Hydramatic throttle shaft stripped

GrimGreaser

So, I got my driveshaft installed, and was hoping to maybe possibly putz the car around the block this weekend. Only a few last things to do to get it somewhat drivable. One of which is hooking up th throttle lever on the transmission, which has kinda been haunting me because it just didn't seem quite right. Lots of play, with no real resistance till the lever was all the way forward. I've read on here that the splines on the little shaft inside the transmission are the weak point. I've looked through the general GM Hydramatic manual, but it didn't really give me what I wanted.

Any way, mine is stripped. :evil: What kinda job is it to replace and does anyone have one for sale?

Thanks fellas.

Aaron D. IL

Call Gus Souza he's the hydramatic expert in the HET club. He may have or know where to get a part too.

Ol racer

FYI
Determine if the spline is stripped where the lever clamps or if the shaft going inside is stripped. Its a rare ovccurrence, but I did the repair once awhile ago by removing the floorboard, valve body cover, and valve body. It was in my truck with limited room back inside the X so a stepdown removal should be easier. Give it a try and good luck...

GrimGreaser

Definitely stripped inside the case. Looks like room to work on the side though. Anyway, its leaking pretty good from the front now. Seems I can't have a transmission that doesn't leave my driveway looking like a murder scene. So, looks like I gotta drop the pans anyway. And likely pull it. Nuts! Don't really have money for all that. Maybe I'll get lucky and the seals'll swell now that I got some new fluid in it.

ski4life65

If you really want the part this weekend, I get off of work at 8 tonight. You could come over and take it off of a trans I have sitting in the garage. I'm not far from you.

Don

GrimGreaser

Thanks for the offer Don. I think I have more work to do to this transmission than the shaft right now. Let me get in and see how bad this transmission is and get back to you.

Ol racer

FYI
I am no Hydro expert but done a few things to mine over the yrs. I suggest take it for a little drive if possible to see how it responds before dropping the pan or replacing it. It will shift very quickly without the Throttle Rod connected but that slipping repair can be done with Hydro in chassis.

I wanted to add these old Hydro's propelled Tanks & School Buses and are bulletproof. Ive installed a couple by only cleaning the screen inside pan then ran a long time. However after setting front seals will drip, but if keep your eye on the level really doesnt hurt anything.....

[Deleted User]

I'll tell you what I believe is going on with your because mine is doing the same exact thing. The shaft is swedged into the arm that presses on the throttle valve and spring assembly inside the valve body. This sets all the shift points based on throttle pressure and without it you can not have enough fluid pressure inside the tranny. may lead to cooked clutches, eratic shift points and generally bad performance.
B&M, Hydro-Motive and some of the other Hydromatic performance tranny builders back in the 60's would remove this shaft and arm along with the shift quadrant shaft and plate, reweld them and make sure they could not slip or break free.
My H53 hudson hornet hydro I am using in my Hudson powered gasser is doing this very thing. I need to pull mine down and weld them both.
I actually desided to make my own parts to build mine up and make my own custom Hydromatic shifter since no body makes new hi-performance parts for these anymore.
I am going to attach a copy if the picture of my Twin Gate shifter I am going to be selling for these. Wanted to offer it on here next week to the Hudson guys with the Hornet powered hot street cars and hot rods.Right now I am trying to get a company set up to sell these and some other parts that no body makes for the hot rod guys with hydromatice. because of the design I am appling for a patent and trying hard to get this going.
I have six almost finished and they will be done on monday. There are five I am going to sell, have one already installed into an Olds 374 powered Hot rod and it works great. The five I am going to be selling are a not perfect but work really good and the little things that I have corrected on the production versions are hidden once installed. think you guys will like it.
thanks,
Ralph Alden
Heavy Hydros, LLC

GrimGreaser

Yeah, I believe thats what I read here on a earlier thread on this exact problem. I could feel the valve with the lever all the way forward. Of course the more I fiddled with it, the worse it got. Funny how that works...

Slick shifter by the way, keeps us up to date on any more Hydro stuff you make.

GrimGreaser

Update: Pretty straight forward job to do really. Hardest part for me was getting the damn side pan off. 50 plus years of oil and dirt had to be chipped away to even get to the bolts. But once that is done, the valve body needs to come off. Gently pull the small tube that goes from the valve body to the main case on the upper right of valve body, unbolt the four bolts, and gently slide the valve body forward to free it from the tubes.

With the valve body on your CLEAN workbench, you can remove the small cover that retains the internal TV lever in its position (4 screws). You'll also need to remove one screw that gets in the way of removing the TV shaft. Next, remove the little pin retaining the TV shaft with the selector shaft, and if your lucky like me it'll be bent so you have to persuade it out with a hammer, otherwise it should just slide out easy.

Not having a really good reference on the relation ship of the internal and external levers (mine was stripped when i got it really), other than a small picture in a Pontiac manual, I was concerned about getting it aligned correctly. I pretty much lined up the pin retaining hole and the internal lever and welded then together. This has the external lever pretty much straight down and then the rest of the linkage falls into place. But I haven't been able to drive it, so, who knows.

I would have got pictures, but I was in a hurry to button things up before the wind blew crap up into the exposed internals.

If anyone has the proper gage, or dimensions (from machined face on tail of tranny), for setting the external TV lever, it would be appreciated.