A6 trans vs A3
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,984
Likes: 185
From: CT
A6 trans vs A3
I have a new '09 with the paddleshift 6 speed auto. I like it, quick shifting through the gears or leave it in regular mode and let it do the shifting itself.
I was at a car show this weekend and spotted a familar car enter the field - on I had not seen in well over 40 years. The car owned by an old friend is a '62 Plymouth Sport Fury, 361 ci, 305 hp with the pushbuttom torqueflight trans. The car was tops in its class and eliminator classes for years in the 60s and held the national record numerous times in C/SA. My friend had aged as have I, but the car looked exactly the same. Original block, same headers, rear, and tweaked trans. The car ran consistent 13.2s on every run and now in nostalgic races he turns around 12.7. Part of the consistency is the 3 speed torqueflight trans. No fancy shifter or anything, just push the button at the right rpm. He has made thousands, and I mean thousands of runs on the car and never had a trans problem. The shifts are very quick and very positive. Fast forward 50 years and we have a sophisticated computer controled trans that also gives quick and positive shifts. I wonder if it could take the abuse of the old torqueflight and work trouble free for over 50 years !
I was at a car show this weekend and spotted a familar car enter the field - on I had not seen in well over 40 years. The car owned by an old friend is a '62 Plymouth Sport Fury, 361 ci, 305 hp with the pushbuttom torqueflight trans. The car was tops in its class and eliminator classes for years in the 60s and held the national record numerous times in C/SA. My friend had aged as have I, but the car looked exactly the same. Original block, same headers, rear, and tweaked trans. The car ran consistent 13.2s on every run and now in nostalgic races he turns around 12.7. Part of the consistency is the 3 speed torqueflight trans. No fancy shifter or anything, just push the button at the right rpm. He has made thousands, and I mean thousands of runs on the car and never had a trans problem. The shifts are very quick and very positive. Fast forward 50 years and we have a sophisticated computer controled trans that also gives quick and positive shifts. I wonder if it could take the abuse of the old torqueflight and work trouble free for over 50 years !
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,984
Likes: 185
From: CT
Still works. It has been a race only car for the past 45 years and is still being raced. The trans was set up by Fairbanks years ago and I asked specifically about the block, trans, rear being replaced at any time since I last saw the car (around 1966/67). Keep in mind the car is fairly light, only around 3,300 lbs. It does not have mega HP, doesn't need to launch exceptional hard, and is not a super high revving engine. It's a combination of engine building, tuning, and the right combo of engine to weight to suspension, etc that made the car so successful. Owner/Driver was designated one of the 50 top NHRA drivers back a few years ago.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
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The old Torqueflites had a reputation of being indestructible. I had a 1970 Challenger with the 440 engine and Torqueflite transmission. I banged that thing unmercifully, doing lolly pops (burn out in reverse, slam tranny into low and continue the burn out forward, car would always twitch its tail right, making a nice lolly pop shape on the street), again and again, I even shifted into park at 60 MPH once. No tranny damage.
