dare_dude
Active Member
Anybody using A&A Tranny blanket? I see they offer a long and short version?
Trans shield
- Thread starter 63SplitWindow
- Start date
-
Anyone looking for a big block ultra shield it’s on the 500 inch Mopar Facebook page.
Ken Imthurn
Member
I will only use the shield. I have been running the same one for 15 years and just got it recertified for another 5 years. One thing you have to remember the shield cert is good for 5 years. The cert on the blanket is 2 years and has to be replaced. My CSR shield fits just fine in my small block/ 727 combo in a stock floor pan 68' Dart. Now I have seen stock 318 blow up a 727 trans on the starting line when the u joint broke and the trans was in first gear. The drum came through the case. I will not build a trans without a billet drum if you are going to drag race it.
Ken Imthurn
Member
One other item if you are running faster than 10.99 you are required to have a trans shield or blanket. My feeling is you are drag tires both bias ply or drag radials you should have a billet drum and a shield.
scotty1966
Well-Known Member
I agree with the aftermarket front drum ! Had a 383 nitrous Motor in a 67 Valiant and the transmission got weird on me shifting funky and slipping . Long story short the front drum was cracked on the back side all the way around with maybe 1-2" holding it together .No stock front drums for me anymore . Luckily I dodged that Bullet . There's stubborn people out there that wont upgrade them. It's just a matter of time until a rude awakening .
Ya the stock front drums are way too big of a risk. Luckily by the time I started racing, we were already into aftermarket drums so that’s all I know.
Dale Davies
Well-Known Member
Do those work in the outside world. Getting tired of the wokie tokie stoopidity going on. How do you refer to your car now; he, she, it, shim or as a friends ex referred to his truck project, that expensive heap of rust in the garage?
Coffee&Cars
Well-Known Member
Where were you people when I produced the BEST blanket on the market. For Mopar only, 727's & 904 and Push Button Cable Shift !!!! it fit's like a new suit. It also coverd the bell housing. No problem with tranny dip stick. No more capturing shift lever arm. It has cooling ducts to prevent heat build up. No more ugly belts hanging out the bottom. I also exceeded the SFI requirements with flying colors in the ballistics test.
Thickness has no bearing on strength!!!!!
Did you know you only have to pass 50% the SFI test to be certified???? Think hard about that one.
Go to you tube: Performance TV episode 1806 to see what you missed.
Thickness has no bearing on strength!!!!!
Did you know you only have to pass 50% the SFI test to be certified???? Think hard about that one.
Go to you tube: Performance TV episode 1806 to see what you missed.
Ken Imthurn
Member
But the blanket is only certified for 2 years and the Kevlar shield is 5 years and can be recertified for 15% of the original cost. Plus every blanket that I have dealt with usually oil soak and thrown away. I am sure your product is very good, but my pocketbook I will stay with my shield. I will go and find that episode.
Ken Imthurn
Member
Looks like a very good product. But out here on the West Coast never have heard of your company. The other issue all my small block cars run chassis headers and in the A bodies that is tight. The main problem out here is the engine diapers burning on the headers. In my new car I built my own headers to clear the engine diaper. Ever thought of making engine diapers?
63SplitWindow
Well-Known Member
Well, I guess I will have to buy a shield since there is no room between headers and shifter bracket to fit a blanket.
73smallblock
Well-Known Member
Link to your product?
Bluecuda340
Well-Known Member
That is exactly what I ran into, didn't see any other way around it. I'm not unhappy with the shield thought.
63SplitWindow
Well-Known Member
What shield did you go with?
Ken Imthurn
Member
CSR Performance Products. The only item is the body seam in the trans tunnel needs to be flattened or removed before installing the trans in the car. I cut mine back and reweld the seam in a few places. That goes for any type shield. I have seen the blankets get torn on that seam and then they are no good.
Bluecuda340
Well-Known Member
I went with the CSR shield. I had to beat the seam flat and beat the whole passenger side of the tunnel larger.
I had an empty case I was able to use for mockup and that paid off big time.
I had an empty case I was able to use for mockup and that paid off big time.
BVoelzke
Well-Known Member
I have had to cut off a few of the unused bosses on the case of my 904s for the CSR shield to fit properly
Coffee&Cars
Well-Known Member
Heating issues were solved by using simple heat shielding wrap around the headers. Soft blankets can be easily cleaned of oil saturation. If your leaking that bad you should fix your leaks! You are a hazard to the other racers on the track. Blankets returned to me that were not abused were RE-certified (as per SFI) for another 2 years. I did this "free" of cost except fot shipping charges (less then $20). No bosses need to be removed to make it fit. It fits in "ALL" trans tunnels without modification.
Now a few words of caution. After market drums do not always help. In fact they can make things worse! All they do is increase the rpm at witch they will explode. And when they do release at a much higher rpm they can release even more explosive energy. The drum explosion problem is not caused by the drum it's self. It is due to the failure of the over run clutch or sprag as some call it. Stock drums do not cause explosions. Stock drums do not cause the clutches to slip. Worn out clutch plates and friction disks do. Stronger sprags are available and can help.
However, the most common cause of the over run clutch failure is operator error.
What is the reason they fail? Engine blow ups. Other drive line failures like drive shaft breakage and rear end breakage. Operator failure? Yes! When you leave the starting line and the tires slip "NEVER" let off the throttle and slam it back down. When you let off the gas it unloads the over run clutch. Then when you slam the gas this reloads the clutch with a sledge hammer effect. This slams the over run clutch into engagement. You all know what a neutral drop is right? This causes the over run clutch to break.
So here is the real skinny on protection. Use the lightest aluminum drum you can get. They will release (blow up) with less energy since they have less mass. I have researched this intensely from racers personally. Steel drums will more than likely destroy the carbon fiber shield and injure is likely to occur. Aluminum drums may give you a chance since they are lighter, thus having less kinetic energy.
One thing you people don't realize is that ballistic materials of high quality that can do this job are very expensive!! Imagine trying to kill a cow with a BB gun. A police vest is over $1200. The cost of my blanket at $800 is a lot less than loosing an arm or leg or some life changing injury.
Now a few words of caution. After market drums do not always help. In fact they can make things worse! All they do is increase the rpm at witch they will explode. And when they do release at a much higher rpm they can release even more explosive energy. The drum explosion problem is not caused by the drum it's self. It is due to the failure of the over run clutch or sprag as some call it. Stock drums do not cause explosions. Stock drums do not cause the clutches to slip. Worn out clutch plates and friction disks do. Stronger sprags are available and can help.
However, the most common cause of the over run clutch failure is operator error.
What is the reason they fail? Engine blow ups. Other drive line failures like drive shaft breakage and rear end breakage. Operator failure? Yes! When you leave the starting line and the tires slip "NEVER" let off the throttle and slam it back down. When you let off the gas it unloads the over run clutch. Then when you slam the gas this reloads the clutch with a sledge hammer effect. This slams the over run clutch into engagement. You all know what a neutral drop is right? This causes the over run clutch to break.
So here is the real skinny on protection. Use the lightest aluminum drum you can get. They will release (blow up) with less energy since they have less mass. I have researched this intensely from racers personally. Steel drums will more than likely destroy the carbon fiber shield and injure is likely to occur. Aluminum drums may give you a chance since they are lighter, thus having less kinetic energy.
One thing you people don't realize is that ballistic materials of high quality that can do this job are very expensive!! Imagine trying to kill a cow with a BB gun. A police vest is over $1200. The cost of my blanket at $800 is a lot less than loosing an arm or leg or some life changing injury.
Ken Imthurn
Member
Your blanket will not fit my application. Now also you are correct, the drum exploding is the result of something else. Most I have seen are stock U joints breakage in the burnout box, the trans in first gear. Now when you do a burnout you start in second. Now I have never seen a billet drum explode after a breakage. Not saying it can't happen, but very unlikely.
Do you still sell these blankets? My team members and myself would like to know because we constantly complain about our CSR shields.
On another note, A&A's aluminum and steel drums were tested to 32,000 rpm without failure. That means the engine RPM would have to reach over 14,000 RPM (14,000x 2.2=31,360rpm) before the drum should reach its limit. Not saying crazy things can't happen, you could have a bad drum, or weak steel/aluminum, which could cause it to fail at less RPM, but I would be willing to bet the risk of an aftermarket drum coming apart like a stock powdered iron drum are low. Especially if you are running a low band apply valve body and 6 bolt 16 element bolt in sprag. Again, not saying it "CAN'T" happen, but just seems like low risk in todays day and age.
Coffee&Cars
Well-Known Member
I do my B-O's in second also. But sometimes in 1st and 2nd, I haven't ever had a problem with that Billet drum? Can't say I have ether, although those I have seen don't talk to much on their way to a hospital. Seriously though the billet drum I think has a spread of 16k to 18k rpm. So at launch it may see this rpm if you run a high stall converter. It's hard to calculate because people are still holding down the gas peddel when it goes off. People can not react fast enough to stop it. When it breaks it spins the drum 2:45 (first gear ratio) times the rpm it blew at. Stock drums are usually good to 10-12k, so if yours blew out at launch with a 5500 rpm converter it spun to at least 13,475 rpm. Now with our slow reaction times or a even higher converter it can get way out hand very fast. As a mater of fact I had a response from a guy with a hemi roadrunner. He said he blew one of these up. He was rewarded with looseing half a foot. It also went through a carbon fiber ^&* shield before hitting him.
BVoelzke
Well-Known Member
I agree... I do my burnouts in second gear only by recommendation of my trans builder , no shifting during. My only trans failure has been when we tried a low first gear set and the other time I had the shifter way out of adjustment. I have never blown one up in 40 years of running 904s just normal wear and tear , my present trans has been in for 6 years with no problems . I have a complete spare ready to go if it fails same with the converter . I only run 11.50s with 60 fts 1.49-1.51 foot braking leaving at 2,000 with a 527 hp 367c.i. small block but I still worry about failures even with the p.i.a. CSR shield and good trans parts. As I said before the shield isn't required for my e.t. but I leave it in for safety . A trans brake is legal in the classes I run my trans builder and I have considered it but imo it just heightens the probability of failure and breakage . I could go to a " glide " with a SFI certified case but I like the way the car leaves and I don't want to change my whole combination. Sure would be nice if someone like A&A or Pro Trans made a SFI certified case for a 904. With all the NHRA Stock and Super Stockers running 904s I am surprised no one makes one.
Last edited:
When I spoke with Rick Allison at the Mopar Nats, it was my understanding that he still has intentions on producing an aftermarket case for the 727/904. When? That is to be determined.
BVoelzke
Well-Known Member
That would be great !! I m sure there is a market for them including me
Yes sir, as for me and many others as well.
-
