Did i damage my 727

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MoparMark91 said:
Hey guys so i finally went for a drive with the dart but something horribly went wrong. So to start off its a 71 dart with a 340 bored and stroked to 373 with a 727 tranny with 3k stall. So i installed the tci fast gate shifter(routing the cable was a *****) So i wanted to take it down the street and back to see how it does for a test run. So i get on the road it runs great plenty of power and torque runs great, then i make a u-turn and come back. Well i was about 100ft from my driveway doing about 25-30 and all of a sudden i felt something a shake in the front end and i felt through the shifter that something happened. i coasted into my driveway and shut it off. i looked underneath and it looks like the shifter cable moved and binded itself between a header tube and the engine and just got destroyed. Until i get a chance to jack it up and look at it more closely i think the cable stretched and moved and accidently threw it into park at around 25mph. My question is how can i tell if it damaged something in the tranny? Drop the pan and just look for debris? Also it still shifts good when i have my hand under the car and shift it manually? I
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I had exactly the same problems with mine until I got the 36 inch cable from B&M.
It doesn’t go farther forward than the bell housing an makes near a perfect half circle from the shifter to the trans linkage.
It was called Heavy Duty Race cable and is a lot tougher with less deflection.
It feels WAY more solid when shifting also.
I did have to make a spacer ring on my Hurst Pro Matic cable pin on the shifter, but everything else was the same.
Trans is probably just fine, as I doubt you were going fast enough to hurt anything.
Those TF’s are tough as hell.
 
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TrailBeast said:
I had exactly the same problems with mine until I got the 36 inch cable from B&M.
It doesn’t go farther forward than the bell housing an makes near a perfect half circle from the shifter to the trans linkage.
It was called Heavy Duty Race cable and is a lot tougher with less deflection.
It feels WAY more solid when shifting also.
I did have to make a spacer ring on my Hurst Pro Matic cable pin on the shifter, but everything else was the same.
Trans is probably just fine, as I doubt you were going fast enough to hurt anything.
Those TF’s are tough as hell.
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I have read good things on that cable and shorter does make sense so I ordered the size and type your referring to, of course mine is a TCI fast gate shifter but they all really similar so I'll try it and report back, I also am taking this opportunity to upgrade tranny pan as well so I will report back. Also what size hole u have cut in your floor 1"? Also I know it's a lot to ask but do u have any pictures ? Thanks for the help as well
 
MoparMark91 said:
I have read good things on that cable and shorter does make sense so I ordered the size and type your referring to, of course mine is a TCI fast gate shifter but they all really similar so I'll try it and report back, I also am taking this opportunity to upgrade tranny pan as well so I will report back. Also what size hole u have cut in your floor 1"? Also I know it's a lot to ask but do u have any pictures ? Thanks for the help as well
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No pics sorry.
1 inch hole for the cable sounds about right. (Just enough to get the cable through)
PS. I just looked at the fast gate cable and it looks exactly the same as the B&M race cable.
You might need to make a sleeve for the pin on your shifter so the cable eye fits, or possibly drill the cable end eye out.
Hopefully neither and it just fits.
 
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So I dropped the pan saw some material and what looks like to be rust(this transmission was sitting for a few years) maybe not sure and metallic I'll post pictures. So I got a replacement tci 5ft cable and the b and m super duty 3ft cable . Worked on the trying to get the 3ft cable to work almost all night but no luck due it has to make a sharp curve and just won't bend that much. Maybe I can see if I can return it to summit or just use the replacement 5ft and route it out the passenger side around orMor a 4 foot would work since all that's needed is just a hair more.
 
Pictures of the pan after dropped

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Then I found my converter bolts were hitting my inspection cover so that's the noise I was also hearing

IMG_20200616_181709.jpg


IMG_20200616_181707.jpg
 
Does your crank have lots of end play or were the converter bolts loose? Maybe the thrust main bearing is worn if that motor was in front of a manual trans. Sometimes the inspection plates are just bent.
 
Brand new rebuilt motor and not a lot of endplay but it has the 3k converter 9 1/2, it with the bigger 7/16 arp bolts installed. Is this a norm for it to hit like that sometimes? Converter is fully engaged
 
So right now I have no cover on and new deep pan on with summit gasket and returned the 3ft cable to see if the 4ft will work if not I will just use the replacement one and go the passenger route. Also shifted it into park and it does hold. I'm just worried about the converter bolts somehow coming loose and hitting the block. I'll be able to inspect more this week. Has anyone encountered the bolts doing that and what about the debris in the tranny pan
 
Pic is small but you can see the cable (with heat sleeve) comes around from passenger side, across front of bell housing, and into bracket.

downpipes7img.jpg
 
These trannys always have some material in the pan. I would add a magnet of some sort.
 
What's a inspection cover that would clear that do I have to go a aftermarket route on one?
 
If its not slipping your probably fine. If you had hit park while rolling you would have heard a loud ratcheting sound and as you slowed down the pawl would have caught and stopped you abruptly. You would have known it happened. The car would have been in park and you would have had to shift it out to move it.
 
Do the converter bolts have a thick head? I would inspect the clearance between the block edge and the bolt heads too see how much room you have. I did trans overhauls at a dodge dealer for 25 years and we had issues with those covers rubbing with everything stock. I would flatten it out and rework it as needed so it clears.
 
I believe this is a new build. Kimalso some covers were made for 1 since bolt circle and others had 2 bolt circle reliefs. Kim
 
Tech857 said:
Do the converter bolts have a thick head? I would inspect the clearance between the block edge and the bolt heads too see how much room you have. I did trans overhauls at a dodge dealer for 25 years and we had issues with those covers rubbing with everything stock. I would flatten it out and rework it as needed so it clears.
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I tried flattening it out and it looks like crap almost debating on cutting out a section and make a custom one
 
oldkimmer said:
I believe this is a new build. Kimalso some covers were made for 1 since bolt circle and others had 2 bolt circle reliefs. Kim
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Really hmmm then I need to look to maybe find one with better clearance
 
ARP makes great converter bolts....thin heads like they are suppose to be....plus blue locktite...
 
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