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1954 Pontiac Star Chief info

Frank Wilkie

By Frank Wilkie
in Pontiac & Oakland

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PONTIAC1953 10,000+ Points

PONTIAC1953

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hello, frank, it took GM just 90 days to turn a idle ford plant into the new hydra-matic plant, there were just over 17,000 1953 pontiacs built with the power glide trans during the shortage, before the 1953 pontiac production ended on 12/20/53, hydra-matics were being installed again. no 1954 pontiacs have power glide trans. so in every 1954 pontiac ordered with automatic transmission, you'll find the 1954 dual range hydra-matic.

Edited by pontiac1953 (see edit history)
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Pfeil 10,000+ Points

Pfeil

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On 5/6/2019 at 5:04 PM, Frank Wilkie said:

What automatic transmission was used in a 1954 Pontiac Star Chief.  After the fire in 1953 they used Chevrolet automatic's but when did they go back to their own or did  they just continue using the Chevrolet until the V8's came out. 

 

Frank, in addition to what Charles said for your information ;

 

 

1953 Pontiac Production is 418,619 cars

 

38,914 Chieftain sixes

33,705 Manual trans

4,507 HydraMatic's

702 Powerglide

 

379,705 Chieftain Eights

68,565 Manual Trans

293,343 HydraMatic

17,797 Powerglide

 

71.2% of all 1953 Pontiac were Dual Range 4 speed HydraMatic

4.4% of all 1953 Pontiac's came with Powerglide

AND THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT! 

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Pfeil 10,000+ Points

Pfeil

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On 5/8/2019 at 12:01 PM, Frank Wilkie said:

Thanks for all the input.  I'm considering to purchase a 1954 star chief but I just like to more about the early 50's Pontiac's..  I'm not quite comfortable with the inline 8's

flat head's and their durability.   I'm use to Buicks. 

The Ben Anibal inline 8 is a very good engine. The engine started life in 1933 and ended in 1954. In 1935 Pontiac made a 6 cylinder version that along with the 8 lasted until Pontiac's V-8 of 1955. What I like about this engine starting in 1933 was a FULL pressure lubrication system,  and Crank, Rod and Cam bearing inserts instead of the old poured bearings and con rod scoopers like Chevrolet used into the 50's on their six. What I wished Anibal had done was make the engine a NINE main bearing engine like the more expensive Packard eights were instead of a five main bearing ( also like the cheaper Packard 8 ) , I also wish Pontiac had used Gear to Gear timing gears instead of a chain there was enough room. All said however the engine more than ( 21years is a good long time in terms of engineering) stood the test of time. My Dad's 50 Chieftain saw well over 100,000 miles without a problem. Just remember that like all solid lifter engines a valve adjustment is required every now and again. The consequences for not doing so can result in a burnt valve. 

Edited by Pfeil (see edit history)
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PONTIAC1953 10,000+ Points

PONTIAC1953

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you will search far and wide before you find another brand's engine that will last as long as the pontiac 268 straight eight, packard liked the pontiac straight eight design so much, they copied it mostly for their new eight that Pfeil mention. i have been the 1953 pontiac technical advisor since 1985, there are now more 53-54 pontiacs being fixed up and driven than i've seen since 1973 when i bought my 1953 chieftain custom catalina.

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  • 3 years later...
jp.lagrange

jp.lagrange

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On 5/8/2019 at 7:09 PM, pontiac1953 said:

you will search far and wide before you find another brand's engine that will last as long as the pontiac 268 straight eight, packard liked the pontiac straight eight design so much, they copied it mostly for their new eight that Pfeil mention. i have been the 1953 pontiac technical advisor since 1985, there are now more 53-54 pontiacs being fixed up and driven than i've seen since 1973 when i bought my 1953 chieftain custom catalina.

I just bought a '54 Laurentian last summer and I've been in the process of making it a reliable cruiser. Lots to learn! My '54 Is the Canadian model and therefore it has the PowerGlide. It's the 239 High Compression 6 with a 2 barrel. Thanks for all the great info everyone.

 

JP

PXL_20220905_223145137.jpg

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jp.lagrange

jp.lagrange

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On 9/15/2022 at 6:12 PM, pontiac1953 said:

Pontiac Craftsman Newsletters for October & November 1953 covered the Powerglide being used and serviced in 1953 Pontiacs.

If I were to attempt to install a newer next generation aluminum PowerGlide or TH350 would I need additional parts possibly? 

The current cast PowerGlide is shifting with a clunk when first put into gear. 

I believe I'll need to convert it to open driveline instead of the torque tube if I do end up upgrading.

PXL_20220912_000710301.jpg

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Bloo 25,000+ Points

Bloo

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This is completely different and is not one of the Pontiacs that had Powerglide because of the fire. These use a Chevrolet chassis with a Pontiac engine. As far as I know, these all use Chevrolet transmissions whether Powerglide or stick. They have a Chevrolet torque tube and rear axle.

 

A conversion sounds expensive. I would look into troubleshooting the clunk, which might not be in the transmission. In fact, it probably isn't.

 

Nice car!

 

Edited by Bloo (see edit history)
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jp.lagrange

jp.lagrange

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On 12/20/2022 at 2:06 PM, Bloo said:

This is completely different and is not one of the Pontiacs that had Powerglide because of the fire. These use a Chevrolet chassis with a Pontiac engine. As far as I know, these all use Chevrolet transmissions whether Powerglide or stick. They have a Chevrolet torque tube and rear axle.

 

A conversion sounds expensive. I would look into troubleshooting the clunk, which might not be in the transmission. In fact, it probably isn't.

 

Nice car!

 

Thanks. Yeah you bet. I'm aware of the uniqueness of the car. It's 1 of 1170 made. That's the only reason she's not being converted or modified to a 350 or LS

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jp.lagrange

jp.lagrange

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2 hours ago, Bloo said:

I'll bet the clunk is high idle speed, or lash in the driveline, or some combination of the two. Ever looked at the u-joint yet?

I think you're right about the high idle. Still dealing with a worn out carb. 

I haven't changed the u-joint because it's a close driveshaft and like the 54 Chevies

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The 55er 10,000+ Points

The 55er

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You need to roll back the carpet or floormat inside the car on the passenger side of the transmission hump. Remove the round cover plate and you'll see a dipstick. With the car on the level and the transmission lever in N, run the engine at a fast idle (about 20 mph) for 1 1/2 minutes. Go back down to slow idle and pull the dipstick out and wipe it clean. Reinsert the dipstick, pull it out and note the reading. If it's low, add enough fluid to bring it up to the F mark. If you have an owner's manual for the car, you'll find this info on page 31. 

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