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I was reading on another site that the Packard Ultramatic was licensed to GM to us as the Hydramatic in the early 50's Buick , Olds, and Cadillac. Could to be true?

Possibly, sometime in the 53 to 58 time range the Hydramatic plant burned down. Powerglides were used in Caddillacs for one or two years because of the plant buring down.

They also used Dynaflows to fill the void left by Hydramatics so seems strange they would have also considered Packard. Was it the whole trans or did they just license some designs. IIRC, one of the histories mentioned there was a lawsuit going on over some of the valving. Don't remember if GM was supposed to have copied Packard or the other way around.

Wasn't GM suing PMMC for patent/design infringement re the Ultramatic copying design elements of the Hydramatic?

I have never heard that GM would think of using Packard's Ultramatic.
They did use dynaflows when the fire stopped Hydramatic production.
As cheap as GM was at times (think ball-bearing races on front drums), I doubt they would pay Packard and I also doubt Packard could have supplied the demand required by GM.

Dan


Packard won the lawsuit, it's covered in the Kimes book. Valving was different . among other things. Many "mechanics" are reluctant to learn how to work on anything non GM, which explains much of the rap the Ultramatic got.

Only Dynaflows were used to replace Hydramatics in Cadillacs. Not sure about "junior " GM cars, but surely only GM parts were used


Regards


John Harley

Those Dynaflow Cadillacs and Power Glide Pontiacs (don't know what the Oldsmobiles were fitted with) must be rare autos by now. Anyone ever see one? Or did GM retrofit the cars with Hydramatics after transmission production resumed? I remember reading about the plant fire and the substitute transmissions, but have never seen one.

(o[]o)