The TorqueFlite was not just used by Chrysler; it was adopted by luxury automakers Monteverdi, Facel Vega, Bristol, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Jensen, as well as domestic rival AMC and commercial-vehicle makers International Harvester, Land Rover, Iveco, Karrier, Matbro, Stonefield, Sirmac, Boss Motor, and Mitsubishi.
I knew this would be your favorite! The TH400/425 SP is a honey of a transmission - which is why so many non-GM manufacturers made this their transmission of choice. Adam, I hope you do a video on the great GMC motorhomes of the early/middle 1970's.
I am a GM guy but also bit of a Mopar guy too. I'd have to rate the 727 Torqueflite nose to nose here. Both great transmissions and pretty much bulletproof. My dad bought a brand new 1966 Buick Riviera with the 425 Nailhead and the TH400 with the switch pitch convertor. That car was amazing! I drove it in the mid 70's in my High School years.
I love how you suffer with the wind and your hair blowing all over the place to give us the facts about these great transmissions. Another great one thanks!
TH400 also used in Humvees until 4L80E. When the Hummer was armored-up (which it was not originally designed to) and you added additional weaponry, etc.... it became very heavy. To move it meant the 19 year old just floored the 6.2/6.5 diesel and held it there. The TH400/4L80E took that punishment in all kinds of environments including 120 degree desert!
Not surprised this is your favorite, it's very possibly my favorite as well. Just an excellent transmission that fit perfectly the era of big block, full size luxury cars that GM did so well with during the mid 60s- early 70s. Really was the golden era of GM imo, and the th400 was a big part of that excellence.
Your right, the three kings of automatics: Turbo 400, 727 and C-6. The three kings of manual transmissions are the: Top Loader Ford, Chrysler A833 and GM's M23 'RockCrusher. Thanks for posting, very enjoyable.
Hey Adam. Growing up as a kid we had a 66 Cadillac with 390 v8 and a 400 Turbo-Hydra Matic. The best shift I have ever felt in my life to date and I'm now 60 years old. Nothing will ever replace it.
I like to comment on the Chrysler torqueflite Transmissions from the sixties and seventies and I understand these are a legendary tranny with reliability and practically Bulletproof.
The TH400 is a bulletproof and very reliable. It was the main transmission found in several gm muscle cars and gm personal cars as well as several foreign brands. Proof of its clever conception and durability
I ran a switch pitch 400 in my '73 Buick Regal behind a 455 Buick,deleted the throttle switch and put a toggle switch on the dash,my secret weapon,it was a blast to drive and blew off quite a few unsuspecting corvette,barracudas and others
my late maternal grandmothers used 1979 Cadillac Coupe Deville she drove when I was a little girl it was that car that made me fall in love with Cadillac had this transmission and rode smooth as silk
Ford's philosphy with the C-6 was that more positive shifts would result in less wear. My dad was taught this in Ford transmission school. As a Ford service manager, he heard some complaints from owners that didn't like it compared to the smoother-shifting GM transmissions.
My Father had a 1965 Wildcat and a 1967 LeSaber, both with the Super Turbine 400 with the dual pitch converter. The Wildcat was especially quick off the line. The LeSaber was repaired by someone who didn't know what he was dealing with and left the connector off the throttle linkage. When it was replaced properly it was SO MUCH better! I understand that some drag racers liked to get these converters and install them with a manual switch on the dash so when they made a run they could set it for best acceleration. It was really like having two different levels of passing gear.
The 1965 Chrysler 426 Hemi Cornet with the 727 Torqueflite is the Best 727 Torqueflite ever made. It shifted at 7000 rpms Factory Bone Stock 1-2 &2-3 Full Auto left in Drive.
My 73 Caprice had the thm400 and it was indeed reliable and smooth. It almost let me down once in super freezing cold weather, did nothing when shifted into drive. I just backed it in the driveway again and let the engine warm up for a few minutes, then it worked fine. I took the car in to have the tranny serviced, but it had almost 200K miles on it. The honest transmission shop pulled the tranny apart just a bit to have a look, said every thing looked fine and I/they shouldn't fool with it. So, I agreed to let the car warm up on cold days and never had any further problems. Sure wish I could have kept that old Chevy, but New England rust got the best of it. I would also agree that the temp/AC/control system was second to none as well. Instant heat, defrost, and AC so cold that it had to be cycled on/off with the vent even on the hottest of days.
I have a 1932 Ford 3 window in which I installed a 401 Nailhead with a Super Turbine 400 and a 3.25 ratio Ford 9 inch with a Detroit Locker. Have the switch-pitch switch on a switch panel in the cab. At the drag strip, I have run a 13.2 with street tires. Use the high stall to get off the line but have to switch to low stall pretty quickly to limit wheel spin. I believe the Turbo Hydramatic 400 replaced the Dynaflow in Buicks (an ahead of their time CVT transmission using the varying torque converter pitches as a substitute for changing gear ratios in the tranny-although Dynaflows did have a low and a high ratio in the tranny). The Dynaflows were smooth with no shifting through the rpm range but were inefficient. Some 1964 Buicks came equipped with the THM400 with electronic passing gear with only with one electrical terminal on the transmission-no switch pitch. Then I believe in 1965-1967 Buick added the switch pitch feature which added a second electrical terminal to the transmission. The SP300 was used in smaller Buicks and was a Powerglide with the switch-pitch feature. The Super Turbine 400 transmission works beautifully and I believe is a work of industrial art.
