What's "Turbo" about turbo 350 and turbo 400 tranny's?
 

Ever wonder why GM called their 350 and 400 transmissions "turbo"?

I seem to wonder about these things, for reasons I am not sure of.

John

Don't feel bad. I wonder the same things.

I guess the "name" they used actually works. You and I are proof of that.

GM/Chevy used 'Turbo' for naturally aspirated engines, too. Like Turbo Thrust, Turbo Thrust Special, Turbo Fire, Turbo Jet... just a catchy name is all, IMHO.

why, ya wanna know why,, well I'll tell ya why..
in the 50's up the auto designers had a love affair with rockets and air planes..
and it just sounds kool even if you have no idea what a turbo was or
rocket..
olds owners pride themselves with not only having a 350 c.i.d. engine..they have a ROCKET 350 or 400 etc..

X 2 with all the above answers.

Uh, no. Oldsmobile owners KNOW that the "Rocket" name is pure marketing BS. It's the uninitiated who seem to think that the "Rocket" motors have some magic superiority over others.

I can tell you 80% of the owners had no idea what the rocket marketing was.. b/s or not..
go to any show and stand in front of an olds.. better yet bring one.. and the stories start over the "rocket"

The tailfins and such in the late 50s and early 60s were because of the publics awe for rockets and planes.
Carmakers found people bought cars with those big fins , so they put them on and called the engines "turbo fire" and "rocket350" etc.
Strictly a marketing ploy.

Styling all 'round the cars were inspired by the 'jet and rocket age'. None more than the GM concept cars of that era, like the Firebird series:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-Firebirds.jpg
FB II, left; FB III, right- built in 1958


The '61 Thunderbird was a beautiful example IMHO.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3388/...34132ea59b.jpg

And the Chrysler Turbine car. That thing had an idle speed of 18,000-22,000rpm. :eek:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...8-21&sp=-1&sk=

Just imagine- that's a 450 mph potential w/a 3.73 rear gear. At idle! Too bad it didn't make enough torque at that rpm, but still!

I seem to recall something different about the drive train of the turbine car, but I cannot remember details.

"Strato bucket seats"

Badge Engineering..Change the label so people think it is "hot stuff"

Sam

Torque converters are turbines (turbo) enclosed in a housing with fluid (hydra). And the gear box they spin is an automatic (matic) trans.

It looks like we have a winner people!

What's the prize, Jim?