I just changed the transmission fluid and filter on my 63 Starfire with the Roto-Hydramatic. When I got the car I was told the transmission had been rebuilt about 3000 miles previously but the seller did not know how long ago it had been done. I had done a quick fluid change when I first got the car but could not find a replacement filter. Recently Fatsco had the filters reproduced and I ordered one. I dropped the pan and the trans looked very clean inside. There was some sediment in the bottom of the pan but no brass or aluminum piles or chunks indicating heavy wear. When I first looked at the old filter still mounted I thought my new filter was the wrong one, the old filter had openings in both the front and back while the new one only had openings in the back. Once I got the old filter off and looked at it closely I realized that someone had actually cut the bottom front of the filter housing off with a hacksaw! I don't know if this was some type of performance modification or if it was a crude way of opening up a plugged filter rather than replacing it, but I've never seen anything like it before, check out the pics. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

 

More flow thru filter! Well done job!