SteenH

Very very clean build. Love it!

YungSteph

iTrader: (1)

I love this build gives me hope on my regal. I need one of those log manifolds or learn how to build my own. Great build keep us posted

jtotheizzo

Thanks guys. It certainly has been a fun ride. It gets a lot of attention once the hood is popped.

I have her down for some work now but will be back in a couple weeks with new valve springs, ~3500 stall TQ converter,SFI spec flexplate, trans cooler, and possibly a 2step and methanol injection.

I really REALLY expect it to be a different animal after this.

Stay tuned...

jtotheizzo

So I have been heads down for the last few weeks making some changes. Almost have her back up and running but I expect this thing to be a completely different animal next time out. Here is what we did:

3500 Stall converter:


New Trans cooler:


LCA's with solid ends:


Rear end was rebuilt with carbon clutches and a girdle added:


I also installed an MSD 2 step.

I did a boost leak test on the cold side last night and realized that I was wasting quite a bit of boost. Have been turning clamps and what not. Hoping to have it fired in the next couple days.

schaef_12

Looking good! Do you have a manual valve body in the TH400? Went with a hughes 3000 rpm stall on mine. I was torn between the 3,000 and 3,500 stall but the 3,000 was cheaper.... ha! Interested to see how the 3500 works in yours.

jtotheizzo

I do not have a manual valve body. Just plain old auto. If the transmission survives the summer I may convert it to manual and throw a brake in but we'll see. If the trans grenades I am thinking about swapping to a glide. I have a '99 trans am that is waiting for me to start on it as the next build so I am just trying to hit my goals with this one this summer and will be stripping parts off of it for the TA this winter.

schaef_12

I see, I went reverse manual valve body with mine. I have barely driven it as i'm working out some other issues, but right of the bat I like the pattern but didn't realize the rmvb have no holdback. Can't say i'm a huge fan of that.

jtotheizzo

I can't say that I am a huge fan of the reverse pattern personally. I think i have been racing a forward pattern way to long. But that is just a personal preference.

As far as the holdback you mentioned I am assuming you mean that it doesnt lock in each gear. Make sure you are running a reverse pattern shifter. If you have a locking shifter then it should lock in gear. A lot of the big manufacturers have different plates for the different patterns. I am using a B&m pro stick which locks in each gear in each direction so it can be used on both.

schaef_12

I am using the B&M quicksilever shifter. It claims both reverse and forward pattern compatible. And by holdback i mean you can be going 50 mph in 2nd and let off the throttle and the engine just goes to idle and the thing basically coasts.

JAYPLUMB

Really like this build.

Are you still running factory cam, springs, and injectors?

jtotheizzo

Thanks

I am running the factory cam.

I ran factory springs up to 12-13 psi and didn't really see any issues but I did just swapped the valve springs during this set of upgrades. I figured it should be done while I had the car down especially since I intend to tune the car around 14 psi this time.

This is an E85 motor and came with the 33 lb injectors from the factory. I pushed them to about 7 PSIG on 92 and was completely out of injector. Now I have Deka 80's in.

jtotheizzo

First track outing after the upgrade went well. Again I was able to drive the car to the track and back so that is always a good day. I continue to fight through some issues but I have to say Launching on the 2 step is a ton of fun and I highly recommend it if you don't want to do a trans brake.

Either the converter is too loose or the trans is fried or maybe both. I was calculating 32% slippage on one pass. I had to take power out of it to keep it from just hanging at red line and actually get some RPM drop on shifts. This is the only video we have of the night and while it wasn't my fastest ET pass it would have been if it hadn't spun on the 1-2 shift plus I let out at the 1000' mark.


Here are some slips:



Ultimately I never made a full pass without pedaling the car. I was trying to find the sweet spot where my converter would couple up.

At this point my transmission is whining in 1st and second gear so I will be dropping the pan to see what the story is. I am also going to put a call in to the converter guy to get his thoughts on slippage.

3 window

iTrader: (1)

You're definitely losing a ton going down the track. Sixty foots aren't terrible, so that parts not bad, it's after that. If the trans is whining, that's not good. I wouldn't mess with the converter until you've got the trans figured out.

Forcefed86

iTrader: (4)

Sounds like the trans is slipping bad. May check line pressure. A TH400 setup right shouldn’t slip at your power levels.

3 window

iTrader: (1)

After watching the video, I wouldn't worry too much about the potential of the car. That pass was a mess! On and off the throttle almost the whole pass. That thing 'll fly when it's right.

jtotheizzo

Agreed I am not worried in the slightest about the potential it moves out just fine. On this run I turned down the boost and it spun on the 1-2 shif so that is why the run was a mess.

All of the slips shown I was on and off the throttle for one reason or another. On the 11.98 I had gone full throttle and held it as I was letting up at the 1000' mark ( I didnt want to run too fast) when I got to about 76% TPS I felt the car surge forward and I picked up like 8 MPH while letting out. It was the craziest feeling.

On the 11.84 run I was pedaling it for fun trying to get the same result. One thing is for sure if I keep it pinned I only get 150 or so RPM drop between shifts. When I am over 14 PSIG I see no drop. It didn't do this on the last converter (I got 1500 RPM drop on that one) so I have reason to believe I am just pushing through the new converter.

Just pulling the dipstick the fluid looks good so far. My Dad is driving the car today and is reporting that it only whines when you manually select a gear. If you put it in drive it is fine. I am going to drop the pan for a visual inspection. If there are no parts in the pan I may swap back to my old converter and see if it will hold. I certainly have a mystery on my hands but will keep at it.

Forcefed, You were right on the 2 step I friggin love that thing. I think you may have been correct in that the converter is\was going to be too loose. I dont have the greatest brakes and I have no problem holding 3100 on the 2 step.

Forcefed86

iTrader: (4)

3100 or so is pretty good. Attach a gauge (300 psi or so) to the 1/8 pipe plug just above and behind the shift lever and check your pressure in all gears with fluid at normal operating temperature. Sounds like the pressure isn't high enough to hold the clutches.

http://www.tciauto.com/tc/trans-line-pressure/

I doubt it's the converter slipping... 15% or so is typically a REALLY loose converter. A new/modern converter made for a turbo car should be under 7%... The really good ones around 4-5%. Higher you rev it the less it will slip.

jtotheizzo

Thanks Forcefed,

I haven't put a gauge on it yet (I need to buy one) but I did drop the pan. The good news is there wasn't transmission parts all over in there. There was a fair amount of clutch material (looks to be like 30k miles worth) which is frightening because this fluid has like 7 passes and maybe a couple hundred miles on it. I swapped to the brass screen style filter and put new fluid in it. The whine is gone, she is shifting well, The converter feels a lot tighter, and seems to be holding 15 PSIG (at least on the short bursts I was able to do on the street).

I am a bit concerned about how much life was taken off the transmission with the restrictive filter but for now we are going to run it.

I was hoping to get it to the track tonight but I am not sure the weather is going to hold.

Stay tuned for the next update.

Forcefed86

iTrader: (4)

May also throw a temp gage on there for good measure. If it gets too hot it will slip...and if it slips it will get hot. So either way a temp gauge will tell you alot. ( I know another damn gauge is usually the last thing we want! ).

Also Using hydraulic fluid instead of type f or DEX is a win/win. It will tighten up the converter and is more heat resistant. Do a search on running HYGARD in transmissions.

jtotheizzo

I sort of have a temp indicator in that my Trans cooler fan comes on at 170 and off at 165 so I gauge how hot the trans got based on how long the fan is on after a run. No perfect but it is some information.

I have already been thinking about switching to hygard. I needed to get the less restrictive filter in first and then I just wanted to get it going. But I will probably swap it out in the coming weeks.

The weather is looking good so hopefully we can make it to the track tonight.