Julian Lage, "Ryland"

[TC Chris]

A few years back, when Prairie Home Companion was still on the air, I was driving along and had one of those moments, one we've all had when we hear something wonderful and want to know who is that? and what is that music? It was Julian Lage playing "Ryland," apparently his tune. There are a bunch of versions on YouTube. I'll list a few, in case somebody wants to hear something played with passion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGZDATAlIBg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv6Y-S5wT4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU2hasMUMps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EHN_Brs5RE

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Never heard of him until you posted. Parts of his music have a Chet Atkins flair. What brand of guitar does he play?

[TC Chris]

What brand of guitar does he play?

Looks like the answer is "lots."

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I'm a trivia buff. I ask about mundane things nobody else thinks about.

[TC Chris]

Things that are interesting are not really trivial. And the great gift of the internet s the ability to find answers to things we're curious about. The curse of the internet is finding too many things to be curious about, and spending all night going down rabbit hole. The other night I spent way too long reading about various automatic transmissions.... Gyromatic. Powerflite. Flash-O-Matic. Even a peek at Dynaflow. The world is an interesting place, isn't it?

Chris Campbell

[William]

Interesting indeed, and scary too. With all that info available at ones finger tips there is lots of trouble out there to be had. I guess we get the good with the bad.

Bill

[electra225]

I could Google it, but I like to ask a live body for information. That's what this forum is about, is it not? Communication and sharing information?.....

Gyromatic was not a true fully automatic transmission. Gyromatic was Dodge's nomenclature for their version of Fluid Drive, a semi-automatic. Dynaflow, is the first CVT, continuously variable automatic transmission. Dynaflow did not shift like the Hydra-Matic did. It utilized a variable pitch torque converter, starting with the 1955 models. Earlier models had twin turbines that changed pitch with engine speed and load. Triple turbine Dynaflow appeared in 1959, adding another stator between the torque converter and pump. Buick did not use Hydra-Matic because Joe Turlay, the chief engineer thought it to be harsh, not in keeping with Buick's velvety smooth straight 8 engines. Coupled to a long-stroke straight 8 Dynaflow was smooth. Too smooth for some people, eliciting harsh comments like "Dyna Slush", "Dyna Slip" and other witty little ditties. The V-8 revved quicker and Variable Pitch made Dynaflow cars rubber burners. The early Powerglide was a smaller version of Dynaflow with a cast-iron case.

[TC Chris]

The early Powerglide was a smaller version of Dynaflow with a cast-iron case.

My '61 Powerglide is a shifter for sure--1-2 and that's it. But it's in cast iron. Our friends at Wikipedia tell us this:

In 1962, GM started building Air Cooled Powerglides in aluminium, primarily for use in the new model Chevy II, which required a lightweight transmission for its compact body, and discontinued the cast iron Powerglides in 1963.

Love that English or Canadian term "aluminium."

My problem is that we haven't found a vacuum modulator to fit the '61. When I saw "we" I mean the transmission guy. I haven't really looked yet. Last year the brake shop could not find a proportioning valve for the Mustang. I found one online spec'd for the Mustang but made--get this--by Delco.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I don't know for sure when Powerglide started shifting. I know the '50 to '53 models didn't shift. I'm thinking thru the 1957 models, but I won't swear to that. I know the 1957's still had reverse on the bottom like Dynaflow. Powerglide had reverse between park and neutral in 1958, and I assume those models shifted. It's been so long since I drove a "Tri-Five" Chevy with Powerglide, I have forgotten. Powerglide never got the variable pitch torque converters like Dynaflow had. The aluminum case Powerglides appeared on the 1962 models with 327 and on all production in 1963. The Chevy 2 got the air-cooled Powerglide. It was a good transmission. I don't know if an aluminum Powerglide can be substituted for the cast iron models without major modifications or not.

[Firedome]

Then there was BOP's 2 speed: Turbine 300 (Buick) and Jetaway (Olds) that shared few to no parts with Chev Powerglide, much to the confusion of many who were unaware of that fact back in the day.. Mopar's Powerflite was also a 2 spd and very rugged, as were GM's versions.

[TC Chris]

I've always been a bit puzzled by that later 2-speed from GM. Why were they so backward? I had a 1960 AMC Rambler American, their small economy model, and it had a Borg-Warner 3-sped automatic they called "Flash-O-Matic." It had the useful feature of allowing a start from second gear--great in limited traction or for economy starts. If an economy vehicle had a 3-speed, what was GM doing cheaping out on their otherwise-attractive vehicles?

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

The later GM 2-speed automatics you cited are a far cry from the old original Powerglide. It only had to harness the "power" from a 90 horsepower six. IT wasn't until the big V-8's came out in the middle 1950's that Powerglide got a bad reputation. The later GM 2-speeds were bean counting measures. They were only used in the lower-line vehicles with sixes or small V-8's. The aluminum case Powerglide is really nothing like the old cast iron version. The hotrodders use aluminum Powerglides in drag cars, so they are tougher than their reputation. Dynaflow is a one-speed, technically. It went behind every engine Buick built from 1948 to 1963. Manufacturers came out with multi-speed automatics to better harness the big V-8's then to keep engine speed down for emissions and fuel economy.

[TC Chris]

My gripe with Powerglide has nothing to do with fragility. They are tough and durable. But there are just two speeds. My childhood bicycle,a Schwinn American from 1955 or 1956, has a two-speed Bendix rear axle. Or, as I lament, too speeds. One is too low, the other too high. My brother got his bike the next year and by then they were putting a Sturmey-Archer three speed rear axle on those bikes.

My uncle had a really nice little 1964 Pontiac Tempest, the small V-8 (326 cu.inch?) and a 4-speed transmission. That was a good plan. White with black bucket-seat interior. I admired that little car. A friend in high school got a 1965 Cutlass for graduation from high school. White with red bucket seat interior. What was the small Olds V-8 that year, 330 in.? But it had that damned two-speed automatic. His grandpa was sort of an autocrat. It wasn't "Want a new car? Let's pick one." It was "Here's a new car." Within two months he had parked the car in Grandpa's driveway and joined the Marine Corps. And then in 1970 I bought my cool '62 Corvair. It had a 4-speed and moved along very nicely. The Powerglide models must have been dogs.

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

Uh oh, now you got me started... LOL.
The Canadian version Aluminium with the "i" is correct, look at the Periodic Table (says me the old Chem teacher) and you will see that ll the metals etc end with "nium". The American pronunciation is just a slang modification.

As is the lazy and incorrect pronunciation that started in England of Kill - OM- eter. Correctly its KeelO -Meter, meter being the basic unit of measurement and the prefix Kilo, Hecto, Deca, (base unit METER), Deci, Centi, Milli etc.indicating the numerical quantity of it. My skin crawls ever time I hear it being butchered that way... (getting off soapbox now...).

The BOP 2 spd Super Turbine 300 (Jetaway) was interesting in that the early versions did have switch-pitch stators, but it was eliminated later towards end of production, I don't think Pontiac's version ever had it. ST300 was basically a 2nd and 3rd gear trans, "2nd" starting at 1.76 ratio and upshifted into "3rd" at about 60 under full power acceleration, so a bit slow off the line. After '67 switch-pitch (or as Olds called it Variable-Vane) was eliminated. While theoretically full 3 spd autos were better transmissions for high performance, in practical use most average drivers probably never even noticed. I drove extensively my M-I-L's '68 Caprice 307, my F-I-L's '69 Malibu with 250-6, and now even my '69 Cutlass with a 350 2bbl has Jetaway. All various 2 GM spds and in daily use they're seamless and entirely satisfactory. Many would switch out the Jetaway for a THM-350, but I see no reason to do so, and like the idea of keeping it entirely original.