The Ford Barn

mercman from oz · 04-04-2013, 05:09 AM

My brother just imported a 1959 Ford Galaxie Convertible from the USA. It has a 292 Y Block & Auto Transmission. The Casting Numbers in the Transmission read "PBM-7800-F". Can anyone identify this Transmission?
Is it a Fordomatic or a Cruisomatic & what year was it manufactured?
If anyone knows, can they please enlighten us. Thankyou.
Mercman from Oz <><

darrell · 04-04-2013, 06:43 PM

its quite simple if you have D L you have a fordomatic a cruise o has D2 D1 L.

mercman from oz · 04-04-2013, 10:42 PM

Hi there, Thanks for your input, but unfortunately the car is a non-runner & nothing is connected.
The Steering Column is not fitted to the car, & may not match the present Transmission, as nothing is connected.
Restoration was started but the car was sold unfinished.
Most of the Parts were supplied loose or in Plastic Containers.
It is a real Jigsaw Puzzle, but it has a nice Frame & Body, which for a Convertible is a nice start.
While "true" 1959 Fords were sold in Australia, (we didn't get the "true" 57 or 58 Fords here) they were all 4 door Sedans in Fairlane 500 or Custom 300 trim, plus a 4 door Ranch Wagon. (the first time a Station Wagon was offered in Australia in an American Ford). No other body styles were available here, which makes a Convertible special.
When you view this car from underneath, it seems that it maybe the wrong Transmission for the car, as it seems that this Transmission interferes with other brackets & attachments at the rear.
If the Casting Marks could be deciphered, we would be able to determine which Transmission it actually was.
Regards Mercman <><

Motorhead6 · 04-05-2013, 01:16 PM

If the transmission is original, a cast iron case indicates a 3 speed Cruise-O-Matic while the aluminum case is a 2 speed Ford-O-Matic. This is a bit confusing, but the Cruise-O-Matic is the same transmission as the older Ford-O-Matic with a different valve body so that it shifts differently. The aluminum Ford-O-Matic which was introduced in the '59 model is a completely different unit and was only used for 4 or 5 years.

Now, I expect someone will challenge this, but that is a result of the confusion caused by the name Ford-O-Matic being used for 2 completely different units pre- and post-'59.

D'day.

rick55 · 04-05-2013, 08:25 PM

I have posted thee images before, but they should make it easy to identify what you have.

Hope this makes it easier for you.
Where are you in Oz?
Regards

rick55 · 04-05-2013, 08:25 PM

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Don't know why but it posted twice, I have removed the second entry.
Regards

mercman from oz · 04-06-2013, 06:16 AM

Hi Rick, We live in Brisbane.
Mercman <><

mercman from oz · 04-03-2015, 06:07 PM

Thanks for all your help. It seems that the problem is that a previous owner has made up their own Transmission Mount, and as a consequence, it interfered with the operation of the Transmission. As these Transmission Mounts are hard to come by, my brother took measurements from a friends 59 Ford and made up a new one. Everything now lines up perfectly.

mercman from oz · 04-03-2015, 07:20 PM

Here is a picture of this Home Made Transmission Mount, at top of photo. With the new mount in place, all is good now.

darrell · 04-04-2015, 07:58 AM

that is a castiron fordomatic or cruiseomatic.just grab the shift lever and see how many shifts you have that will tell what you have.

04-04-2013, 05:09 AM	#1
mercman from oz Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 10,425	Auto Transmission in 1959 Ford Galaxie My brother just imported a 1959 Ford Galaxie Convertible from the USA. It has a 292 Y Block & Auto Transmission. The Casting Numbers in the Transmission read "PBM-7800-F". Can anyone identify this Transmission? Is it a Fordomatic or a Cruisomatic & what year was it manufactured? If anyone knows, can they please enlighten us. Thankyou. Mercman from Oz <><

04-04-2013, 06:43 PM	#2
darrell Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: p.e.i. Posts: 1,060	Re: Auto Transmission in 1959 Ford Galaxie its quite simple if you have D L you have a fordomatic a cruise o has D2 D1 L.

04-04-2013, 10:42 PM	#3
mercman from oz Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 10,425	Re: Auto Transmission in 1959 Ford Galaxie Hi there, Thanks for your input, but unfortunately the car is a non-runner & nothing is connected. The Steering Column is not fitted to the car, & may not match the present Transmission, as nothing is connected. Restoration was started but the car was sold unfinished. Most of the Parts were supplied loose or in Plastic Containers. It is a real Jigsaw Puzzle, but it has a nice Frame & Body, which for a Convertible is a nice start. While "true" 1959 Fords were sold in Australia, (we didn't get the "true" 57 or 58 Fords here) they were all 4 door Sedans in Fairlane 500 or Custom 300 trim, plus a 4 door Ranch Wagon. (the first time a Station Wagon was offered in Australia in an American Ford). No other body styles were available here, which makes a Convertible special. When you view this car from underneath, it seems that it maybe the wrong Transmission for the car, as it seems that this Transmission interferes with other brackets & attachments at the rear. If the Casting Marks could be deciphered, we would be able to determine which Transmission it actually was. Regards Mercman <><

04-05-2013, 01:16 PM	#4
Motorhead6 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Orange Park, Fl Posts: 406	Re: Auto Transmission in 1959 Ford Galaxie If the transmission is original, a cast iron case indicates a 3 speed Cruise-O-Matic while the aluminum case is a 2 speed Ford-O-Matic. This is a bit confusing, but the Cruise-O-Matic is the same transmission as the older Ford-O-Matic with a different valve body so that it shifts differently. The aluminum Ford-O-Matic which was introduced in the '59 model is a completely different unit and was only used for 4 or 5 years. Now, I expect someone will challenge this, but that is a result of the confusion caused by the name Ford-O-Matic being used for 2 completely different units pre- and post-'59. D'day.

04-06-2013, 06:16 AM	#7
mercman from oz Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 10,425	Re: Auto Transmission in 1959 Ford Galaxie Hi Rick, We live in Brisbane. Mercman <><

04-03-2015, 06:07 PM	#8
mercman from oz Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 10,425	Re: Auto Transmission in 1959 Ford Galaxie Thanks for all your help. It seems that the problem is that a previous owner has made up their own Transmission Mount, and as a consequence, it interfered with the operation of the Transmission. As these Transmission Mounts are hard to come by, my brother took measurements from a friends 59 Ford and made up a new one. Everything now lines up perfectly.

04-04-2015, 07:58 AM	#10
darrell Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: p.e.i. Posts: 1,060	Re: Auto Transmission in 1959 Ford Galaxie that is a castiron fordomatic or cruiseomatic.just grab the shift lever and see how many shifts you have that will tell what you have.