The clutch flights pop up on eBay from time to time. Fairly regularly actually. I think the pressure came up as you released the clutch. I know a few people built street cars with them, but I don't think the life span was long due to the wear and tear. All the slippage and shock absorption of the converter is gone. Must be brutal on internals. Even the late model cars unlock the converter when shifting, at least all the ones I've driven seem to. -- Mark Price markprice242ATadelphia.net Morgantown, WV ---- Ken Ames <ameskg@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Seems to me there was something knicknamed a 'clutch-flyte' that drag racers > used in the 60s that had a clutch instead of the torque converter. Wonder how > they kept 1st gear applied while the pedal was pressed. Or did they? Maybe there > was a slight delay after pedal release while the front pump pressurized the > system before the car actually moved. Think there was a turbo350\400 version too. > > Ken > > > Quoting Sandwich Maker <adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>: > > > " From: "Swygert, Francis G MSgt 436 CES/CECM" > > <Francis.Swygert3@xxxxxxxxxxxx> > > " > > " > > " Almost all manufacturers had some sort of semi-auto trans where you only > > " had to use the clutch to come to a complete stop and to start. Once GM > > " introduced the Hydramatic in the late 30s (I seem to recall 38?) they > > > > that sounds about right. > > > > " had to! GM didn't start selling Hydros to others until 1950. Then Nash > > " was the first to make a deal, trading use of their "Weather Eye" > > " filtration system for rights to buy the Hydro. A year or two later GM > > " was selling Hydros to others as well. > > > > and putting them in unexpected places, like the m135 korean-war army > > trucks, behind the 302-inch six - the other 'jimmy' beloved of early > > hot rodders. how about a deuce-and-a-half with a wayne head and > > fenton headers? but i've always heard the gmcs were crap compared to > > the reo-studebaker-kaiser-amgeneral m35/m44; they actually lost the > > army drive-off but were made anyway because of korea. > > > > not long after that the factory was totally destroyed in a fire, and > > then the race was on... everyone rushed to develop their own auto. > > the iron warner / fmx was probably the last of the 1st-gen, surviving > > until '80 in fords. > > ________________________________________________________________________ > > Andrew Hay the genius nature > > internet rambler is to see what all have seen > > adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and think what none thought > > _______________________________________________ > > AMC-List mailing list > > AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx > > http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list > > > > or go to http://www.amc-list.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > AMC-List mailing list > AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx > http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list > > or go to http://www.amc-list.com _______________________________________________ AMC-List mailing list AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list or go to http://www.amc-list.com