TH350 shift kit (pros and cons)
Dave Tascarella
kit in an 82 Regal are. I know that the kit will increase the speed and
firmness of the shift, but I am wondering how much more torque or snap that
may subject the rearend to. I had a buddy who had constant rear end trouble
after installing a hefty shift kit in his sbc powered Nova. May have been
coincidental, I dont know. That is what I am asking. Does a shift kit do
the tranny any benefits (such as longer clutch life or cooler temps) or harm
due to snappier shifting? How about the rear end, does a shift kit help or
hurt it any. (If it is any matter, I am running the stock convertor and the
rearend is an 8.5" unit out of an older Olds, which has a 2:29 (dont laugh)
ratio.
Why I am posting, would I gain any off-the-line benefits by installing a
higher RPM stall convertor? What RPM range would be best for a hard driven
daily driver? What ramifications would the higher RPM stall convertor have
on the tranny and shift kit if I were to install one? I kinda like the
gears because I have lots of top-end and can still get 20 MPG while cruising
at 70MPH.
Dave
Steven J Orlin
In article <94027.16...@psuvm.psu.edu>,
Dave Tascarella <DS...@psuvm.psu.edu> wrote:
>I would like to know what the real pros and cons are of installing a shift
>kit in an 82 Regal are. I know that the kit will increase the speed and
Pros: quicker shifts=> less heat build up => less wear on clutches.
Con: harsher shifts that you feel, and have to live with.
>firmness of the shift, but I am wondering how much more torque or snap that
>may subject the rearend to. I had a buddy who had constant rear end trouble
The rear end can handle any shift kit you put in your transmission.
Don't forget that your torque converter absorbs quite a bit of that "shock"
from the shift. If your engine was mechanically linked, it would be a
different story.
>after installing a hefty shift kit in his sbc powered Nova. May have been
The only thing I could possibly see going out is a U Joint. But if you
have a good one, you shouldn't have any problems.
>coincidental, I dont know. That is what I am asking. Does a shift kit do
>the tranny any benefits (such as longer clutch life or cooler temps) or harm
>due to snappier shifting? How about the rear end, does a shift kit help or
A shift kit can ONLY help the transmission. All it does is quicken
shifts, which reduces slippage, wear, and heat build up. Installing a shift
kit in a newly rebuilt tranny is the best idea, however, installing one in
a slipping tranny can prolong the life as well. If installed correctly,
there are no dangers, unless there were other weak links in the transmission
to begin with.
Shift kits only change part throttle shifts. WOT shifts are still controled
by the vacuum modulator and governor (at least, on the tranny in your regal)
SO, a shift kit will provide very small, almost unoticable gains in ET's at
the track, unless you have a car that is running around the 12's.
Some shift kits also modify lubrication passages.
>hurt it any. (If it is any matter, I am running the stock convertor and the
>rearend is an 8.5" unit out of an older Olds, which has a 2:29 (dont laugh)
>ratio.
Do you mean 2.29 or 2:29? They are two totally different ratios.
The first means you turn the driveshaft 2.29 turns to get one full tire
revolution, and the other means you turn the driveshaft 2 times to get
29 revolutions!!!!! :) I think you meant 2.29.
Are you sure that's correct? I have never heard of that ratio. Maybe you
should check with a dealer. It is probably a 2.73
>Why I am posting, would I gain any off-the-line benefits by installing a
>higher RPM stall convertor? What RPM range would be best for a hard driven
Yes, you would get much faster/ harsher take offs. However, it will tend
to wreak havoc on the rest of your drive train. Your selected stall depends
on your tastes. I'm not sure what the stock stall of your converter is now,
but I think you might like a few hundred higher (300-400) if it is just
a daily driver.
>daily driver? What ramifications would the higher RPM stall convertor have
>on the tranny and shift kit if I were to install one? I kinda like the
A high stall converter can cause a "hunting" of gears (unless you always
have your foot on it) and it can cause your engine to overheat.
All of your drivetrain components will be placed under higher stress with
a high stall converter, something you want to think about.
If you like to cruise on the highway with your foot barely on the gas,
then you won't like a high stall converter. Because you will waste more
gas in the "slippage", and your tranny will wear more because of hunting
for gears.
steve
David Orr
|>
|> In article <94027.16...@psuvm.psu.edu>,
|> Dave Tascarella <DS...@psuvm.psu.edu> wrote:
|> >I would like to know what the real pros and cons are of installing a shift
|> >kit in an 82 Regal are. I know that the kit will increase the speed and
|>
|>
|> Pros: quicker shifts=> less heat build up => less wear on clutches.
|> Con: harsher shifts that you feel, and have to live with.
|>
|> >firmness of the shift, but I am wondering how much more torque or snap that
|> >may subject the rearend to. I had a buddy who had constant rear end trouble
|>
|> The rear end can handle any shift kit you put in your transmission.
|> Don't forget that your torque converter absorbs quite a bit of that "shock"
|> from the shift. If your engine was mechanically linked, it would be a
|> different story.
|>
|> >after installing a hefty shift kit in his sbc powered Nova. May have been
|>
|> The only thing I could possibly see going out is a U Joint. But if you
|> have a good one, you shouldn't have any problems.
|>
I put a shitf kit in my TH350 in a 68 Chevelle. After leaving a stop light
hard, all 5 wheel studs were sheared off when I shifted into 2nd gear. I
installed 1/2" studs after that.
-- Dave
Steven J Orlin
In article <CKIK6...@umassd.edu>, <s153...@UMASSD.EDU> wrote:
>In article <94027.16...@psuvm.psu.edu>, Dave Tascarella <DS...@psuvm.psu.e
>
>Dave, I would not recommend putting a shift kit in your car for the reason of
>prolonging its life expectancy, and putting a high-stall converter in is even
Prolonging the life expectency of a transmission IS the only reason you
put a shift kit in a transmission (unless you just happen to love the feel).
Unless you have a car that runs in the 12's, you won't notice a difference
at the track from a shift kit alone. It only changes part throttle shifts.
>a worse idea. If your motor is stock, the torque converter will not really he
>its launch at all, except on full throttle take-offs, but you sound like you d
>like to give it any gas. At part throttle, a high stall converter will make t
>response feel mushy, because it will slip until it reaches its stall speed. I
>will also create excessive heat due to its slipping, and destroy your transmis
sion
I agree here.
>eventually. I am running a 2800 rpm stall converter in my car, but I have 4.1
1 gears.
What difference does that make?
>If you want to do anything to prolong the life of your transmission, I would r
ecomend
>that you install a large transmission cooler, and Ford type F transmission flu
id. The
>type F will give you a firmer shift, and reduces heat due to friction, unlike
the
>Dexron-Mercron fluid.
I second the cooler. It is a GREAT idea to add a transmission cooler to
*any* transmission. Type F would help, but there are also better fluids
out there for that purpose (Redline, Trick Shift, etc..)
steve
ha...@rjhaase.dseg.ti.com
In article <CKIK6...@umassd.edu>, <s153...@UMASSD.EDU> writes:
> In article <94027.16...@psuvm.psu.edu>, Dave Tascarella
<DS...@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
. Questions about shift kit and high stall converter removed...
.
> Dave, I would not recommend putting a shift kit in your car for the reason of
> prolonging its life expectancy, and putting a high-stall converter in is even
> its launch at all, except on full throttle take-offs, but you sound like you
> like to give it any gas. At part throttle, a high stall converter will make
> response feel mushy, because it will slip until it reaches its stall speed.
transmission
4.11 gears.
recomend
> that you install a large transmission cooler, and Ford type F transmission
the
> Dexron-Mercron fluid.
I have a slightly higher than stock stall speed ( 2000vs1600 ) on my 700R4 with
an RV shift kit in my truck. I agree with what you are saying about having a
low geared axle. I have a 3.73. I do get some benefit in that the truck is
quite peppy off the line and then the TCC locks up so I gain some around town
mpg. It's fairly responsive at part throttle. I would not want to use a
higher stall converter for around town. Can Ford type F fluid be used in the
700R4 also? Why does F type provide the above benefits over Dexron?
rjh
s153...@umassd.edu
Dave, I would not recommend putting a shift kit in your car for the reason of
Nicholaos Platsis - EENG/F93
Anyone consider a manual valve body as opposed to a shift kit for added
performance? Why does everyone say MVBs are no good for the street? I get
better performance AND mileage from a 3000 rpm/MVB/TH400 with a 4.56 rear
than with 2800rpm/shift kit/TH350 with 3.42 rear (BTW the TH350 grenaded)
in the same car. While it's quite obvious where the performance gain comes
from, the mileage gain comes from shifting manually at 2000 or under when
driving around, rather than let the (B&M) shift kit decide to shift much
higher (3200-4000) even with a radical rear gear swap. The motor is a
rollerized 350 with Dart heads.
Steven J Orlin
In article <2jb5kp$i...@hermes.acs.ryerson.ca>,
Nicholaos Platsis - EENG/F93 <npla...@acs.ryerson.ca> wrote:
>
>Anyone consider a manual valve body as opposed to a shift kit for added
>performance? Why does everyone say MVBs are no good for the street? I get
All manual valve bodies are "basically" is stock valve bodies, modified.
There are shift kits that will change your stock valve body to a complete
manual valve body if you want. -you can also reverse the order of your
shifts, although that takes other modifications.
You are pretty much wasting money if you buy a manual valve body.
Even if it's aluminum, you only save a few pounds, and a lot of times, the
castings are poor quality.
>better performance AND mileage from a 3000 rpm/MVB/TH400 with a 4.56 rear
>than with 2800rpm/shift kit/TH350 with 3.42 rear (BTW the TH350 grenaded)
>in the same car. While it's quite obvious where the performance gain comes
>from, the mileage gain comes from shifting manually at 2000 or under when
>driving around, rather than let the (B&M) shift kit decide to shift much
>higher (3200-4000) even with a radical rear gear swap. The motor is a
>rollerized 350 with Dart heads.
First of all, you can calibrate your valve body (with shift kits) to make
part throttle shifts at a higher RPM, AND, you can also calibrate it to
make those shifts quicker.
If you wanted the best gas milege (nothing else considered), your best bet
is to just leave the tranny stock. -no manual shifting, or shift kit.
Steve
Steven J Orlin
>In article <2jb5kp$i...@hermes.acs.ryerson.ca>,
>Nicholaos Platsis - EENG/F93 <npla...@acs.ryerson.ca> wrote:
>>
>>Anyone consider a manual valve body as opposed to a shift kit for added
>>performance? Why does everyone say MVBs are no good for the street? I get
Forgot to mention, the reason why most MVB's are "no good" for the street
is because, first of all, the automatic transmission wasn't meant to
be manually shifted like that.
IMO, the shift linkage is not built well enough to withstand constant shifting.
Of course, you may or may not ever have any problems.
Most don't like them because it is just more of a pain to shift something
that can already shift for itself.. (well, could)
Also, the benefits gained over a full manual valve body are only really
shown at the track. The difference in gas milege, etc. on the street is
really not worth the hassle.
IMO
steve