My son and I had to take a trip from FL to CA for a surgery. We needed to stay for 2 weeks leaving us with some time on our hands. We came across this 1964 pontiac Bonneville on Facebook marketplace. It was only the second car we looked at and we were sold. After making a few calls to insurance and a shipper we closed the deal. The car was manufactured and located in CA for it’s whole life making it almost totally rust free. I still can’t imagine a car this old rust free.

  The car is so much fun to drive catching waves, smiles, and complements every time you drive it. Some people share stories of how either they, dad, mom, or grandmother had one. Amazing stories. One friend explained how his dad was the number 1 pontiac salesman in CA in the 60’s. His dad brought different Pontiac’s home every week allowing my friend to drive them all as a teenager. His dad also apparently was the first to implement car leasing. So with such a nice care what needs to be restored? On one hand  it looks great with new paint but almost everything needs to be gone through and fixed. I was posting on Kiwi’s 64 restore link but realized i have too much to post and don’t want to overwhelm him. I have tried to take photo’s of everything i do so hopefully it will help others.

One of the first things I noticed was transmission fluid leaking. We continued to drive the car and monitor the fluid level. Once the car was shipped to Florida I was ready to work on it. The transmission is a 4 speed JETAWAY. Cadilac, olds, and pontiac full sized cars used this for many years. I located a transmission expert in Salinas, Ca. His name is Gene Berck. His website is Restorationhydramatics.com. I love talking to Gene who has an amazing history growing up in the CA car culture. Gene bumped shoulders with many great racers and fabricators. Gene has seen and done it all. Since my transmission is drivable I didn’t want to remove it and be down for a long time. I located a JETAWAY transmission on eBay for 100.00 and shipped it to gene. One big thing I learned is almost, no one, no one, no one knows anything about the JETAWAY. Even the salvage yard that sold me the transmission said his book doesn’t lie and the transmission he had was a 3 speed slim jim. Well, it was a 4 speed JETAWAY. Gene said he has been doing this for 40 years and only saw one JETAWAY made from aluminum, all others are cast metal. Well he was blown away to see the one I sent him and the one in my care are both aluminum. Gene has been king enough to take pictures of the process which I’m happy to be able to share. Gene is fast and reliable not to mention just a pure joy to talk to. He is a war veteran, inventor, former race car driver, fabrication expert and much much more. 

Before pictures of the donor transmission. Notice identification tag location on mine. It should say p64 on tag.

The aluminum case has been polished 

What a great find. Tell us more!!!!

Gene is a perfectionist. He is using multiple brushes and a stripper to bring a factory brilliance back to this 56 year old transmission. He said the clutch plates wear was limited and within specs. Saying it very well may have been driveable but only a guess. Of course all will be replaced. He said it was well taken care of. What a diamond in the rough from a salvage yard in Wisconsin. Very exciting!

Edited February 25, 20215 yr by Bonneville convertable64

Del that is soo cool that you found another trans, like you said, it keeps your 64 on the road while the master is building you a new one! great move mate 🙃

and great score to find a builder who knows what he is doing

Gear train back in case and front pump built and installed.

So when does the tranny go back in the car?

All done! Just need to ship from California to south Florida. I’m hoping to install it in about three weeks when I get back from traveling. Thanks 🤩 

Can't wait to see it in the car! Keep us posted please.

I picked up a tri power manifold with carbs from a 1962 Pontiac. I’ve been told it will work. I will order the rebuild kit and go through it. I’m wondering if this can be installed in place of my current factory 4 barrel or do I need to make engine modifications? Time to do some homework on the subject.

Part of the package included a tri power 1960 manifold. Don’t need it so let me know if anyone could use it.

Edited March 28, 20215 yr by Bonneville convertable64

hay Del, hows the tri carb set up going ?

On 5/5/2021 at 2:21 AM, 64 kiwi boni said:

hay Del, hows the tri carb set up going ?

Sorry, just saw your question kiwi. I have the carb on the back burner. I’m installing new transmission now. I was able to use “quick Jack” to raise the car. I put beams under wheels and added extra support to the rear for minimal flexing. Transmission came out nicely. I noticed it would be much easier to replace the motor mounts with the trans out of the way. I will get it in tomorrow. Hopefully the transmission will go in as easy as it came out and the Bonnie can hit the road!

 

Edited May 19, 20215 yr by Bonneville convertable64

So Del - what is the history of the JETWAY transmission? I have certainly heard of the Dynoflow and the Slim Jim, but a 4-speed automatic back in the early 60s was a pretty amazing piece for the day. I am curious to know more about it and I wonder why GM walked away from it in favor of the Powerglide 2-speed and 350/400 3-speeds for so long. I'm sure cost was a factor - it always is.

Here are my notes. I believe it is considered good but maybe hard to rebuild

This is from Hemmings a write up.

Even in the face of the Great Depression, American auto manufacturers seemed to feel that one of the keys to increasing sales was improved convenience. A primary focus was the transmission, and to that end, the auto manufacturers worked to develop simpler means of shifting gears to facilitate the driving experience. Early attempts at alternatives yielded manual-type transmissions that were shifted manually but with an automatic clutch, followed by the first vestiges of the modern fluid-drive automatic, which used a fluid coupling, but usually had only two gears and still required manual shifting, albeit with reduced effort.

The futuristic ideal was a transmission that required only to be set into the desired mode, after which it would handle all shifting duties. While other manufacturers were settling for semi-automatics, Oldsmobile set its sights on the truly automatic transmission, one that would be as reliable as it was smooth. This desire led to an aggressive program to develop a fully automatic, fluid-driven transmission. The program was led by GM engineer Earl Thompson, and the result was the Hydra-Matic Drive, the first fully automatic passenger car transmission.

As projected, the Hydra-Matic used a fluid coupling to transfer power in place of a conventional friction clutch, and three planetary gearsets to provide four forward speeds and reverse. In the absence of a conventional clutch, a parking pawl was included to lock the drive wheels when the engine was off (when the gear selector was placed in reverse), a feature some other automatics lacked into the '60s.

One area where the Hydra-Matic differs from contemporary automatic transmissions is the fluid coupling, which is not a torque converter, but a torus. A torque converter uses a stator, which allows it to multiply the engine's torque; a torus does not have this feature. The use of a torus is part of the reason the Hydra-Matic has four speeds; first gear is extra low (3.82:1 on early units, 3.96:1 on later designs) to assist in accelerating from a stop in the absence of additional torque and fourth gear is 1.0:1, not overdrive as found in later four-speed automatics.

The Hydra-Matic made its debut in 1939 as an option on 1940 Oldsmobiles, and turned up on Cadillac's option list for '41 (and later, Pontiac's), but soon after, passenger car production ceased for the war effort. The Hydra-Matic, however, would continue as part of the wartime production, as it found its way into Cadillac-powered tanks (one engine and transmission per track) and some GMC 6x6 military trucks.

That the Hydra-Matic was even considered for such severe use was a testament to its durability, and the success of these applications during the war bolstered its image to the car-buying public, many of whom were still skeptical of automatic transmissions. Advertising claims of the Hydra-Matic's "battle tested" durability proudly made by GM were no doubt effective in appealing to the public, but the transmission also seemed to develop a reputation within the industry. In fact, before its production ceased, the Hydra-Matic would see use in vehicles produced by Hudson, Nash, Kaiser, Willys, and even under the premium offerings of cross-town rival Ford's Lincoln division from 1950-'54. Perhaps the most complimentary use of the Hydra-Matic came when Rolls-Royce licensed its design, keeping its slightly altered version in production through 1967.

The Hydra-Matic would experience some revision, most notably the dual-coupling version that debuted for '56 models as the Jetaway, but it maintained its durability, and was even deemed worthy of competition use. Modified versions formed the cornerstone of well-known Southern California performance transmission company, B&M Racing, which labeled its reworked Hydra-Matic as the Hydro-Stick, and lauded its features as a superior alternative to the manual transmissions that were standard fare at dragstrips across the country in the early '60s.

But as the '60s rolled on, General Motors was moving toward more unified production for its divisions, and programs were set in motion to streamline the number of transmissions produced. This push also led to a new generation of automatics, developed by what had become the Hydramatic division of GM. The Turbo-Hydra-Matic 400 was one of the first fruits, serving as a heavy-duty three-speed automatic that combined some of the best elements of previous GM automatics, like the Buick Dynaflow's torque converter and the Hydra-Matic's multiple planetary shifting. The Turbo-Hydra-Matic would supplant the Hydra-Matic completely before the '60s came to a close.

Edited May 19, 20215 yr by Bonneville convertable64

Another article explains:The Hydramatic was a complex design that was expensive to produce. Despite some early problems, it was reliable, and so rugged it was widely used in drag racing during the 1960s. It was not as smooth as some competitor's transmissions (notably Buick's Dynaflow), but was more efficient, especially at highway speeds.

 

Here is a video explanation. Go to about 11:30 

 

Edited May 19, 20215 yr by Bonneville convertable64

Motor mount has called it quits 

8 hours ago, Bonneville convertable64 said:

Sorry, just saw your question kiwi. I have the carb on the back burner. I’m installing new transmission now. I was able to use “quick Jack” to raise the car. I put beams under wheels and added extra support to the rear for minimal flexing. Transmission came out nicely. I noticed it would be much easier to replace the motor mounts with the trans out of the way. I will get it in tomorrow. Hopefully the transmission will go in as easy as it came out and the Bonnie can hit the road!

 

ah great to see you supported the wheels!! 👍thats JustA what i would do too

5 hours ago, Bonneville convertable64 said:

Motor mount has called it quits 

they look just as munted as mine did !!!!

Out with the old and in with the new. She went in smooth and hit the ground running! Loaded up the family and we are “on the road again”!

Anyone know why there would be metal at the end if the threaded hole? Either my bolt is too long or the metal should not be there. I have a few mounts where some have it and some do not.

ah looking great Del !!! 

 yes my ames trans mount was the same, just cut your bolt down to suit, that steel is like 5mm thick!

Even the dog knows a cool ride when she sees one. Kinda slipped into the back seat for a cruise!

Love that blue!