Ok, please don't throw anything at me but I have a question. And as Charlie Schmid always says he and I are frugal not cheap.
Here goes! I will have a new race motor sometime shortly (I hope) and once that is installed I think my stock transmission will show itself as a weak link. However, I plan to put a 4 speed into my car and would prefer not to spend a pile of cash on an automatic that I don't want to keep long term. So here is my question. Can someone give me a list of things that I would "need" to have, to make my 904 last for a little while. Remember my goal is 12.99. I already have a convertor that stalls at about 3000-3200 and the valve body has a shift kit in it. I do have a deep pan I can add to the transmission when I'm done. The rest is stock. I have no interest in buying a 4500 Stall speed convertor (unless I run onto one really cheap) because I would rather put that money into my 4 speed swap.

I have the transmission that is in my car now and 2 low mile stock transmissions that I can work with now or over the winter if need be.

And per chance will my stock transmission last a while longer? It was been in for 3 racing season's already. But that is only 4 or 5 race weekends per year.

Thanks for any advice.
Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Unless you do the V-8 drums and such anything you do is pretty much wasted time.

You might be surprised how well a stocker holds up. You don't make 100 passes a year anyway.

Good thing is a 904 will not go 'BOOM!', it will just burn the clutches out eventually.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Stage 2 Transgo shift kit. It will make the trans shift right and preserve those clutches a little longer.

Ok that is what I was wondering. I may just run it and see what happens.

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Rick, you have seen my barracuda run. It has been so long since I built it, I don't remember exactly what I did to it. At the most it had the 5 disk clutch pack, but I don't think so, just the 4 disk setup. The biggest thing is to set the clearences correctly ("blueprint" it). It had a manual valve body, but I can't remember if it was the Direct Connection kit, a Fairbanks, or a something else.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 225 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170

Can I add more discs to the existing clutch pack? I need to get out the manuals a look at them again so I know what I'm talking about. Advantages to a manual valve body? Thanks for the education.

I think what concerns me is once I look at the latest A&A catalog there is a bewildering amount of stuff in it. What do I need , what do I not need? It sounds like a explosion is right around the corner! But Dennis you say not so much? Do I need a blanket?

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Rick, Dennis is a fantastic resource and gives great advice. The only time I have caught him giving misleading comments is about the rock band RUSH.

From what I understand explosions are more of a 727 thing. Sprag Failure will cause things (front drum) to spin much much higher than engine speed. Stock front drum at this point (depending on engine RPM) may fail.

I am not an expert in this. I have overheard Rick explain it to people when working his booth.

And yes his catalog is filled with gobs of stuff for Mopar trans. It is nice that he is bringing more and more products for guys like us.

Dennis won't steer you wrong. If you have a prog rock question talk to me.

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66 Lil' Red Piggie Valiant (Mater Crusher) - Thanks Zilla!!!!! 72 Demon (Number 1 Son's)

Truck transmissions have fat clutch packs. I know you have one of those lie ing around.
We can find a valve body and converter some where.
Will

I believe I do have the original truck transmission out of my truck up in the pile! That is a L/U transmission so will the bigger clutch packs out of it work in the non L/U version?

Thanks, Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Throw the A&A catalog away Rick, you're just confusing yourself.

Careful assembly and a decent valve body are what you really need.

I never broke anything on my good 904's, and there is nothing really trick in either of them. Only thing I have broken is a pump, and that was from converter bolts backing out.

Use the 4 disc drums and call it a day.

The 'BOOM' is a 727 thing from being cheap and not putting in a billet front drum, and then doing something dumb.

904 guts just don't have the mass to explode like 727 drums.

Other than Will's, Slants just don't make enough steam to explode a drum anyway.

Relax and breathe Rick. You're trying to out think yourself.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Me? Wow! I think your giving me too much credit!
I was accused one time of being twice as smart by 1/2 though.

Are the 4 disc drums the larger ones like from the truck or V'8s 904's ? The standard car ones are the 3 disc, correct?

Thanks Dennis, I am breathing again!

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Yes, heavy duty/V-8 drums will be 4 disc.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Ask Ryan if you can use the spare transmission for the blue car. It was recently rebuilt, has manual valve body and a transmission brake that you don't have to use. 2.45 first.

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If you didn't drive it there, it's not a street car.

I may do that Seymour! The manual valve bodies just means I have to manually shift each gear,correct? It will still work with my existing shifter? I suppose?

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

My Dart's motor isn't making anything like Race Power, but the stock 904 with slant six drums holds up just fine to 3 LeMons races a year. These are 14-hour endurance races on a road course, so the transmission is getting a hell of a workout. All we have is a deep pan and a big-ass cooler up front. Only time the 904 let us down was when a small leak became a big leak over the course of a race and we ran it out of fluid.

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Somehow I ended up owning three 1964 slant six A-bodies. I race one of them.
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