FrontEngineDragsters.Org Forum
Technical => Dan Dishon's Transmission Den => Topic started by: lake_harley on October 22, 2021, 07:58:39 PM
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I plan to rebuild and modify a Powerglide for the FED I have been collecting parts for and am about to start building. I have 2 core Powerglides and with the 12 7/8" input shaft they have that tells me they are both the preferred 1.76 ratio units. The HP of the engine will be under 300 HP (just a fun FED for local bracket racing) and I don't plan a trans brake thinking that foot-braking the car will be less stressful (less shock) for the driveline parts.
With that said, I'd be interested in a recommendation of a good book on rebuilding a Powerglide in general, that would also offer suggestions on modifications needed to live at various HP levels.
Thanks.
Lynn
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Lynn - books are valuable way to gain smarts. I used a blue Motor Manual for rebuilding my first trans in 1976. Today, I'd look at a video first and then buy the book to rebuild a pg. PGs are very easy trans to take apart and put together requiring basic tools and a small spring compressor that you can make yourself with a 3/8" bolt/nut and 2 flat pieces of metal.
There are couple well known tricks to help a stock pg shift faster and improve the stock pump. Your could use them for your 300hp build. I looked and found these two very recent videos, they're very well done by a fellow racer and he does excellent job showing how easy it is to take apart pg, modify it to improve the pump and shift high gear faster, and then put back together. He does well in briefly explaining the "whys." Alan
Racing Powerglide Disassembly - YouTube
Complete Powerglide Build - YouTube
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557883556?pf_rd_r=R7FFCHVAG713X4HAYMZQ&pf_rd_p=1ab92b69-98d7-4842-a89b-ad387c54783f&pd_rd_r=cf455a8a-0a7c-4e51-942e-b51eb01df2e8&pd_rd_w=GFuv8&pd_rd_wg=DsUAi&ref_=pd_gw_unk It's a very good book.
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Thanks to both of you for the suggestions. I did a short view of both videos and expect that I'll learn a lot through them. Also, the book is one that I saw during some searches but having it recommended here suggests it is indeed a helpful book. Sometime buying a book is just a shot in the dark.
Thanks. I'll do my "homework", get the book, and get busy. ;D
Lynn
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The Carl Munroe book is a great book. It goes from stock rebuild to race modifications. Great tool
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I bought carl munroe's book years ago, and still use it as reference
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Carl Monroe x3
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I'll be ordering the Munroe book next week. Would have already ordered it, but the race parts warehouse I deal with was waiting for a couple other items I need to arrive from a supplier so I decided to just wait to get everything with just one shipping charge.
I have 2 Powerglide cores and intend to use one to build and gut the other to use for mock-up with an alignment bar going through it during chassis construction.
I did watch the two videos and thought they were quite good and will certainly be helpful. Watching them certainly lowered to fear factor of automatic transmissions being something of a black art. Powerglide actually seems quite simple.
Thanks for the recommendations.
Lynn
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They are one of the easiest to work on. I've hooked them to everything from honda's to blown sbc's even direct drive for dirt oval racing take your time check twice and everything will be fine. the convertor is the important part it has to match the power taik to a tech when you are ready to buy
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Great family business at T.S.R. They can help you with any of your transmission needs ! I highly recommend them !
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Along with other parts I'll need as I get going on my FED build, I've been looking for a shifter for a Powerglide. The Frameworks shifter gets good comments but I understand they're not plentiful like Hurst Quarter Stick units and others. Any other shifters nice and compact and slim like the Frameworks shifter that might be good add to my "wanted" list? Since I mentioned the Hurst Quarter Stick, how do they work out are they a bit bulky width-wise?
I do have a question about the Frameworks shifter and that is what function does the aluminum button/knob on the side serve. Is it pulled out or pushed in to provide a lock-out to go past neutral and into reverse? Looks like the gating would allow for a simple forward push to go from 1 to 2.
Lynn
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Hi Lynn, The Frameworks shifter is a nice compact piece, we have one in our car. The buttons are neutral/reverse lockouts.
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More info on that Frameworks shifter, the aluminum knob for reverse lockout is spring loaded and it's a pull operation, around 3/8 inch to clear lockout. This spring loaded knob requires 2 hands to operate shifter. If you are planning to install a foot brake, very good. If you plan to install a hand brake, not so good (unless you use a protree trans brake). The Frameworks shifter allows either a front or rear cable exit, depends on whether you are pulling or pushing the shift lever on the pg case. And yes, 1st to 2nd shift is one fast simple push of the shift lever.
Aerospace Components makes a very compact pg race shifter, and it's one-handed operation (it's pricey $700+). If you have machining talent, you should consider making a pg shifter, two racers (one flathead with pg and one twin-engine with pg) in our Racing Club made their own tube style shifter. A third racer in our Club had the Neil & Parks tube shifter in their Jr. Fuel car. Simple to operate, compact and lightweight. Alan
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The Quarter Pro shifter is a nice piece and reasonably priced for the basic shifter, no solenoid or line lock button. Looks good, works good and compact.
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If you are considering making your own shifter the tube style that I made for my dragster has worked flawlessly. It’s fairly simple, mounted on the eight and three-quarter rear end and connected with just a little bit of linkage, no cables. It’s operated with one hand and I can disengage the reverse lockout with my thumb. Actually it is a shifter, anti-rotation plate and coupling cover in one.
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First of all I would like to apologize for the terrible picture quality that I posted, I hope that these are better. I’m going to blame it on poor lighting in the trailer.
I’m adding some new pictures and a couple of sketches.
The steel plate is shaped like an upside down letter U which is attached to the frame and the 8 3/4 rear end carrier is for anti-rotation. The coupling cover is wrapped 3/4 around and welded to it and the shifter arm assembly are attached to that. With the reverse lockout on the shift lever and neutral safety switch it should meet most rule requirements.
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I did a first read of the Munroe Powerglide book and have been watching a lot of the Powerglide videos Hughes Performance has on YouTube. Lots of great information. I have disassembled and cleaned up the parts of one of my core Powerglides and have begun to inspect and determine what will be needed.
Given my low HP engine (250-ish HP) I'm beginning to wonder just how much will need to be modified. There are a lot of things that are talked about in the book and on the videos that refer to this or that part to "be good to 1,000 HP, 1,500 HP", and so on, but considering the Powerglide came behind even a few 375 HP Chevys I don't know that I really need to do much other than a good rebuild.
It's been a long time since I drove my Mom's '64 Chevy that had a powerglide, but even shifting manually I seem to recall it would stay in Low as long as you didn't shift to Drive, so I don't know that I'd need to even do a manual valve body modification. Seems bumping up line pressure would be a good idea to help make the shift more definite and hold the band tighter against foot braking, but it sounds like raising the pressure more than necessary for the HP application is, well....just unnecessary. I do think a steel high gear clutch hub (~4" diameter one inside the high drum) would be appropriate. I don't know if I'd really be challenging the stock input shaft all that much considering Chevy used them in a lot of cars with higher HP and torque than my mild 283 will make.
I'm even questioning the necessity for a higher stall converter. I'm bracket racing and unless a different converter would somehow be more consistent I don't see the benefit or need.
I could spend a lot of money for transmission parts to build a super-duper transmission, but I try to be careful with what I do spend. Maybe my frugality is why I do have some money. 8) I'd rather keep it for gas to get to the track and pit passes. ;D
I'd love to hear comments about my logic and ask that if I am WAY off base that someone would point out what is wrong with my thinking. I tried several times yesterday to call someone at Hughes Performance to ask the same questions but wasn't able to reach anyone.
Lynn
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you don't need much just the right clutch and band cleareance, and type F trans fluid the torque convertor really depends on the cam and a higher stall speed will make it easier to drive in the 70's my street car/towcar a 65 chevelle 327/300 I used a vega torque raised the stall speed to 2300/2500 ran 13.0s and 106mph with just the modulator disconnected to raise the pressure. stock valve body changed to a B&M manual no change. just check band adjustments every couple week-ends
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Depending on your carburetion and camshaft you will need a stall speed that will get your engine in its optimum operating range. With too low of stall speed it will take forever to get it "up on the pipe". I would consider a 4000 stall at the minimum .
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Thanks gentlemen! I appreciate the input.
As far as it needing more stall speed to "get on the pipe" the cam is really mild, for now anyway, with power range listed as 1500-4000, and the carb, also for now at least, is a Quadrajet. Not exactly trick of the week stuff, but the engine was originally built to go into another hot rod. I think even a stock converter should stall at or above 1500?
Overall, at least it doesn't sound like I'm off my rocker with the transmission, considering the engine.
Lynn
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JEFF/21C.....I sent a PM to you.
Lynn
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The Carl Munroe book is a great book. It goes from stock rebuild to race modifications. Great tool
THIS^^^^ TSR is the company name. I have a Frameworks Shifter for sale on Ebay, PM me for details.