Messages

I put a set of polygraphite bushings in my 89 extended cab chevy pu....I hated them....
the truck didn't ever drive quite right...way too stiff....
In a car that I expected the ride to be stiff, they would probably be ok...
but in my truck it made the truck amplify every bump in the road....

I took them out recently and went back to the old rubber bushings....the ride is much better.

Doug

Hmmmm,
I had a sbc 350 that rattled much like yours for a couple of years,  I could hear it when I put it under power, and sometimes when you let off.  Listening around with a stethoscope I could hear it towards the back of the engine, but I just couldn't find anything that could've caused it....
finally it got so bad that I jacked the car up and listened from underneath with it running, still nothing....

I turned it off and was putting the cover back on and i noticed a line in the flexplate that looked odd...when I unbolted the torque converter and flexed the place....it was partially broken around the rear flange of the crankshaft...never seen that before or since.  However, I wouldn't rule that out here...unless yours is a std tranny...

Hope this helps

Doug
BTW...On my way to Illinois...new job and such....

Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks like I get to pull it out and rebuild it again.  Just what I was hoping to do....
Thanks Crosley,  I had pretty much assumed that I would get to go in the trans again and you confirmed my suspicion.  However it is nice to know that the water is what caused the problem, not my ineptness.....


Doug

I'm back with another tranny question.
I built a 700r4 last summer and put it into my 89 silverado.  It worked good and I was satisfied...
last fall the Transmission cooler ruptured in the radiator and filled the tranny with water.  We drained the fluid out as best we could and filled it again with new transmission fluid.
Recently the transmission is acting flaky. It seems to operate ok when it is cool, but is slow to engage in gear when it warms up and seems like it is trying to slip when it is warmed up.
I ran a pressure test on it and with the TV cable on low the pressures look like the book says. But with the TV cable pulled, the pressure in park is about 220 pounds and the needle moves alot....that is the needle bounces back and forth from 200-240 pounds very quickly, almost a vibration like action....
Any Ideas?  

Doug

We haven't heard from Hoolie(#974). He lives close to Tulsa which was hit very hard. Anyway, everyone is fine and thought you might like to know why Wz hadn't been posting as of late. He didn't mention having had the roadster out. We look forward to seeing many of you in the Summer. Sam

I live close to Tulsa as well, but on the west side (Mannford).  We dodged this one here by about 25-35 miles.  All we got was heavy sleet and a little freezing rain, not the 2-3 inches of the crap that east of tulsa got.  This reminds me of when I lived in southeastern Arkansas and we got an ice storm in the early 1990's.  In that one it rained for a while to get everything good and wet, then it got cold and the rain froze, then it sleeted about 2-3 inches, but the sleet stuck to the parts that had frozen, then it rained and froze on top of that. ultimately there were between 4-5 inches of ice on everything.  I had no power for 2 weeks. Over in Greenville, MS, some went without power for 3-4 weeks becaust the ice was so heavy that it broke almost every power pole around.  Not just the little poles, but I saw a thirty mile long section of high tension lines where the poles and towers were on the ground. Not to mention all of the tree farms that lost big. 10-15 year old pine trees were the hardest hit. older one shed their branches and survived, younger ones simply bent down and when the ice melted they straightened, 10-15 yo trees snapped in the middle and were worthless.  Good luck to all in this mess
Doug

Having opened two trannys recently both with the same rear planatary shell torn up, and one with the rear sprag all ripped apart. What is a recommended upgrade there.  I see 5 pinion rear planet sets, and also a rear shell called the beast...are these good upgrades or are they unnecessary for putting a little hp/torque through the tranny.  
Also what else would be good to do...
I expect the engine will develop about 350-450 hp and have maybe 300-400 ft-lbs of torque  355 CID chevy

Thanks in advance
Doug

Your term planetary shell is incorrect If I am thinking about the same part.

THe drive shell ( stamped steel unit) can be trouble.  The 'beast " drive shell is worth the $ ,  IMHO. Follow the instructions!   I have never seen one broken, even a 4L65E unit I have pressed ( BF-hammer) the guts apart for an inspection.

Rear planet failure where the gear teeth are rounded off, black/blue  metal
Is from lube problems.  4 pinion planets are fine. ALL bushings must be tight or replaced for proper lube flow.

I would suggest the Raybestos Z-Pack for the 3/4 clutch pack. Follow instructions!

I would suggest to remove the check ball capsule from the 2-4 servo bore..... install a t-350 cup plug ( TRANSTAR # 13970) into the  case to block off the hole... Firms up the 2-3 shift.

Vette servo is good upgrade.  Keep shift holes stock for 1-2 in a light car.  Open 3rd gear hole to .093 with above mods.

add a check ball to the line bias valve spring (in the bore first , then spring , then valve) ..... run a .422 main boost valve.  Low / reverse boost valve run a .282 unit.

Run a 10 vane pump. .0015 clearance works well.

Did I mention replace the bushings?

Depending on year of tranny and pump design there are more mods to perform.

 

Bushings are to be replaced, I have a z-pack already, a transgo shift kit (blue box) is ready to go, I also boutht a corvete servo.  a new transgo separator plate, new front and rear sprags, new bushings, thrust washers, 0.500 boost valve (o-ringed), an o-ringed low/reverse valve, a sonnax accumulator spring, and now I will add a new drive shell (beast) and I will keep the 4 pinion planet.....I think that is all so far....geeze this is getting expensive......but it should be worth it

Thanks Crosley!


Doug

bump

I bought a "Boss Hog" converter a while back (just a 2200 stall) and have not installed it.  Now I have decided to go with a 3800-4200 stall converter and I see that "Boss Hog" make one of those as well.

Has anyone had any bad experiences with the "Boss Hog" brand of converter?  I will be running it in my antique gas dragster and would really like to keep my feet and legs attached and usable.  Thanks for your feedback in advance.................Ron.

I bought one (about 4500 stall) and was not very happy with it.  Now it may be that I got one with too much stall, but the car never felt like the converter hooked up....it just wound and wound and wound.  I have yet to take it to the quarter mile to see if it helped or hurt the car.  Probably won't any time soon either
Doug

Having opened two trannys recently both with the same rear planatary shell torn up, and one with the rear sprag all ripped apart. What is a recommended upgrade there.  I see 5 pinion rear planet sets, and also a rear shell called the beast...are these good upgrades or are they unnecessary for putting a little hp/torque through the tranny.  
Also what else would be good to do...
I expect the engine will develop about 350-450 hp and have maybe 300-400 ft-lbs of torque  355 CID chevy

Thanks in advance
Doug

what torque are you using on the v-body bolts?

should be 10 - 12 ft lbs on t-350 unit.


I posted a photo of parts that you may be talking about?  A common lube caused failure. You must check bushing wear / replacement  and the output shaft for debris that will block oil flow. .... OR if the vehicle was tow'd with the drive shaft in , that will tear up the tranny real fast.

the gear trains/parts are swappable in the back end.

Polish the shaft with 240 -400 grit paper wet or dry.  See what it looks like... no galled metal is good.

Aaaargh, I wrote a reply and lost it on spell check


Again...
The v-body bolts were being torqued to 12 ft lbs. and pulled in two before that was reached...the bolts had a plain head while the replacement bolts had a M embossed on the head....I suspect that the plain bolts were placed into the tranny on a previous rebuild and were only a grade 0-1.

The sun gear on the right looks very similar to the gear I ground smooth..except mine is blacker...
The tranny was a "professionally rebuilt" tranny that i put into my truck as a preventative measure since the truck had about 240K miles on the original transmission.  this one lasted only 18K.  It started to slip/feel funny when I was about 250 miles from home and went out completely just as I got into my home town..
This transmission failure along with another that occurred only 2 months apart, are what caused me to begin learning how to rebuild transmission.  I have made a lot of mistakes, and will continue to do so...but I do try to minimize the mistakes by asking lots of questions...
Thanks Crosley

Doug

I tore down a 1990 700r4 yesterday that had gone up in smoke for me a couple of years back. I knew something would be toast inside and sure enough it was..
If I wasn't on dialup I would post a pic.

the reaction shell and bits around it had burn up so badly that the gear to the rear of the shell had all of the teeth ground off it.


Questions

1. the output shaft is not buggered up, but is nice and black in that area.
Should I reuse it, or could the heat have torn it up?

2. I have an older 700r4 (1983?), will the gears, shell etc. arount the output shaft be the same as the later model...I ask this since I am a little lazy and haven't looked it up yet.


Also, I experienced my first counterfit bolts yesterday.
Where I thought they were pulling threads, they were actually stretching the bolt and breaking at a torque less than required for holding the valve body down in a TH-350.  Pulled the bolts from another tranny and they torqued just fine.

Great info....Thanks again
Doug

MC
I've been rebuilding a couple of TH-350's.  While torqueing the pump into the case, two of the bolts pulled the threads...
Torque wrench was set at 20 ft-lbs as per the book
Question: Is heli-coiling the threads acceptable? and is the threads pulling on these trannys common? or is the torque spec. just plain wrong?

Also,
next up is another 700r4, how difficult or doable is changing the gear/tailhousing from an early 700r4 with the mechanical speedo with a 90 model tranny?  This is going in my 67 camaro convertible and I need a mechanical speedo.

Thanks in advance
Doug

I know this is a forum about cars, but I would like to hear from anybody that has had this. I started having heel pain after putting the Mustang II front end in my 36 Dodge. I know that spending a lot time on the garage floor is the problem, but I am not going to give up my Hobby to a PAIN.
Thanks in advance !!!
Rick Harris

I would guess that you have "Plantar Fasciitis" which is an inflamed ligament between your heel and front of your foot...very painful and stays with you forever it seems...
anti-inflamatories such as asprin, ibuprofen can help.  steroid injections may help as well, but require a doctor.  Rest, ice, stretching are common tactics as well.
My heels hurt frequently, but it is not spurs or plantar faciatis, but rater the achilles tendon is inflamed where it attaches to the heel...probably due to my insistance on playing basketball 3-4 times every week...

Doug

I have had the same happen to me.
I have a 65 acre tree farm in southern Arkansas.  My sons and I planted some 36,000 pine trees over the past six years there.  Last year Entergy corp.  (Local power company) sent a crew out to clear the right of way...I checked, the row is 20 feet.  They cut a swath through my tree investment that in some places was 120 feet wide....boy was I mad..This is my retirement money....
I called and complained and the company sent a rep out...he had the gall to say that the trees were not cut by his crews since they were still green...they cut them in November, and I complained in December....
Pine trees do not turn brown for up to several months in the winter...
I estimate that they cut about 3, maybe 4 acres in all....I have since posted my property about cutting and have let the company know that I will file suit if they send another crew on my property to cut trees without my knowledge...Don't know if it will do me any good though...
Doug