low budget bracket racing blues

[TrailBeast]

Dexron with additives.

Most trans damage I have ever seen was either worn or burned clutches, broken bands, torn up pumps from failed or worn converter bushing, or flat out broken crap like sun shells or input shafts.
Seen very little acual lubrication damage overall except may converter bushings.

I was told by an old trans guy that type F is stickier, but not as good a lubricant, and that Dextron is a good lubricant, but not as sticky.

Care to guess what those expensive automatic racing fluids are?

 

[Guitar Jones]

Here's my take on this. First, you didn't say how old or how fresh the engine is, if you did I missed it. The ring seal could be going away. It would be evident that the car runs better when hot.

Secondly I don't use a cooler on my race car trans and I leave off a tranzbrake. The car is more consistent without it. Just put a temp gauge in the pan. B, or whatever number we are on, yes you need an extension on the filter and lastly, without a cooler you need to run a good synthetic fluid whether it's dexron or type F. I don't use type F personally as it decreases the stall speed of the converter a little but it shouldn't hurt it.

Oh and as long as the engine is running putting it in neutral won't hurt anything on the return road, it's still being lubed. I have shut my engine off and coasted innumerubal times and there is no appreciable wear on the rear support.

 

[moper]

What convertor is in the car? I had a TCI years back (when they were decent...) and one day it just started whining... Like a gear drive sound, but only in gear. It was the stator bearing in the convertor. Sent it back and they replaced it for free. It did not make a peep in nuetral or park. And no problem with coasting in nuetral... Been doing it for years and years. I use ATF+4 or synthetic. I'd rather have lower temps than thicker.

 

[70aarcuda]

been coasting down the return road for upteen years with 904s..with engine shut off...never had any trans problems ....and been using type F walmart brand trans fluid.

 

[540demon]

You want low budget bracket racing...... Go buy a mid 90s Buick. Drive up to the lights with the shifter in "Drive".

im basically doing that...except with mo-power! the car shifts itself,and isnt all that fast (8.0's-1/8th) and started out working very well. went to several test n tunes to work it all in and find the bugs. it entered its first race this past saturday and we got runner up! so i guess what im working with is gonna work...if i ever get all the new bugs out.

i tightened the bands (the other day) and put fluid and a filter in it tonight. after 3 failed tries at getting the pan sealed i gave it up for tonight. i pulled the drain plug and its magnet is covered in "the black paste" that covered the bottom of the pan when i originally dropped it...and yes i cleaned everything up good before i put it back together. when i drop the pan im expecting it to be covered again. im hoping the new fluid just washed out the trans/converter into the pan...but im expecting the worst. ive acquired a freshly rebuilt trans,but the torque converter price (for a good one) is my only hold up on that....im hoping to get a few races outta the junk already in place but it aint lookin good.
used atf+4 because thats the info i got from a google search.
im sure glad to hear im not hurting anything coasting down the return road. my first race went round robin the last few rounds and i needed the extra cooling time.
when my peggy bundy gives me a break i guess i'll be trying a SMR converter. anybody ever had any luck (good or bad ) outta one of those?
im considering blocking off the car off to about 1/2 throttle and try to limp into the next few races...i was thinking about deep staging off idle to try and cut a light. maybe this junk b&m converter will live a few weeks like that?

 

[540demon]

Here's my take on this. First, you didn't say how old or how fresh the engine is, if you did I missed it. The ring seal could be going away. It would be evident that the car runs better when hot.

I don't use a cooler on my race car trans and I leave off a tranzbrake. The car is more consistent without it. Just put a temp gauge in the pan. B, or whatever number we are on, yes you need an extension on the filter

i dissasembled and inspected the engine before i put it in. it came from a friend of a friend who pulled out an old truck. visually it appeared to have almost zero wear anywhere...everything looked like new. it couldnt have had many miles at all.
i woulda never thought you could race one without a cooler. it makes sense to me that the fluid doesnt change temp as much. how long does a trans usually last in your car and does it run every weekend?

 

[Candyboy321]

I'm an old trans guy and I've built lots of bracket race 727s.
First I want to say that the fluid coming from the front fitting (hot) is exiting the torque converter. This fluid needs to be cooled and filtered as it is used for Lubrication when it comes back to the trans. Stock valve bodies don't have flow though the cooler in park, but do have flow in neutral and all other gears. I keep filters in stock to plug inline. I recommend using ATF+4 fluid for all 727s it costs more but has a very high boiling point which keeps the torque converter from turning blue and the rear drum from galling it's support smearing the low sprag lube hole shut and ruining the sprag. I usually drill an extra hole.062" through the case to help keep the sprag wet.
The next thing is the inner seal of the front drum. it's too small. All the new kits that I buy have both the original style and a wide style seal. I always use the wide one.

I recommend using a transgo shift kit. Their TF-2 kit for automatic shifting and their TF-3 kit for manual. Either one can be shifted to neutral after the run and both are forward pattern.
Always check your fluid in neutral and use neutral for long idle periods. (tuning carbs..etc.)
I'm working on a '69 barracuda coupe to run in our sportsman and no-E classes.
It will have a 383 B engine with solid flat tappet cam, KB hyper domed .060 over pistons, 440 source heads, Eagle H-beam rods, and my homemade fuel injection. I'm hoping to run right at 11 flat in the quarter on E-85.