron and placed in vehicles with small-block V8s and inline six-cylinder engines. Even though it was used for street cars, drag and auto racers used the transmission as well. In 1962, GM began to manufacture the Powerglide out of aluminum in order to reduce the weight under the hood.

The TH Hydromatic 350, or the Turbo 350, was built as an upgrade to the Powerglide and introduced in 1969. Because the Turbo 350 has a similar design scheme as the Powerglide, the two are roughly the same dimensionally, and makes for an easy replacement. Built with more performance in mind, the 3-speed 350 allows for more momentum off the line because of reduction in RPM drop between gears.

Function

The Powerglide was the first automatic transmission to be used in low-priced passenger cars in the United States. Weighing less than the manual transmissions before it, the Powerglide provided a direct feel with minimal slippage at the torque converter.

An upgrade in performance some 20 years later, the Turbo 350 has a much shorter gearing system allowing the engine to maintain its torque through acceleration. The Turbo 350 ushered in a new generation of V-8 because it was made to shift within large clutch packs to provide more power.

identification

Identifying a Powerglide transmission is easy because there were no oil pans on the early models, and the word “Powerglide” is stamped on the top of the main transmission body.

The Turbo 350 does have an oil pan, and it is square with a notch cut off.

Significance

The automatic transmission paved way for a new era in vehicle manufacturing. The Powerglide, not only for ease of use, but for use in the common passenger car, opened the doors for motor companies like Chevy and parent company GM to produce more efficient engines and car parts. The automatic transmission was easier to mass produce in the early 20th century, so cars became more affordable and more reliable.