Thread: Th350 experts needed....help!!!

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Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

why do you have to lift the body. why not pull the engine and trans out the front ?

We could pull just the engine, Pat, but we stand less chance of scratching something if we get the body totally out of the way. It is so tight under there, and so much stuff in the way of sliding it forward that it is really the only way to do it. Knowing Dan, there will be towels and blankets draped over everything.

Yep, OMB, I was surprised too by their offer to send a new one down free. To be honest, all my dealings with them before this have been just fine. The trans in my 23 came from them, Dans trans also. Plus I have a C6 sitting and another TH sitting for my own rpu project. Their prices were good and they have something like a 3500 , 100% positive rating on Ebay. I guess I just jumped the gun and got upset a little too soon. (My Sons accuse me of that all the time ).

Don

I thought we found the solution tonight, but it didn't end up that way. We removed the 3 torque convertor to flexplate bolts and spun the convertor while it was up touching the flexplate, there was no resistance at all, it spun as if it wasn't connected to the pump inside the trans. Then I turned the TC while applying pressure to the rear and it dropped back 3/16 of an inch and seated into something, and there was resistance when you turned it by hand.

I think the guy from B and M said there should be no more than 1/16 inch between the TC and flexplate when installed, so that the bolts only pull it up that far and not out of the pump lugs. So we made up some 3/16 shims to go between the TC and flexplate and bolted it back up. Started the engine, and still not pumping anything or engaging any gears.

So, possibly running it without it being engaged damaged the pump. I think I remember seeing round plates that go between a flexplate and the crank flange, and maybe that is what we omitted originally. In any event, we don't want to even see the car for a while, until we feel like pulling the body and getting the trans out so we can take it to a shop.

This car hobby is SO much fun.

Thanks again to all who offered help.

Don

A litle update. Spoke to Jackson Performance Transmissions today, they didn't realize this one is the BOP bolt pattern and they have none of those in stock to send us. They say they are hard to come by. So, we are going to palletize Dan's and ship it up to them at their Ohio facility, where they will go through it and repair whatever is wrong. I think that is very fair of them, in fact, more than fair since we bought it at least 4 years ago.

Don is going to be needing a C4 for his 46 project, and I hope he goes to them for that one.

Dan's new 9 inch rear center section came in today (4:11's this time) and this weekend will be spent pulling the body off and installing the rear end. We've decided Billetproof is out of the question, so now we can slow down a little and stop killing ourselves to get the car running. Dan and I both need a rest.

Don

You can make it--we do more work than that between rounds of racing

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

You can make it--we do more work than that between rounds of racing

Yeah Buddy

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

You can make it--we do more work than that between rounds of racing

We've talked about that subject a million times, Jerry. We have no idea how you guys rebuild an engine or other stuff between rounds! It takes us a month to do what you guys do in 20 minutes. Maybe that's why we aren't in the race game.

I learned something today. I called Mondello to see if they had the correct 3/16 spacer to go between the flexplate and the crank flange to take up that extra room. The guy told me they shim their race car by putting grade 8 flat washers between the flexplate and convertor to the proper thickness. He said they try to leave about only 30 thousands clearance for the convertor to slide forward once shimmed. I told him we did that last night for a temporary fix but were worried about it being a weak spot long term. He said "We use that on our 1200 hp drag car, so what do you think?"

So when the trans comes back we will shim it exactly like that, along with some longer grade 8 fine thread bolts that fit well. Live and learn.

Don

Dan brought up an interesting point. He said why go through all the hassle of boxing up and shipping the trans back to Ohio (not to mention the shipping cost) when we could just have it checked out and fixed by some local shop. I was reluctant because some of these places really like to sell you a lot of stuff you don't need once they tear into your transmission, but the more I think about it the more sense it makes.

I called a local shop today and told the guy what we had going on and he seemed pretty straightforward. Said he sees a lot of these where the front pump gets messed up on installation and he suspects that is what we have. So maybe it will be quicker and better to just pull the trans and take it in to them early next week and see how that goes. They can't try to sell us too much work as it is a totally fresh, built trans with zero miles on it.

Going that route might even allow us to get the car operational in time for Billetproof. Dans brake hoses and the new rear center section came in yesterday, so we have things we can be doing while the trans is being fixed. Maybe we aren't dead in the water yet.

Don

Of-course you and the lad ain't dead in the water yet,you gotta be positive Don as you and Dan have struggled too long trying to get it done you can not give up yet. I would give the local chap a try and as you said if it is only the front pump,it shouldn't be too expensive to fix that as the rest of the trans is new. I wish you all the best for a easy outcome fella's.

I'm late into this but it reminds me of a rebuild I did when I was 17, a few years ago . My Chevelle did the same thing. Did you ever pull the governor like Pat mentioned? Or are you confident its the TC? My governor was stuck. After I monkey'd with it it started working fine and I got many years of use out of it.

Thanks Whip, no, we aren't giving up yet!

Stovebolter, Not sure what is wrong, it could be a stuck piston or maybe the pump, but we are going to let the local guy check it out and see what's what.

Today we tore into the car and made huge progress. It actually took us longer to clean up the messy shop than to get the body off and the transmission pulled. Dan had put quick disconnects on everything, so we had the body off in an hour and a half and in another hour we had the transmission laying on the floor. The gallon of antiseize we coated every bolt with probably helped too.

We are pretty stoked that it went so easy and if the trans shop has some Saturday hours I'll drop it off tomorrow. If not, I'll do it Monday AM. The new rear end center section came in, and Dan went from the 4:00 gears that were in it to 4:11's. We will get the other rear end pulled out tomorrow and paint and install the new one right after that.

Tonight Dan got the final brake lines installed so now all he has to do when the body is back on is to hook up two lines and bleed the system. This leaves us 14 more days until we leave for Billetproof, and today's progress makes it kind of possible to make it.

Here are some pictures I took of the body ready to come off, and after it and the transmission were out of the car. We used every towel and blanket we had to make sure nothing got scratched.

Hey Don; When I was a kid and first started working On my big block Dodges.
I had installed a converter in a torque flight 727, Not knowing much I didn't seat the converter right. Well to make a long story short I mess it up good and when I started that big 440 magnum it tried to engage and broke the pump shaft. My father had a office in the front of our house and he was not happy to see the tranny fluid running down the drive, probably about 12qts. HE! HE! HE! Live and learn right!!!
I hope everything works out for you and Dan.
Kurt

Hehe, Parents seem to take a dim view of stuff like that, don't they, Kurt? Yep, I'm learning more about automatic transmissions than I wanted to know. Dan was saying he sees guys buy some 200,000 mile junkyard transmission, bolt it in, and it runs fine. He has one built, puts a B and M convertor and flexplate in front of it, and has problems.

I think the biggest problem is that he has just been building it for too many years with no end in sight. It is just time to wrap up this build so he can start doing some actual driving, instead of spending every minute and dollar on a car that just sits. I know how he feels, it gets old after a while.

Don

Well it won't be long now. You guys will be rolling down the highway together. Hope its somthing real simple.

Tell Dan not to forget to take the camera on his first ride. I like seeing the expresion
on peoples faces when a hot rod rolls up. And you guys are gonna turn alot of heads with that thing, once it's rolling. Roll by the beach will ya, I like the looks on the bikinis
best. HE! HE! HE!
Kurt

Yep Charlie, I think we are getting there.

Kurt, everytime I go to the beach I look for that same girl who modeled in my 23, but haven't seen her around. Maybe I shouldn't run into her, she may want a modeling fee this time.

Today we got Dan's rear center section removed and packed up to go back to the guy in Pennsylvania who built it. We installed the replacement unit he sent and got a bunch of other stuff done. At this point Dan's steering is completely done, his brakes only need two lines hooked up once the body is back on, and Monday I will take the trans to the shop to have it checked out. So it looks promising that we might still be on schedule to make Billetproof. One thing for sure, we are going to fire the engine and make sure all the gears engage BEFORE the body goes on this time.

Only picture I have today is of the new center section installed after Dan got it painted.

Don