71firebird400

Hi all,

Got my T56 back from the rebuilder and they had forgotten to install the front plug, so they sent it separately. Their only instruction to me was to simply screw it in. Well I threw on some teflon tape and went to install the plug with a standard ratchet and it locked up the entire trans. I didn't wrench on it too hard, I just wanted to make sure it was fully seated. Anyways, I pulled it back out and reinstalled but this time I left the plug a bit further out and now everything seems fine.

Any chance I hurt anything? Any trick to installing these things? I don't feel any significant dragging when I spin the input shaft.

Thanks

dgcustomz

iTrader: (127)

The front plug will bottom out on the cluster and cause it to lock up. I wonder what else he might of forgotten?

jmd

iTrader: (4)

If you tighten too hard, it wears the NPT taper, allowing it to go farther in.
If you measure and make sure it clears the countershaft by a good amount ( I would want 0.060" minimum), you're fine.

If you pick up a shallower plug, that's another way to solve. It's 1/2-14NPT IIRC

71firebird400

LOL you're telling me. Let's hope that isn't the case.



Thanks for the info. You're completely right, it's not as tight now as it was that first time. I don't think I have .060" clearance, I only backed it off a turn or two from where it was when it locked the thing up.

Guess I'll try to find a different plug and see if it's any tighter. Last thing I want at this point is to have a leak.

71firebird400

Dropped by the hardware store and grabbed a couple more 1/2" plugs; they didn't have any shallower plugs so they matched the original. Tried both of them in the trans and both were a bit tighter than the original plug; used a caliper to measure the clearance between the plug and the trans shaft, threw on some ARP thread sealer and tightened it as much as I dared while retaining around .100" of clearance. No rubbing, and tight enough to put my mind at ease. Thanks all.