I think somethings wrong here! LOL

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4mulaSvaliant

4mulaSvaliant

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Hey all, well I have a testamonial to give about running the incorrect torque converter on a 360!
Ok before I get started I must say I put the said converter in my car when I was in H.S. and built my motor and trans out of a book with absolutly NOBODY's help. That said I excuse my self from the stupidity that shall follow! LMAO! :wack:
Well I didnt know at the time that I needed a special TC for my 360
(no weight), so I grabbed the first one around(from a 318) that I figured was good. Well to condense this, my car sat for 9 years til' last March. I finally got to pulling the trans out to swap in a fresh 904 today.
Well the trans that came out had been slipping pretty badly and making a horrific noise that reverberated through the driveshaft. Well when I pulled the pan the first thing I noticed was a valve body bolt that was backed out to where it had been resting in the pan, second thing was the PILE of sediment under the filter. As I ran my finger through the pile and inspected closer I see metal shaveings! WHoo Hoooo. And last but certainly not least, I was looking to see if the front seal had been leaking, and happened to rest my hand on the input shaft. Well the center shaft moved downward about 1/8th of an inch. So I naturally start to investigate it and find that the HUGE weight that turned out to be on the converter had thrown the whole system so far off balance that the center shaftwas wobbling around inside the bigger shaft! To the tune of about 3/16" from side to side!!!!!!!!!!
Mean while I have been wondering for years what that vibration was!
LIVE AND LEARN I guess! lol just thought Id' share. Lata'
 
AMIGO...You are NOT STUPID!!! first off you attempted and completed repairs that were clearly outside your skill set then & your comfort zone.....and admirable Attribute! You followed instructions ( which most mechanics have to learn to do after the do it their way first....= experience) and the only component I see that you lacked was the experience to know/diagnose WHAT wasn't right. If this life has taught me anything it has taught me this.....LEARNING IS EXPENSIVE....you pay for what you learn....everything you learn and anytime you learn, sometimes it is less expensive, most times it is more expensive.....but it is NEVER NEVER NEVER FREE OR CHEAP!
I think you did OK!!! and now you know at least ONE place to look if you feel unwanted vibrations.......all it cost you was a rebuild on your 904...... I know this much for certain.....YOU will never ever forget that learning experience.....

keep it up, some learn by books other by watching and others by doing any way you slice it it aint cheap....took courage to attempt repairs at that level, and you got a few years of driving fun....I think you did OK and it was a fun story to read
66Cuda
 
If Thats The Only Problem That You Had With Your Build. And Being Inexperienced As You Were. I Too Will Have To Say You Did Just Fine. And Now That Wont Happen To You Again . Good Luck In The Future.
 
Being the convertor is bolted solid and centered in the crank so the convertor couldn't have moved around. If the convertor you used was off of a 318 it shouldn't have had a weight on it. 318's are neutral balanced.

Chuck
 
OH Im sure it can move! lol Believe me it moved! Besides the flexplate is only, 3/32" thick and has "ears" at a much larger diameter.
Hey something added to this story about the trans is that, it was my friends trans that was just sitting around. I asked him if I could have it and he says "yeah but you will have to find all the parts!" I say wheres the parts? "in my room" what parts I say? "all the valve body springs and balls" So I spent 2 days finding the parts in his room and put the valve body back together by a picture saying where the check balls went. Too funny to think that I drag raced this car every weekend and every light I was challenged at! Gotta love a MOPAR!!!!!! Ill never sell it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lata' guys.
 
Well, at least you're working your way thru it. BTW, the solid shaft on the front of the trans is the front pump support, and it is rigid. The secondone, is inside the first one, and smaller. That's the actual input shaft for the trans. An, it is supported by the convertor, and isnt rigid. In fact, you should be able to pull it in and out a ways..Like between .035 and .080 if memory serves right. That's the end play spec for 727s/904s. But, the loose valve body bolt is an indicator of nasty vibes in there...
And, you 360 convertor SHOULD have a weight, and the 318 may have a very small one. B&M make a flex plate that solves the weighted convertor deal and lets you run any nuetral convertor. Keep your chin up!
 
In regards to weights on convertors Ive had a few custom convertors built (neutral balanced) and they all needed some type of weight.Ive watched them being balanced and its the same pricipal as balancing a tire,they find how far out and where the imbalance is and tack the correct amount of weight on to compensate.
 
Ill have to snap a picture of the size of the wieght, that damn thing is huge for a converter wieght. Most of the weights I have seen on a converter are maybe 1/8" thick, 1" wide and maybe 3/4" tall. I kid you not this one is 1/4" thick 3" wide and 1 1/8" tall. Just insane to me! lol
I have fortunately picked up a bunch of knowledge concerning machinery over the years, between working on F-14's in the Navy, working on boat motors, and being a welder / fabricator, I have learned the value of doing it the correct way the first time. Also I can realize when I am in over my head, which fortunately I have set a high bar for that. Im not afraid to tackle darn near anything. Thx for the feedback guys. OH and as for the new trans I have the balanced flex plate from B&M and a torque converter with no weights. From my research thats what I c
 
Ill have to snap a picture of the size of the wieght, that damn thing is huge for a converter wieght. Most of the weights I have seen on a converter are maybe 1/8" thick, 1" wide and maybe 3/4" tall. I kid you not this one is 1/4" thick 3" wide and 1 1/8" tall. Just insane to me! lol
I have fortunately picked up a bunch of knowledge concerning machinery over the years, between working on F-14's in the Navy, working on boat motors, and being a welder / fabricator, I have learned the value of doing it the correct way the first time. Also I can realize when I am in over my head, which fortunately I have set a high bar for that. Im not afraid to tackle darn near anything. Thx for the feedback guys. OH and as for the new trans I have the balanced flex plate from B&M and a torque converter with no weights. From my research thats what I came up with, for what I needed. Please if I am incorrect somebody save me!!!!!!! thx guys :thumbup:
 
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