727 REBUILD!~ Which Kit??

[Dr. Righteous]

Greeting of the Season everyone.
The tranny in my '85 Ramcharger is getting rather sluggish when I put my foot to it. I started noticing that 2nd gear is making a loud slipping noise when power is applied. Normal driving is ok, unless I try to climb a hill at slow speeds, but too fast for 1st gear.
I have been wanting to build a tranny myself but lacked the courage to peer into the mysterious hydro box.
Now is the time. I intend to purchase a used truck tranny from a and build it for my RC.

What kit should I buy for a heavy 4x4 truck rebuild??

[deadhorse66]

A stock replacement banner kit should be fine for a 4wd. I would go ahead and get that first along with your bands and a good remanned converter (not a Daco). You can only really tell what hard parts you will need when you get inside the trans. Borg and Warner or Raybestos friction members are about the best stock replacements you can get. If you feel the need, you can get Kevlar, but it would be extreme overkill. I would go ahead and put a Transgo stage 2 kit in it to eliminate gear ovelap (kickdown band remaining applied for a brief amount of time when it shifts to third), and go ahead and put the biggest fluid to air cooler you can find on it. Check all of your clearances, replace ALL of your rubber lip seals and friction members and do it all by the book and you will be happy. They are not as hard as most people think.

P.S.--make sure everything is surgically clean--cleanliness is next to godliness.

[John Kunkel]

For a first time builder the B&M Transkit is one way to go, it includes a reprogramming kit and full instructions.

[Dr. Righteous]

I have heard the B&M kit was pretty good. (Heard their converters suck though)

Tell me, what are some of the symptoms of a failing torque converter?
I really noticed the tranny was giving me a bit of trouble when I installed a fresh 360. Maybe the torque converter is the real problem here.

[gsmopar]

Trans Co. <--- The Best in my opinion!

[dartin70]

Another thing that could be a problem is the kick down linkage. 318 360 2bbl& 4bbl carb's can have differnt throttle arm travel. My freind changed to a 4bbl carb & didnt set up the linkage & the trans didnt last long.

[dwc43]

Originally posted by Dr. Righteous
I have heard the B&M kit was pretty good. (Heard their converters suck though)

Tell me, what are some of the symptoms of a failing torque converter?
I really noticed the tranny was giving me a bit of trouble when I installed a fresh 360. Maybe the torque converter is the real problem here.

B&M's are junk period. I'd go with a TCI. They will have everything you need from performance and race to 4x4. I blew two trannys with B&M and so has some friends of mine. We all use TCI with the exception of one that tries turboaction from time to time. But TCI will be the best.

[mrmopar383]

the best you can do for your trans is not to use a b&m or a transgo stage 2 shift kit they are both junk the transgo kits will geve you problems down the road and the b&m kits are really junk, if you want a kit to improve trans life and better oil flowand just a little firmer shifts use a transgo jr. or a superior shift kit these are very first time user friendly and when you rebuild your trans turn the line pressure flush then give 2 turns back this will give you great shifts if you want something a little firmer for 2nd gear take the accumalator springs out and put a 3inch rod behind the accumalator, for a rebuild kit use a transtekrebuild kit these come with ray bestos clutches and don't forget to get a new pump bushing , filter and converter, for stock application any stock stall converter will do, don't forget to flush your trans lines and clean valve body good and make sure all valves move freely, just so you don't look like a fool when ordering your kit don't ask for kevlar clutches they do not make them they make red and blue racing clutches. hope this will help.

[5th_Ave_Sleeper]

Heres what you do. go to noorthernautoparts.com order the transtar rebuild kit and the manual.
Now instead of buying an aftermarket shift kit, just stick an extra clutch and steel in the front drum, turn up the line pressure and delete the accumulator spring and replace it with a steel rod. That is supposed to be the best way to get "quick" non-overlapping shifts.
Oh if you need any hard parts, there is a tranny shop on Northshore right at the end of Baum Drive that sold(actually gave) me a few parts for my 727. I am not sure where in K-town you liveHere,but they were good to me so
I dug this up. someone had posted this a long time ago, so i saved it, .....http://www.moparchat.com/forums/atta...&postid=364705
5th

[John Kunkel]

My goodness, the "junk" word is getting a workout in this thread. All of you that claim B&M and TransGo are "junk", let's hear why. Don't be afraid to use real technical terms.

[deadhorse66]

I don't know if it is lack of understanding or faulty kits, but a lot of people are quick to judge transmission parts. I will tell you why I like Trans-Go.

1) Outstanding set of instructions
2) Inclusion of almost everything you need in the kit
3) Proven reliability from other racers who use Trans-Go
4) The shift that results from these kits is usually VERY fast and firm with the elimination of overlap.

Turbo-Action makes great products, and I cannot think of any reason why I would not use them other than the fact that I cannot afford them and I have to do my own work. I have installed a B&M kit before (on a Chevrolet) and it yielded good results other than a very intermittent flare-up. I could not decide if it was something I did or if the larger pressure regulator spring was causing the pressure regulator valve to hang. I have been inside TCI valve bodies, and I did not like what I saw. The dyno fluid looked like Pepto-Bismol because it was full of water, and the valve body had a check-ball out of place and a valve hung. Just because of that, I would not disregard any of them all together. Please keep your minds open to things that have not proven themselves as trash. If you have had repeated failures from one particular brand, I can understand, but your failure could be due to your error or it could be one in several thousand due to defect. Let me just tell you from professional experience that transmissions are complex and very meticulous and one little slip can mean disaster for the unit. It is important that quality parts are used, but more important is that you know what you are doing before you tear the unit down and that everything is assembled correctly and that you keep cleanliness as top priority when building a transmission or doing any major repair.