A couple of weeks ago I try to remove the 67 from storage. It has been started regularly but unmoved for 3 years. All of the trans. fluid had leaked out from a bad pan gasket. I dropped the pan and replaced the filter and gasket and filled her up. It went into reverse with a good clunk and I backed it out. So far so good.

When I tried to go forward I had to give it some pretty good rev to make it move. After about 30 mins. playing around with it, I had to increase the RPM's to get it to go until finally it wouldn't move forward at all. Disgusted, I backed it into the storage and wondered.

What is happening? Is the torque converter empty? Seals dried up? Air bubbles?

It goes in reverse just fine.

Any help on this is appreciated. Thanks Tom

I am not an auto tranny expert, but my first guess was dried out seals within the tranny. Seems unlikely that the convertor would bleed dry because of a bad pan gasket. I once bought a 71 Chevelle that had been t-boned and left to rot for 2 years. The trans was in similar condition, leaky pan and all. When I fired it up to drive it home (boy, is that a story), it took several minutes for the tranny to engage after I filled it.

The I thought a little more, and another thing that came to me is this...when you start an automatic car, the convertor is turning all the time, circulating fluid and waiting for you to move the gear selector to send fluid to make the car move. If the fluid all leaked out, and the motor was started and run, the convertor would be pumping air. If that pan was bone dry (leaky gasket or not, the pan would still have fluid the depth of the pan in it), the pump and convertor may be junk.

Thanks Eric, It sounds to me like a junkyard trans. is in order for the time, $$$, and trouble of a pump and seals. I'm no auto trans. expert either.

If the pan gasket caused the fluid to leak out I'd drop the pan to change the gasket and while in there maybe pull the valve body and clean all the valves super-good. Maybe its as simple as something sticking in the valve body. A new filter wouldn't hurt either.

IMO 3 years isn't long enough to REALLY screw something up.

PS. If you drop the valve body make sure you keep track of the 3 little BB's in there.

Eric, I've admitted I'm no trans. expert.
Once I drop the pan, where is the valve body?
Do I look for the only thing you can unbolt besides the filter?