Hello.

Some advice needed for a hot rodder friend of mine in Europe.

It has nothing to do with Chevelles but with 454 and TH-400 from a '87 truck and a little with '82 Camaro.

As there are no experienced people in Estonia, I hope you people are able to generate some ideas.

A feature of the car can be found at: http://tqhq.ee/est/cars/lauri.htm

It is in Estonian of course, but the names'n'numbers are the same across the Atlantic too! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Note that the feature includes two sound samples. One with closed cut-out/Flowmaster Force II and other with open one revving to 6.7 K. Maybe they are of some help. Certainly a proof of low C/R.

- '87 truck 454, 4-bolt, 224/230 Extreme Energy, Edelbrock Performer (intake port matched), 750 Carter AFB. Heads milled 2 mm. C/R appr. 8.6

Guy wants to install NOS. I say 200 HP kit is OK. He hesitates, but agrees that the pistons are expendable and 4-bolt is strong. Thoughts?

The heads are meant to be thrown away of course, what about replacement? Oval/Rec port? Low budget!

Headers: Hooker Super Comp for BBC 3rd gen is the only way, I guess.. Maybe some hammering/cutting needed..

- TH-400
It has a rather interesting behaviour:
"D" - Starts on 2nd, then shifts to 3rd ok.

"2" - Starts on Low when in WOT, upshifts to 2nd at 3500 rpm, and stays on 2nd, of course

"1" - 3rd gear all the way. What??

Any ideas?

Anyway, please know that the owner is a starving hot rodder/perf. parts store manager in the middle of a divorce so no space-tech please! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Thanks for your time,

Partel Roos
Estonia, Europe
http://tqhq.ee/
Founder - Estonian Torque Headquarters
In Torque We Trust
http://partelroos.net/

As for the tranny, have you tried installing a different shifter? It COULD be a shifter problem, but most likely the tranny itself is junk. When shifting into 1st gives you third, some internal trouble is to be expected! There's a GREAT book out there on the TH400, written by Ron Sessions. The title has Turbo Hydramatic 400 in it, can't remeber exact title. GREAT book, again. Good for troubleshooting, has EXCELLENT pictures. I'm sure it'll help in some way.

As far as the 454 goes, you could use a bigger manifold, like an Edelbrock Performer RPM, since the little low end you lose is not going to make a difference with the 454. And for headers, good luck getting them into that camaro with a Rat in there!

And...

WELOME TO TEAM CHEVELLE, the BEST site for anything Chevelle related (454s included, of course http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif )! It's great to see people on the other side of the world enjoying the excesses of big blocks as much as we do!

PS - I lived in the USSR for nine years. Moved to America in 1989. Never been to Estonia, though. As I understand, y'all are more than happy to be a separate country. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The first sound clip of that car sounds like I put my weedwacker inside a metal oil drum. Ewwwwwwwww.... anyway, thats tranny is most certainly screwed. I doubt the shifter is in wrong, cuz then it should be having the same basic problem in each gear. I dont know how hard it is to find one of these over there, best of luck to him.

pull the governor, check it for sticking, hold it by the plastic gear and move the weights in and out, you should see the valve move inside the lands on the body. make sure you are getting manifold vacume at the modulator, pull the modulator and make sure the valve in the case is free, make sure the linkage is properly adjusted, pull the pan and filter, check the valve body bolts are snug, check the kickdown solonoid bolts, look in the pan for any clutch material or metal, let us know what you find

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1966 Chevelle Sport Coupe (http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/suburbanst/ralphbabineau/index.htm)

Perhaps the TH-400 was previously modified with a reverse valve body? Dont know if that would give you the mostly lack of first gear. Is the electric kickdown switch properly set up? Vacuum modulator? Those both control the shifting. cant add much more for the trans here

As for the motor, Any big block after 75 had the peanut port heads ( small oval port) and huge chambers with very low comp ratio often below 8:1. The best thing is to swap to open chamber large oval port heads 71-75 years, and use domed forged pistons to withstand the 200 hp nitrous shot. Or use the 65-70 closed chamber heads with flat top forged pistons. That 454 will rock plenty good after those mods, trying to work with those stock heads will just be a waste of time, hardly any manifolds that match up to those small intake ports, use them for a boat anchor.

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Frank W
Forgotten Chevelles Rule
74 Laguna S-3 Motor in garage again !!!!!!!
Will work for a used 454, or any running 350 now
3.42 open rear, Posi in garage
73 Malibu Coupe mostly memories and some parts left in my garage
http://hometown.aol.com/folingo