skiperrrr

I have a 1967 Olds Cutlass with a v8 and what I think is 2 speed powerglide transmission. Last fall the transmission suddenly went out and now it will not shift into any gear. I have been told that because the dip stick shows an overabundance of fluid, the pump is not working. Prior to it going out there was no slippage or funny noises. One day it just woild not engage into any gear. Are these transmissions easy enough to rebuild myself? Local prices are around $3000 which I think is a bit much. Or should I look for a used transmission and cross my fingers? If I buy used will most Olds vehicles (or GM) fit my 1967 with the V8?

BangScreech4-4-2

Your transmission is not a Powerglide, but a two-speed Jetaway with a variable pitch stator in the torque converter (commonly referred to as a "switch-pitch"). Unless somebody swapped in a Powerglide, which I can't imagine.


I'm not a transmission guy so I'll let somebody else chime in with the high-level tech stuff, but it seems to me you might want to start off with the simplest things first. If the dipstick reads high, is it possible the transmission somehow got overfilled? Why don't you try draining it down to the "full" mark and see what happens?


If a rebuild is indicated, there are a number of ways to proceed. If originality is important, rebuilding the existing unit is the thing to do. The Jetaway is somewhat more complex than your average Powerglide and I don't think I'd want to tackle it myself, but you may be more adventurous. If performance is what you're after, maybe the best plan would be to swap in a three-speed Turbo 350. I did this in a '64 Cutlass with a 330 and got excellent results. For performance and economy you might look into a 200-R4 (four-speed overdrive) swap -- a little more involved, but by most accounts worth it. Probably the cheapest and simplest way to go would be to swap in another Jetaway -- they're not expensive because they're not all that desirable. It is my belief that any Jetaway that backed a 330 in a '64 -'67 Olds would be compatible, but confirm this with somebody who knows more than I do before proceeding.


Hope this helps to clarify your thinking.


Oh. and welcome!

MDchanic

Jetaways (often referred to as "Junkaways") seldom fail, and are literally a dime a dozen (in that you can easily find one for free - I've refused 2 or 3 over the years), so rebuilding one is probably unnecessary.

Most commonly, these transmissions end up in the scrap pile, replaced by a TH350, which is a direct bolt-in.

Your choice: Either pick up a free or nearly free used Jetaway, or replace yours with a TH350.
Rebuilding the Jetaway is probably not your best option.

Welcome to ClassicOlds.

- Eric

firefrost gold

the Th-350 swap is for most part a easy swap the hardest part I had when I did mine was to find a holder for the kick down cable and the shifter. I used a shiftworks kit to adapt the two speed floor shifter . It was OK I would have looked into the next years shifter to fit in my console or tried to use a aftermarket one if I was to do it again. I know the TH400 was a option in 67 on some gm cars don't know where olds stands on them in these years but Pontiac started using them in the gto in 67 so I would think the 442 did also so that could be a option if you do a Th350 swap . The lower first gear is plus, also on the swap will wake your car up off the line . The tail shaft cone with the speedo gear will swap so speedo will stay correct and you should not have to play the guising game on how fast am I going after the swap .