1956 t bird transnission oil

If the bottom of the car is dry, I would look in to a full synthetic such as Quick Shift or Red Line. Yes, it is expensive, but it has been proven to me to extend the life of a lightly used auto trans, and shift better when you get on it.
 
A person has to look around for even Mercon now days. I use Type F but it's even getting hard to source. If it's not been recently overhauled (last 20 years or so) then I'd avoid the synthetics. The old seals were not made for synthetics. Mercon will work but Type F will give a more positive shift if it still has the bronze & steel clutch plates. I'd drain it if I didn't know what was in it and start over. Some ATF types don't work well with others.
 
Type A, which is really hard to find, was the original oil. Today's replacement is usually Dexron-Mercron. Some have used Type F (which came later) .
 
The ban of use of whale oil ended Type A and B. Type F was Fords new oil and Dexron IID was GMs after the change.

Now days Dexron IID/Mercon is the old style ATF post whale oil ban that are not synthetic. The Mercon V is supposed to be the replacement for the old stuff but it is synthetic. A person takes a chance purchasing any of the old specifications now days since all of them have been obsoleted by the newer synthetics. There is no guarantee that what the label states is actually what's in the container. If you purchase Type A then I can pretty much guarantee that is has no original material that is traceable to the original type A specification unless it's 50+ years old.
 
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The ban of use of whale oil ended Type A and B. Type F was Fords new oil and Dexron IID was GMs after the change.
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I was wondering how long it would take ... :cool:

Automatic transmissions ran smoothly and reliably using whale oil in lubricating fluids, as long as engine coolant temperatures ran below 173 degrees F. Fortunately for the whales, by the 1970s engines became subject to tighter emissions regulations and engineers had to design them to run hotter. Other demands such as front-wheel-drive and ever-increased emissions limits boosted the operating temperatures of engines to well over 200 degrees F, forcing research efforts into synthetic lubricants and rendering the use of whale oil (really an esther, not an oil) obsolete.
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SOURCE - http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/725.cfm
 
Synthetics are also an esther, just not a natural esther. Ford wanted a lifetime ATF so they developed the type F. Dexron was GMs new conditioned fluid to allow a softer shift than what type F would give. Ford went to the CJ type for the C6 since it had modern composite frictions. It ended up being compatible with the GM Dexron IID after GM quit using natural oil conditioners like jojoba oil and similar stuff. None of the natural stuff would last like the natural esther. The synthetics work but they are low viscosity so seal materials had to be developed that work well. In aviation, seals such as fluorocarbon and flourosilicon elastomer were developed to work with the esther based turbine oils. This is where synthetics came from due to the high temperatures in the turbine engines. It took the automotive industry a while to catch up.
 
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I was able to get a case of Type F for my '56 at O'Reiley's. Did a drain and screen replacement as part of my getting to know my newly acquired T Bird. Seems to shift well and hoping a tear down is not in my immediate future!!:)
 
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