How long did the Power Glide Transmission from 1950 continued to be used in modified in Chevy products? Also was it used in any other GM products. If so what were they and for how long and what years.[emailhdoebelhome

Videoman, I am not sure when they stopped useing the cast iron PG but I had a 58 Belair and a 67 Biscayne with the PG, I believe some mods were made, seems to me the 67 had a 3 speed and my 52 was only a 2 speed.

Hi videoman,

The Cast Iron Powerglide was used through the 1962 model year in full size Chevrolets.

Major mods took place with the advent of the V8 and higher horsepower applications beginning in 1955.

The Aluminum Powerglide debuted in the '62 Nova as an air cooled model. In 1963 it was strengthened for use in the full size models.

It has always been a two speed transmission.

Those 50-54 glides are a different animal, almost prehistoric. The open driveshaft also started in the "V-8 Era"
John348

The first PGs, 50-54 (?), were little more than fluid couplings. The planetary was in high (direct) when the shift lever was in Drive. Really worked like a Buick Dynaflow. I think beginning in '55, when put in Drive it started in low then shifted to high.
Also, I have read that Powerglides were put in some Pontiacs and Olds in early-mid 50s right after the Hydramatic factory was destroyed in a fire.

Frank, the powerglide that came in my 52 belair shifted from low to direct automatically and it did have a torque converter,not the most efficient, but it was indeed a torque converter rather than the fluid coupling that was in my Dad's 1948 DeSoto, which also had a 2 speed planatary transmission that shifted when you let off the accelerator at around 15 MPH and needed a clutch to shift to low range , high range and reverse.

Alot of 1950-1952 Chevrolets with the orginal Powerglide have been upgraded to the 1953-1954 Powerglide transmissions, it's a easy swap-out.
The 1953-54 Powerglide has more in common with the 1955-1957 unit than it does with the earlier 1950-52 transmission.

The 1950-52 models as they came from the factory did not have the automatic upshift feature from low to drive, it had to be upshifted manually.

The 1953 Pontiacs were the only other GM car to use the early Powerglide. This was due to the Hydramatic plant buring down. Likewise Olds and Cad used Buicks Dynaflow during this period.

W.D. come to think of it when I bought the 52 in 1957 it had just had a new PG put in it, I quickly found a wrecked 52 and changed it over from PG to a 3 speed shifter on the tree.