1949 Buick Super Driving

1949 Buick Driving 60mph. Takes a while to get going, but after 35mph, it takes off. No Shifting

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• 1949
• Buick
• Dynaflow
• 49buick
• super
• straight
• eight

[SakoTGrimes]

So is there only one gear? Is this similar to the Chrysler Hydramatic?

[oldcarnut1980]

well... it's not really one gear but two, Hi and Low. If you shift to low you can only max out at about 40mph (red line) but "D" or Hi is normal driving about 100mph...

[xvmon1]

DAMM whats beautiful car with beautiful engine sound??

[oldcarnut1980]

Thanks, yeah it has a unique sound to it, but runs really smooth!!!

[heatherstub]

Have you driven it backwards? What does it sound like? We used to have a 1963 Buick and it whined super-loudly!

[mustangnick94]

How do you start the car?

[commentmutant]

@oldcarnut1980 My 1948 buick has the drone as well. Arent these guys known for the drone sound?

[boazrg]

My first car was a 1949 Buick Roadmaster with Dynaflow. I felt like a king driving that car around! 

[greezeyD]

restored or not, i think its pretty damned sweet a what, 60 year old car at this point'll do 60 mile an hour!

[nashtwin8]

@SakoTGrimes Dynaflow is incredibly smooth; there's no shifting as smooth as no shifting at all! Chevrolet's Powerglide was essentially a scaled-down Dynaflow, and Packard's Ultramatic was also similar, although it had a lockup clutch for travel at higher speeds.

[nashtwin8]

@SakoTGrimes Fluid Drive was a fluid coupling between the engine and transmission, but it did not multiply torque like a torque converter. Thus, Fluid Drive was always used in conjunction with a clutch and a 3 or 4 speed conventional transmission, sometimes manually shifted, and sometimes with electromechanical automatic shifting devices (in all a semi-automatic transmission.) Once in Hi or Lo range, using the clutch was not required.

[nashtwin8]

@SakoTGrimes When using "Drive" range, there are no "gears" at all, but yes, just one speed forward. The torque converter provides an "infinite number of ratios", but there are no gears being shifted. Only if you manually select "Low" range is there any gearing involved. Incidentally, Hydramatic was GM's 4-speed automatic transmission. Perhaps you are thinking of Chrysler's Fluid Drive?

[bigcity233]

Man - that's smooth - What a sound! Dynaflow I think was still optional on the Super - standard equip on 49 Roadmaster. Dynaflow had a slot for "park" -- while Hydramatic (Olds and others) didn't have "park" until later. In talking about cars with guys that remember the early 50's - the driving public in the early 50's was really tired of 3 speed manual shifting. Automatic trans really took off after about 52-3.

[bigcity233]

The 49 Buick was unique - 49 was Buick's first post-war design but then was changed in 50 (also a classic). The 49 Buick body I think is similar to the 49 Caddy - other than that, they were very different cars.