Pulled the worn out 427 and Ole Reliable (TH400) out today.
Installed the 505 and 200-4R.

505 based on the BSE combo:

4.350 bore
4.250 stroke
6.135 rods
10.2-1 compression, SRP pistons.
100 cc chamber 390 casting oval with generous port work, 2.19/1.88 valves.
factory windage tray, added crank scraper.

CC custom Xtreme solid roller 242/248 @ .050 with a 112 LSA. 1.8 roller rockers.
Crower Severe Duty lifters.

1 3/4" generic headers.

Factory GM Aluminum hi-rise rectangular intake, stock chrome valve covers ;)

7qt pan with some "clearancing".

Appears as a 375Hp 396 to the casual observer...
Points style distibutor and all.

Hoping for a smooth idling, stock appearing, monster of a street car.

We'll see tomorrow,
it is setting in the bay waiting on the "litle stuff".

The old tired 427 will live again though.
It still has GM slugs in it...

Should be a killer combo. Going stealth is fun. Hope you fool a lot of folks.

What kinds of mods are needed to the 2004r to live behind that combo?? Would a Bowtie Stage 3?

6D9,

I build my own trannies and would only trust about 4-5 people in the country to build a 200-4R for this type of application.

Bruce Toelle of PTS in Cali has been an innovator in the 200-4R world and has some nice parts. if you have the coin I would trust his build as far as a 200-4R goes.

Second would be CK Performance in NY.

Both make a billet forward drum that take care of the major hard parts weakness.

The drum alone is ~$400 from CK or ~$600 from PTS.
I went with the CK drum.

I did however use the PTS shift kit and PR kit but since building this trans and another similar to it, the TransGo kit is very similar to the PTS kit and includes the PR kit, so would save a guy about $100.

The few others I would trust use PTS or CK parts to build the trans.

Art Carr has a beefed up drum for $150 but it isn't on par with the billet units from PTS or CK.

for my build I used the billet forward drum,
HD pump rings, 10 vane pump,
Alto red friction clutches,
Alto wide band,
PTS shift kit and PR kit,
Grand National core trans with good valve body
GN converter
late model input shaft
billet servo,
added a clutch to the overdrive pack,
dual fed the direct clutches,
hardened stator and sun shell,
and otherwise paid attention to the build and replaced both the sprags.

I have actually heard from the real Art Carr that Bruce at PTS billet parts are not necessary unless you are pushing over 800hp. They also say that Bruce does NOT provide them with any parts whatsoever, even though he claims that he does. ART carr uses a heat treating process on their tranny parts. There basic 2004R is rated up to 700-800 horse BB. They said that although Bruces parts are techincally nice they are way overkill and that he is "billet crazy".

cody,
I would agree for the most part.

Bruce has produced some bulletproof parts for the 200-4R.
I don't believe they are all necessary and you see what I used in my build...
That should tell you something...

The Art Carr drum is a heat treated unit and probably is much better than just a stock one, and probably is good for most enthusiasts needs.

I don't know if Bruce provides parts for Art Carr, doesn't matter too much.

I don't do a lot of business with Bruce,
I bought some parts,
and that is about all I'll say that I haven't already said.

PTS stuff is a little expensive for my taste but if I get to the point where I need some other pieces I may consider buying more PTS stuff.

The forward drum on the 200 is a weakness and one where I don't want to take the chance of it failing.

I would like to be able to go drag racing, launch wheels up, and drive home.

Not pay a $100 tow bill for a part I know better than to try to use.

I also don't believe HP ratings are good measure for trans parts, TQ or ET would be more accurate.

And 800 HP 300 cube motor is probably easier on trans hard parts than a 800 HP 700 cube motor.

The 200 has alot of the same weakness' as a 700.
2nd band
servo,
sun shell,
pump rings,
valve body calibration.

Fix these common issues and the forward drum and you have a good unit IMO.

Jacob, good luck and much fun with the new combo. Think you'll find it idles at 15" and sounds nearly like a stock motor. In a stock rear Camaro, this type of setup has too much low end torque, lets see if you can harness it better!

( i hope to do the same thing in a few years, but wuth a hyd cam for pure stealth).

Jake.. Have fun man... Keep us posted on how the 200R4 case holds up under all of that torque. That is if you can get it to hook consistantly ;) :D

Good luck Jake...good to hear you got the new bullet in the heavy chevy...I'm with you,I'd rather pay for bullet proof parts,than have to change a transmission again graemlins/thumbsup.gif One of our tracks in the area opens back up Feb.1,hoping to get a little more track time on the new trans and converter. I've since added a rear sway bar,hoping to add some consistency to the 60ft times. All I really left to do is lash the valves again. I'm going to run another year with the engine as is and get some paint on ole paint this spring.

I had one of Bruces 2004R's with all the billet parts behind a ProCharged 540. It made over 800 rwhp and over 800 rwtq. We did countless chassis dyno pulls, including the Dyno pack chassis dyno that bolts to the rear axles to eliminate slippage. Also a lot of street datalogging. All pulls were in 3rd gear and the convertor locked. This is about as much strain as you can possibly put on the unit. After having it nearly a year the convertor failed, burned up the clutch. Bruce replaced it with his new billet unit with a kevlar clutch. He also completely disassembled the 2004R to freshen it up and see what it looked like. There was not a single clutch or part to replace, absolutely nothing with excessive wear. He simply re-assembled it with the same parts.

This was a case of needing all the billet stuff to survive and gives an example of what these trannies can handle. Jake is correct in that most will not need all this. Bruce has some awesome stuff, and Jake definitely knows these trannies too.

Jody

Jody is right,
behind 800 lbs of TQ I would want everything...

The billet works...

The key here is I build my own,
so I can risk a failure on the non-common items.
If it scatters due to something else, I'll spend the money and fix it.

If you are buying a unit from a big name builder, he has to provide some type of reliability.

I'm hoping my build does well behind this stroker motor.
I have some naysayers to disprove.

Well Art Carr said a 800 Big block chevy. BUt that is a lot different than a 800 REAR wheel horse! :eek:

Jake,

Bruce's handle is "WE4" isn't it??

Or do I have my handles wrong??

pdq67

Yup pdq you are right WE4 is Bruce.

Jake good luck on the trans.

Jim

Worked on it today.
Spent all morning running around getting more last minute stuff...

Everything under the hood is pretty much buttoned up.
Installed the distributor, carb, tightened the heders up, assembled the plug wires and loomed them up, installed the radiator, fan, and shroud.

Need to clean up the coil bracket, and install the coil, hook up a couple of wires, and make a fuel line from the frame to the carb.

Underneath I still need to install a driveshaft.
Picked up a good used driveshaft today, installed new u-joints, and then discovered I will need a conversion joint for the rear.

Got the TV cable bracket fabbed up, geometry all looks correct and the bracket setup looks almsot factory smile.gif

My Q-jet was already setup for the OD trans, so didn't have to fiddle with it.

Still need to install my 4th gear pressure switch (lost in the mess), finish my trans sump pickup tube/filter assembly, and install the trans pan.

Then hook up the electric fuel pump, and fill 'er up with fluids.

Should be ready to rock-n-roll middle of the week, and ready to go racing next weekend smile.gif

Jacob,good luck with your combo..sounds like its gonna be sweet! graemlins/thumbsup.gif :cool:

Here's a few pics on webshots

http://community.webshots.com/album/101344790mLwgNc

sounds awesome. Good luck Jake.

Jake,
it almost looks like you need a shorter pushrod in one of those pics.

It's just the pic, weird angle.
The geometry is good.

I paid alot of attention to the geometry on this motor due to the extreme lift and high rocker ratio.

And the way the pic looks it would actually need a longer pushrod.
Longer moves the rocker toward the intake side of the valve.

Originally posted by jakeshoe:
It's just the pic, weird angle.
The geometry is good.

I paid alot of attention to the geometry on this motor due to the extreme lift and high rocker ratio.

And the way the pic looks it would actually need a longer pushrod.
Longer moves the rocker toward the intake side of the valve. Jacob,

I've always found that the wear area on top of the valve stem will move towards the exhaust port as the pushrod is lengthened. If I have one that is too close to the intake manifold side of the valve a longer pushrod is always needed to move it out to the center of the valve stem.

Jody

Jake,

what is the latest? got any ET's? graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Jake I like your "396", should run real well.

I'll give another vote for Bruce Toelle http://www.2004rperformancecenter.com/ He built the billet 200 4R that is in my '65, and it is fabulous. With some combo and chassis tuning I expect high 10's will be happening. I didn't get to use the lockup on the converter during my first drag passes - but it is now all hooked up for this weekend's racing.

Thomas

Originally posted by Purs:
Jake,

what is the latest? got any ET's? graemlins/thumbsup.gif I think he had some problems with the 505 and put the 427 back in.

Jody

Jody is mostly correct,
I've spent the last several months fighting the 505.
And decided I've had enough.

After spending about 8K total, it will become an engine stand ornament.

It has never ran long enough or reliably enough to drive 10 miles to the track. Nor am I willing to continue pouring money into it when I had a perfectly drivable 12 second combo.

The 427 pieces will be picked up from the machine shop this weekend and back in soon.

I'll post a list of problems encountered on the 505/200-4R setup.
Keep in mind I've been doing this for a while, expect some "bugs" but have NEVER had Murphy eat me alive like this...


History...:
Worn out daily driven 427,
Performer intake,
Q-jet,
1 3/4" chaepie headers,
~9.75-1 comp.
Comp 270H cam on a 112 LSA, 224@.050 .510 lift.
Open Chamber oval port 049 heads with bowl port and stock valves.
Ran 12.90's at 105 with a cheap 2200 converter, 3.73 gears, 26" slicks.
Motor never missed a beat, never did much but oil changes to it. It was so worn out it sounded like a diesel at idle, smoked (bad) on decel after a hard run, and just generally was long overdue for a rebuild.

Installed a 4.350 bore X 4.25 stroke 505 cid motor.
10.2 comp,
flattop, closed chamber ovals with mild porting, 2.19/1.88 valves.
830 cfm Holley
Comp Solid roller 242/248 @.050. .648/.654 lift, 112 LSA.
1.7 roller rockers,
1 3/4" headers
same converter,
same 3.73's,
same intake,
and a pure headache.

After spending about $5K to build this thing..

Everything went well on the stand, clearanced, assembly went smooth, all was well... Only things I didn't like was the method used by the local "Precision Engine Builder" to balance, and the fact that the drivers head had been previously welded but pressure checked OK.

Installed motor,
oil pan would not fit,
hammered it to temporarily install motor.
Ordered a new stock type pan.
Lifted motor, installed new pan and pickup.

Fired it up for about 2 minutes...
Everything sounded good, but one of the rear freeze plugs was leaking. Same Permatex sealant I've always used, same installation method used on hundreds of other motors..
Removed fresh 200-4R to re-install freeze plug.

Re-install 200-4R.

re-fire motor.
Weird issues with what seemed like motor siezing.. Oil pressure was 90-100 psi cold with 10w-30 oil, more than expected but I used a HV pump to offset soem of the oil peeing out the HIPPO lifters.

The weird issue was the converter snout in the crank, grabbing and making the odd noise, and shutting off the motor.
This ruined the trans front pump.
Didn't know until later though...

Finally get the driveshaft setup for the 200-4R, hook up converter, trans TV setup, driveline.
Fire it up, motor is missing seems to have a vacuum leak, smoking out left bank.

Popped off intake,
replaced gaskets.
get it fired back up, same deal.
Check compression, it is good, #3 plug is too clean...
Leakdown test, compression into cooling system...

Pull head, find another casting,
port it, have new guides, hard seats, valve job, surfacing done to replace the bad cyl head.

Install the new cylinder head. Put a new set of Hedman Elite coated headers on while I'm at it...
Re-fire.
Engine sounds better but is smoking out right bank..
Intake gaskets are actually leaking this time...
Change intake gaskets and they leak again...
Pull the GM rect intake off (stock appearance...) install my Edel Performer oval.
Problem fixed...
GM intake did not have enough material on the bottom of the ports I guess..
Intake gaskets are $22 a set... Wanna figure that up...

Also changing plugs each time to replace fouled ones.
Fel-Pro and AC Delco stock should be up.

OK..
Got it driveable now..
Go around the block to test trans function, works pretty good but feels a little slippy shifting into OD.
Get back to house add some fluid.
Around the block again and it gets worse.
After messing with it it completely fails.

Out comes the 200-4R and back in goes the TH400 and mild converter.

Yep that's 3 times the trans has been out in about 2 miles.

Get the TH400 back in,

Starter was too noisy, grinding.
Try to shim it, replace bolts with GM pieces, no help.
Get an old style starter, install my cast iron nose to replace the small GM min-starter I had been using.
It won't crank the motor fast enough but does not grind. Timing does not affect the cranking speed..
Install new ground cable, clean connections, fresh battery, cranks slow.
Buy a whiz bang racing starter, it cranks fine but grinds. Moves around too much..

Let is sit a couple of more weeks (sick of the POS as it is).
get a local starter shop to build me a killer starter using my cast nose.

Cranks the car fine...

Finally another obstacle out of the way..

Still has a miss and what seems like a vacuum leak, change plugs, wires, complete ignition, re-lashed, sprayed everything for the gazillionth time, isolated all potential sources of vacuum leak, no help on miss.
Change carb from Q-jet to Holley 800 DP, no much better, drill the idle feed restrictions and the vacuum leak effect seems to be reduced.. No longer seems to miss as bad.

OK,
I think I can actually drive this thing...
Drive it about 3 miles...
It starts making valvetrain noise, gets bad, then lightens up...
#5 and #7 intake rocker studs backed off.
I installed new ARP's but no loc-tite, torqued to 70 lbs as specified.
This ruined 1 pushrods and 2 Harland Sharp 1.8 rockers.
Ordered a set of Comp Pro-Mag 1.7 rockers.
And a GM 3/8" pushrod...

Got it re-fired,
drove it around,
headed home and the new GM pushrod bent and got loose.

Beat the pushrod up,
so ordered a set of chromoly pushrods, installed those..

re-lashed everything AGAIN. How many times have a lashed it... I quit counting awhile back.

Bought a Holley 830 from a board member to get a decent carb on thsi motor. Carb performs good, better than anything else. Idles as good as it has yet, good response to the idle mixture screws, etc..

Motor has had detonation problems since I first drove it..
Timing never seemed to affect it much, 180 T-stat, jetted up both Holley's to see if it was a lean condition, took the Holley 830 from a 78 to an 86 secondary jet with little improvement.
But then the timing did seem to have an affect.
Bought some 100LL gas at the airport to tune it with.
Bought an advance curve kit and a Crane adjustable vacuum advance this weekend after diagnosing a bad vacuum advance canister last week.
Installed today, played with the tuning a bit in the driveway. Took it for a test drive...

Woo-Hoo.
Jump in it in 1st and 6500 rpm hits before I realize it, get it into 3rd and then just cruise out about a mile to my "tuning area".
Just as I get there the car backfires through the exhaust, carb, dies and coasts to a stop.

Get out, check a few wires, pull the oil fill off valve cover to check for rocker arm movement, OK, pull dizzy cap, no rotor movement...

Pull dizzy,
gear is chewed up.
Stock gear,
cam has a pressed on cast gear,
mesh was correct.

Tow it home, change gears, look at the cam gear, it appears a little worn but not badly chewed up.
Installed dizzy again, go for another drive, just to load up everything and see how it runs, since I FINALLY got it decent tuned and the valvetrain to stay intact.

Car will flat out haul balls.
Whole thing squats in 1st on launch even on street tires with a rolling start, keeps the front up and the back pinned to the seat nice and hard all the way through 3rd to over 110 mph.
Was stumbling slightly in 3rd from fuel starvation (cheap temporary pump) but still pulling hard.
Hits 6500 like nothing in 1st and 2nd even though the operating range is meant to be about 5800, I could never "feel" it slack off.

I pulled the dizzy again when I got home and the fresh gear was showing odd pattern already so..
at this point, I know it needs a cam or new gear pressed on, lower pressure oil pump, and who knows how much metal got into the bearings.

So next weekend,
I'm loading up the slicks,
re-installing the distributor,
driving it to the local 1/8th track,
making a few passes or getting kicked off.
Then hopefully driving it home.

My 427 will be ready to pick up from the machine shop next weekend.

It is now:
427 + .030
9.75-1 comp
Merlin oval heads with 2.19/1.88 valves,
Crane 284 cam, 228@.050 .544? lift, 112 LSA.
Edel RPM Q-jet intake
800 cfm Q-jet used previously,
1 3/4" Elite headers,
Same 3.73's and an improved converter, 10" ATI probably.

The nightmare 505 will go on the stand, be pulled down after ~100 miles for inspection, cam fixed or replaced, stock oil pump installed, and it will await a different chassis. Something that will tech for 9's or 10's.

What a PITA it's been. I've been thoroughly whooped.

I guess the 140 gph electric pump, relay, Mallory regulator, and all the braided stuff I have in a box here will go on something else..

427 will get a Carter pump.

Anybody got a racing chassis ready to go certed for 9's?


I EXPECT a few bugs,
oil pan deal, no biggie.

freeze plug, no biggie

Intake gaskets, no biggie.

All combined, already a big PITA.

cylinder head, PITA but not terribly expensive, just disheartening. Wouldn't have been a problem IF the machinist had notified me before doing work it was welded. I would have replaced it on the spot.
I may be using 38 year old stuff, but not 38 year old junk.

starter problem, just absolutely pissed me off for several reasons.
I've BTDT before and it still got me.
I was mad because I let the machinist balance this thing using the flexplate and balancer (his way, definitely NOT mine) and it almost cost me the balance job.

The detonation problem was irritating because the whole ignition system came straight from my 427 and ran fine at near the same comp, on 89 octane with 34 degrees.
Then it wouldn't work in the 505.
Combo of things, bad vaccum advance canister, worn out bushings in the advance weights, etc..

The trans problem,
pretty much Murphy and my fault.
I've fired fresh motor/trans combos many times with the converter unhooked.
I always put the front of the car on stands to make sure the converter will not get into the flexplate, nothing different here.
Usually do it to get the motor initially setup, and not have to worry about fluid level on the trans.
Bit me this time, learned something.

It wasn't a big deal to fix the trans but now it is in the possession of an insurance company, I haven;t recieved a dime of compensation for it or my totalled truck yet, and I have a $2500 replacement cost trans in an impound yard somewhere I cannot access because it is a "pending claim".
Fuqqin BS.

That's another story.

Jake that sucks. :(
BTDT myself and watched my best friends 56 pickup go through 5+ engine removals in one summer. Truck also has been on fire once and pushed from a burning building since it was built. Some rigs or combos just end up with bad karma I think. Old Blue is on her 3rd motor since 1997. Best one yet, all probuilt. Already got a 496 waiting on the sidelines if need be. Since 97 she has got beat up by a guard rail, broke a TH400 case, ruined a brake rotor, bent a couple pushrods, cracked a piston, sat with no motor for 4 months because of the machineshop (ugly long story graemlins/angry.gif ) Blue cars have always been a curse for me. My first blue 68 was definitely jinxed. In the short time I owned it a big pile of parts was gone through. In the end I even got screwed out of the car itself :mad:
As for rolling certifiables :D www.racingjunk.com (http://www.racingjunk.com) usally has some good candidates. If you don't have something by Oct my 70 might be available as a roller too ;) .

My 2004R has held up fine with the heat treated parts behind the 502 for 3 years now and I don't exactly baby the motor or trans. I usually travel from point to point in the fast lane only. I think the 200 is a great all around overdrive trans for the street.Plus I'm not worried about full throtle shifts into overdrive.Most people told me at the time I was crazy for putting in the 200 that it wouldn't last.
Mark

Dang Jake, that REALLY sucks. I'm sorry for your trouble. It sure makes my little problems with my build seem like nothing. Hope the 427 going back in goes better. graemlins/beers.gif

Wow, now that is quite a chain of events. There have been many times when building cars that I had to ask myself why I signed up for such punishment. Now I just say that it either goes or it blows - and if it blows I just start building again.

But when it finally all comes together and is totally bitchin, that's when I answer the question of exactly why it is that I like to build hot rods.

Thomas

damn Jake,,,ole Murphy is following you and my son around....he's on his 3rd cam and just got the trans back in again for the 3rd time. I asked him if he's depressed yet. He's not. I can remember when I was his age,spent more time under them than I did in the seat. Now that I'm older,I kinda like the seat better graemlins/waving.gif

Go, Jake! I gotta get some spare time so I can come by and see your ride when I'm in town.

The TH350 you built for me is a HOSS! I did a coupla humongous burnouts on a sidestreet this weekend and the guy a couple doors down has a nice glass willys with a mild 350/350. Asked me what I was running behind the 434 - he didn't believe it was a local build 350. You sure build 'em tight! I gave him your email address - he may contact you in a few weeks - says he's trading the Willys for a recently restored 56 Chev w/new BBC but blown tranny and trashed rearend.

Best,

Mike,
Cool.
I like to hear about my trannys...

The TH350's really do seem to work good and hold up good with the modded Transgo setup I do.

How is that 434 running? smile.gif Sounds like pretty good.

After being pissed about it AGAIN for a few days, while building a 700-R4 (the one that was in line before Mike's trans last year... LOL), I needed some supplies from the parts store so sent the wife.
She was gone for about 30 minutes, she gets back I had the intake, and valve covers off the 505, and before leaving for work today I had the cam out.
After getting less than desirable service from Comp Cams I sent the cam to another company to be repaired.
Did I mention I've bought my last cam from Comp Cams...

Anyway they are going to cut off the pressed on distributor gear and install a new one.
Cam is in the mail...

So,
later this week I'm going to pull the pan off the motor in chassis, inspect a coupel of bearings for contamination, and if all is well, install a stock volume oil pump, reinstall the repaired cam or maybe upgrade to a different more aggressive (slightly bigger, tighter LSA) setup, rinse the motor thoroughly with brake-clean, install a RPM intake, and give it ONE MORE TRY. Been saying that for about 3 months now.

Just hard to bring myself to "quit" since I've into it a gazillion $$, and finally had it running right.

I may still end up pulling the motor in a few weeks to install in a different chassis if my deal for a '67 Chevelle SS works out.

The '69 would work well with the 427 and the 200-4R if I ever get my GN core back... or at least some $$ for it.

The 505 and Th400 can go into a different chassis with a small converter, 4.10 gear, cage, and other racing goodies.

I WILL get at least ONE 1/4 mile pass out of this POS.
Rods hanging out the pan or not.

Yo, Jake. After I got the carb thing worked out (went with a demon cause the hp750 was trashed inside), the 434 is a thumper. Joe did a killer job on it. The only thing I've got to chase down is blowby on the right bank. I'll get white smoke out of the valve cover breather on startup and stinging red eyes if I lean into the engine bay when she's warmed up. I'm just having too much fun with it to be pulling it apart again, but may wind up doing that before long. I may sell the motown heads and go with Darts or something else.

Hey, I'm gettin worried about my comp cam with all the horror stories I been hearing. I would have gone with Lunati, but UDH hadn't landed there yet. Oh well.

Something tells me you'll get way more than one solid pass out of your car!

Best,

Jake,

May I suggest that you consider going with a good old solid cam until you really get the big motor sorted out??

One like the good old CC 282S or one of Harold's more modern grinds should really do you fine up to say, 550 or more hp for starters, imho..

That way, the cam will be out of the way so you can get the other, nit-picking, things worked out..

Sorry for all the "teething" problem 's with the 505...

pdq67

Paul,
Funny thing is I FINALLY got it running right, jsut before the gear stripped.

It's a tease.

If I had still been having tuning problems when the gear let go, it would have already been out and on the stand...

But since I got one good run at my "test area" with no detonation, and even fuel starved it felt stout.

So the roller goes back in. After spending ~$1500 on the roller I ain't backing down.
I intially bought a custom ground solid flat tappet for this motor. 236/242@ .050 with a 112 LSA but decided it was a bit small and I wanted a roller. Still have that cam in the box here. Will save for antoher day.

As long as the bearings are OK, it gets one more try.

I spent $430 on Crower SD rollers with HIPPO so I'm not worried about lifter reliability.

I spent extra on the cam to get the iron gear installed, now I'm paying for it agian since the excessive oil pressure chewed the gear.

I never run a HV pump but did this time because of the HIPPO lifters bleeding oil. Apparantly that was a mistake.

Jake, sorry about your woes with the new combo. I have a friend who is going through many of the same things but he is dealing with a local machine shop. He has had the engine in and out of the car so many times in the last 2 months he needs to install quick disconnects on the motor mounts. From reading this post do you do transmission work for people? If so my th400 needs freshening up after 4 years of abuse. I live in the colony, tx. Good luck with your next startup.

Frank

Thats a lot of bad luck there, wish it could have been smooth sailin from the get-go. But at least now you know you dont have to deal with those problems in the future (hopefully). It wont take long before your anger and frustration will be replaced by excitement and determination to get that big 505 running good and strong again. Good luck with it all smile.gif

Frank,
I "occasionally" do trans work on the side.
I've ben trying not to lately due mostly to lack of a good neat area to do them.
Workign out of my dad's 1.5 car garage that is full of my tools, and his '68 Chevelle, my '69 in the driveway, a 'Vette 435 HP 427 on the stand, a 427 and Furd stroker motor that will both be on stands in the garage this weekend awaiting assembly, etc..
Oh and that pesky 700-R4 I promised a friend last Thanksgiving...
LOL

Anyway,
Tomorrow I gotta go pick up the 2 motors from the machinist, and get in gear and get that 700 mostly assembled.
Sunday I need to clean/organize the garage, and prepare to assemble this Furd stroker for my uncle's '69 Mach 1.

I took a hiatus from the tranny deal to help dad finish his '68 Malibu but it is done other than some A/C stuff.

So I can do a TH400 sometime but it'll probably be a month out and will take a week to do. I like to disassemble and drop off to be hot-tanked, then get back and reassemble.

I have a TH350 for a 200 mph Bonneville Salt Flats car to do in the next couple of weeks. I've already torn it down and just need to get a kit ordered. Amazing what centrifugal force does to one smile.gif
I get to do it in a real shop though smile.gif Hot tank right there, etc..

I miss the equipment I had at the dealership...

Anyway if you aren't in a hurry email me and maybe we can arrange something.
jakeshoe@hotmail.com

Jake, Sorry to hear about all the woe's. That could make a man go postal. I hope you get it all sorted out soon. I'd like to pick your brain for a minute. You brought up an issue that gives me cause for concern about my motor. You said your cam has the cast gear option so you could run a stock gear on the distributor. I also opted for this same set up on a steel billet core solid roller. I didn't want to run the sacrifical bronze distributor gear thus avoiding the metal filings swiriling around inside the motor. Do you have any idea as to why the gears failed? Could it have been cam walk, or excessive oil pump drive loading?

Thanks, Rob

Rob,
Pretty sure it was excessive loading.
Motor had TOO much oil pressure. I like to see no more than 60 psi max on a Chevy motor and this one was near 100 psi cold idle with 10-30.

Cam wasn't really chewed up bad, the dist gear was gone.

You made the right choice just do not use a HV oil pump.

Thanks Bro, and keep the faith, it'll get better smile.gif

Rob