Chrysler may have offered a "limited slip" differential sometime (when?)
during the 1957 model year, but Dodge never mentionaed its availability
at any time, or in any literature, including in its police brochure or
Technical Service Bulletins; alternators were mentioned, in the police
brochure, however.
Although 2-speed PowerFlites were available in 1956, the 3-speed manual
trannie was used for racing purposes, and I think that it served well in
2nd and 3rd gear ratios, which could be fine tuned to a particular
track, and road surface.
For 1957, it is interesting to surmise how the T/Flite might have
performed, but the manual trannie, by definition was simpler to service,
and the auto-trans was unproven, and more complicated, and not "manly",
and might have required the liquid cooled version, not the air-cooled
version, to survive on dirt tracks.
I'll have to go check, but I don't thik that I have any records on auto
trans D501's being produced, although a lot of 501's had relatively many
non-racing options included on them.
Until the mid 60's, manual transmission cars were considered to be
faster accellerating than automatics, in the quarter mile.
Neil Vedder
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