The forward clutch drum cracked at the input shaft splines. Everything else is perfect. I have another clutch drum from a donor tranny and am getting ready to reassemble.

The tranny has a shift kit installed; not sure which one (probably B&M since they are common around here). I need a gasket/seal/ O-ring kit to put the tranny back together. Will the stock valve body gasket set work with a shift kit or do I need to buy both a stock kit for the seals/O-rings and another shift kit for the valve body gaskets?

Thanks and Happy Holidays. graemlins/waving.gif

joe

I think the gaskets you need come with the shift kit. You can't use the stock ones without modification -- I think there are either some extra holes or some blocked holes with the shift kit.

The B&M kit is not a favorite with the serious race guys. I'd look up Transman at this site www.dragraceresults.com (http://www.dragraceresults.com) and he can hook you up with a good kit.

Wish I could tell you exactly why some don;t like the B&M . . . but mine seems to be fine and I like the way it shifts. There were a couple guys blaming the B&M kit for sprag failures as I recall, but I'm still running the same sprag after 4 years (knock on wood).

If you can't find a gasket for the separator plates, as a last resort, you really don't need one.

A well-known trans builder I knew here locally, told me this tidbit. As long as the separator plate is flat, ie., no sharp edges, as in sand it with a block and wet emery paper to remove the "stamped-edges," and the case and body are flat, no more than 0.002 inch flatness with a straightedge, there will be no problem with its operation. Torque the valve body bolts evenly to insure valve body flatness.

I did this no-gasket trick to a stock trans to a car I used daily at the time. It was Sunday afternoon and dealer would be the only place to get one. I did the above step and tried it. The trans performed perfect, as original, for the next two years until I sold the car. Then another year with the next owner till he traded it.

Good luck with your re-assembly. Changing the front drum should not be a problem. Remember, there is a clip at the 5 o'clock position locking the low-reverse drum to the case. Don't forget to put it in. You shouldn't have to go that deep into the case. Take pictures or make a very good mental picture of the way/direction it comes apart.

Thanks for the help!

joe