CHEVROLET TURBOGLIDE PROMOTIONAL FILM BY JAM HANDY 87404
21,346
Published 2017-09-06
The Turboglide is a Chevrolet constant torque 3-speed automatic transmission that made its debut as an optional transmission on Chevrolet V8 passenger cars for 1957. It consisted of a concurrently geared (as opposed to sequentially geared) planetary gearbox with a 'switch pitch' dual-pitch torque converter stator. Turboglide utilized a die-cast aluminum transmission case, following Packard's Ultramatic of 1956. It was designed to help showcase the engineering features of the '57 Chevy, and was often ordered with the Rochester Ramjet Fuel Injection system on the 283 V8. Turboglide cost about $50 more than Powerglide, and was available in all 1957-1961 V8 engine models except the Corvette.
Turboglide was designed under the supervision of Frank Winchell, Ed Cole and Robert P Benzinger at Chevrolet engineering. Although Turboglide offered remarkable performance and smoothness, the execution of the first 1957 units led to substantial customer complaints and the unit was continuously upgraded to improve its durability until it was discontinued in 1961. The 1959 Turboglide incorporated very significant changes intended to improve its durability, some of which were possible to retrofit to earlier versions. Some enthusiasts reported that Turboglide had better reliability when coupled with the smaller 283 cubic-inch Turbo-Fire V8, than with the big-block 348 Turbo-Thrust engine.
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All Comments (21)
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My dad worked at a Chevrolet dealership in those days. He and others called this transmission the" Troubleglide".
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My dad's '58 Chevy had a Turboglide mated to a 283. He also had a spare Turboglide in the garage just in case. Unfortunately, I was too young to appreciate how it shifted before he traded it in on a Vega.
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A great idea, shame they couldn't work all the bugs out. I have seen one of the '58 Impala with a 348 and Turboglide. The owner said it was completely smooth.
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Buick&Olds had a feature called variable pitch changed pitch in tor converter. Dynaflo done that as well.
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In 1961 my dad bought an Impala with the 283 V8. It never gave any trouble. We drove that car through one engine rebuild around 60K miles. Several of my brothers drove this car mercilessly, but it never had a problem. Much later, I mentioned this to a Chevy mechanic, who said the problem was overheating. This was particularly a problem when mated with the 348 V8 with it’s higher compression, and A/C. The Triple Turbine transmission was introduced in late 1957 by Chevy, and was standard in Buick’s Limited model displacing the Dynaflow. All divisions discontinued it by the end of the 1961 model year..
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The Turboglide & Buick's Flight Pitch looked good on paper, but, had lots of issues. GM also went backwards in reliability on the Roto Hydramatic versus the Dual Coupling Hydramatic before it.
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I remember how the "POWER GLIDE" trans. took its share of criticism also, they were called "POWERSLIDE/ SLIP&SLIDE.". if you wanted a good hard/ firm shift, just disconnect the modulator valve, and the trans will live a very long life without frying the low band/ high clutch pack/ reverse clutch pack. also my '65 chevy has the rear output shaft oil pump, so it can be push started!!!!.
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I feel like it was a good concept and in general, a good system, they just didn’t spend enough time to work out all the bugs, and the bad reputation kind of snuffed it out completely. Kind of like the Chevrolet Corvair or the Ford Edsel.
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Cousin to the Dynaflow.
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A friend said his dad's Ford-O-Matic was a 4-speed. "It has first, second, third, and passing gear."
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Chevy's Turboglide was the same as Buick's Dynaflow. Behind the fancy five-element torque converter was a standard 2-speed Powerglide, which provided reverse gear and a lower "Grade" 1st gear, which was used only when selected, not during normal acceleration.
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"See the USA in your Chevrolet!"
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Say what you want, they were smooth.
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The TurboGlide transmission was an experimental all aluminum cased triple turbine CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE transmission meaning you never actually felt a distinct "shift" like you would in the 2 speed more popular PowerGlide cast iron cased transmission of the time. GM offered this transmission for around 3 years then because of reliability issues discontinued it. I own a 57 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan and she has the "Super Turbo Fire" package which includes the "Power Pack" package along with this TurboGlide transmission. Fully functional/operational and is a real pleasure to drive and show off to unsuspecting passengers waiting for that first shift!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!
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It was a multi million dollar flop. They finally discontinued it. Shifted like a Dyna Flow
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The self destructing slipomatic.
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They had a nasty habit of dying with no notice. You'd drive to the store, and when you came back and put it in gear to drive home, it wouldn't move.
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I'm confused, never heard of Turboglide, heard of hydramatic, powerglide and turbo hydramatic, also Buick's dynaflow.
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Idea was great but quality and design flaws plagued those...
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As I recall, the Buick Dynaslush was of a similar design. Or maybe this was based on that. Definitely not a successful design.
