jetway tranny..to junk or not to junk

[kmangsxr]

im new to this site, ive done alot of reading and i have a few questons....so here goes....

first off,i just got a 69 cutlass ''s'' and it has a rocket 350 and a powerglide and or jetway..i thought they were the same thing...what is the diffrence between the two?( i have the m31 on the fisher body plate,so i would asume i have a jetway) what are the pro's and con's with this tranny. whats the longevity of it(it has 103,000miles on it already) will it hold up to alot of burnouts?

[don71]

I know the experts can add more facts, about your tranny, but I can tell you that a power glide and the jetaway are not the same.

Most folks I know who do not want to keep it original, will allways install a th350 or th400. Usually for dependability. Now, an overdrive tranny might be a consideration with gas prices the way they are. So, more forward gears equals better milage and a lower rpm drop in the torque band of the enigine.

Its hard to say how long that tranny will last. Drive it and enjoy. I'm an optimist, if it will turn the tires over today, it will do it tommorow. But let your budget decide on your future plans.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by kmangsxr

im new to this site, ive done alot of reading and i have a few questons....so here goes....

first off,i just got a 69 cutlass ''s'' and it has a rocket 350 and a powerglide and or jetway..i thought they were the same thing...what is the diffrence between the two?( i have the m31 on the fisher body plate,so i would asume i have a jetway) what are the pro's and con's with this tranny. whats the longevity of it(it has 103,000miles on it already) will it hold up to alot of burnouts?

OK, first, the Junkaway...er, JETaway is NOT a Powerglide. The ratios are the same (1.76:1 first, 1:1 second) but nothing else interchanges. It's like comparing a 350 Olds with a 350 Chevy.

Parts for the Jetaway (also called the Super Turbine 300 or ST300) are getting to be hard to find, even filters. The advantages of a trans swap are more gears, better acceleration, and better gas mileage if you go with an overdrive trans like the 200-4R. The TH350 is a virtual bolt-in since it was optional on your 69 from the factory.

Having said that, unless you're hard over on changing the trans, I'd agree with the previous post. Drive it until it breaks then think about swapping it.

[kmangsxr]

i have an option to put a 400chevy motor and a 700r4 drive train in it for real cheap...i have a colum shift, is that gonna be a problem?(as there room to move the shifter to all the gears)

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by kmangsxr

i have an option to put a 400chevy motor and a 700r4 drive train in it for real cheap...i have a colum shift, is that gonna be a problem?(as there room to move the shifter to all the gears)

Yup. Putting an SBC in a 69 Cutlass will be a problem... at least in THIS forum it will.

[kmangsxr]

i hear ya...lol....if i can get an olds drive train for cheaper than it would cost me to do-up what i got in there allready than id rather do that

[Oldsguy]

Seriously, even with support from a Chevy site, you will still have more issues than switching to a different Olds engine/driveline where everything is made to fit. Shifter compatability would be just one of the issues.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by kmangsxr

i hear ya...lol....if i can get an olds drive train for cheaper than it would cost me to do-up what i got in there allready than id rather do that

See, that's what I don't understand. I see running, rusty full size Olds 4 drs for sale cheap all the time, often with 455 motors. Drop that in your Cutlass and you're good to go.