DON"T MISS THIS POST! If you've got a vintage Hydramatic, Steve Peluso at Peluso Precision Automotive in Mendon Mass IS THE BEST IN THIS BUSINESS!
This summer I drove my 1949 Olds 88 over 2000 miles. After tuning the engine, the car ran well but the shifts were harsh unless I drove it in a certain way. Deceleration was the worst. The transmission would often slam into 1st gear when coming to a quick(er) stop. It was something I lived with, but wondered if it could be better. I searched the web for transmission experts capable of working on the early Hydramatic. I found Peluso and was thrilled he was only about 100 miles away. I drove the car to him and was confident after meeting Steve that he knew his stuff and would treat the car with respect. I had NO IDEA how well the car would RUN and SHIFT after leaving his shop with a "soft" rebuild. Steve replaced seals, bushings and a broken servo spring.
If your looking for an expert I cant recommend Steve Peluso enough. Honestly, I'd ship my car across the country for an expert like this. WOW! Check out his YouTube video. It says it all.
Oh, and by the way, I learned to day that Steve didn't pay for the YouTube commercial im sending a link to. Another big fan of his did it as a way of saying thanks for the amazing work.
Keep em running friends!
Nathan

 

It is good you found somebody to do it. There are not a lot of guys around that know these old transmissions. I had the hydra-matic in my 54 rebuilt back in 2017. I found an old guy that had owned a transmission shop for many years. After he sold it (the real estate was very valuable) he built a shop behind his home. He would not do the R&R of the transmission. He did a great job on my 54. It was kind of like your 49 in that it worked but not very good. Unfortunately he passed away earlier this year. I don't know what yours cost but I paid him $2500 to rebuild it and a shop $500 to pull it and put it back in.

 

I guess that I am pretty fortunate, there are two AT shops here in Ventura that work on Hydra-matics. I also have a friend in Eastern Idaho that is very good with Hydra-matics.Wm.

 

Name the shops so others on the west coast can see. We should share the names of shops that do a good job!

 

I had my 56 Olds Jetaway rebuild by Steve, the man is an artist! The Jetaway is better than new!!

 

I'm glad they were able to rebuild your transmission. The Slim Jim in my 64 never shifted right.