Had a big hassle ,later resolved. If you have early slant crank with small converter pilot,and you get a special converter made(later insides with 'special" engine side smaller than post 67 OD pilot) the pilot can have weld "rags" that hang up about 1/4" into the crank pilot hole.This pushes back converter, eats front pump and lots more. Not obvious at all what is wrong, 3X around with it in and out .Key giveaway was light scrape mark on converter where it hit pump casting --knew that, BUT WHY took a while longer.

Most good shops "do not service or make" small pilot converters anymore, they tell you to upgrade 904 and crank , but if you have a good engine w small crank in it, not about to change crank over converter issue.

Alternative is drill crank out, need huge 150$ drill bit.

Second,may be related to putting in later low first in 67 case 904; reverse lever can hit stock pan, preventing full movement wrecking reverse band . backing up feels 'draggy" , but you will back up, and wreck stuff. After market pan is deeper. Maybe later 904 is deeper? Don't know exactly what happened here, but a bear to figure out,as all is OK till you put pan on.

Good info.
FYI, most shops that grind cranks can open-up the pilot for an "additional charge", my shop charges $70.00 and uses a big lathe to do the job.
DD

understand, but have to disassemble perfect engine... reason for drill thoughts. Cure is be sure converter OD of stub will clear bore,by hand grinding if necessary. I do not think you can grind down later converter; this was special one with intended special smaller hub, but large 904 splines and late insides

I once drilled a 392 for a pilot bearing, perfect 300D engine, not about to take apart,machine shop refused to drill in place in pickup truck bed. I did it myself with magnetic base drill, worked fine, Packard OD trans, Dodge truck flywheel and clutch, adapter,and lots of beaten 57 chevs. This in 61..

I don't think they ever even made a stick 392 crank. ..all auto. With MOPAR Dodge/Plymouth 57 trans , strips first gear teeth right off with 392, without touching clutch,why Packard. Also had pin syncros in those Mopars, , pins break off with ,er,spirited shifting, fall into gear mesh.nice

Two thoughts.
1) all my converters are small pilot large spline (2 are 9.5 inch, and 1 is 8 inch), and never had a problem with the pilot fitting the crank. If that is the case, the converter builder was careless.
2) I could never keep 2nd gear in the Packard OD trans. That was their weak spot.

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

Hi Charlie,i never had a problem either, till I had one! And it was not clear,the why, or even that here was a problem under the car at assembly time.. It all bolts together OK, you are happy, no obvious problems, but converter is pushed back slightly against pump. . If you actually measure OD/ID ,there is almost NO space around the hub in the pilot on setup you are talking about.. Check it out next time you have apart.
maybe .005? "Not having a problem" is luck, maybe,at least for me as I never checked that.
On Packards, I blew up about 10 of them behind 392 using Dodge oil truck 3000 lb b&B 11" clutch, in the day, (cover full of "orange " springs!--by Boston Clutch) until I realized why 2nd gear fails. The stock Cluster end thrust washers wear so you have maybe 10 or 20 thou end play. When you shift at full bore, throwing in clutch makes cluster move back one way, then you hit it HARD with 2nd gear.Cluster moves that ~ .02 slams case end, REALLY shock loading gears, esp 2nd gear on 1-2 shift . I ended up with tomato soup can lids behind worn bronze faced thrust washers, tight as I could get it. , , after that, never blew 2nd gear, but the ultimate honor then happened.---when built right,a Packard will split the trans case all the way around, through cluster shaft bores, blow intact cluster and bottom of case onto street. Quit dramatic....did that twice with shimmed cluster, on 1-2, gears still OK!

I also had made a split 2 halves locking sleeve so I could get 2nd gear off mainshaft, just as you say,--- initially the problem. It was made with "slide over it " cylindrical lock ring that locked it into into machined groove on mainshaft. (for end retainer) Not many "factory complete assembly", OD mainshafts with good 2nd gears are lying around. It was originally serviced by Packard as an assembly, 2nd was retained by swaged on ring. By using the sleeve I could cut swage ring on donor , non OD trans,get 2nd gear off it, put on OD shaft.

Never had a problem with beefy Packard OD, despite huge abuse, it would still be still a good setup even for today; ran ~3.70 and 4.11 in 57 Dodge with OD.

Kept D-500 (lil hemi) plaque on trunk. heh heh.

That situation should show up, by not being able to "pull" the converter forward to the flexplate. When the trans is bolted up to the engine, and the converter is fully seated in the trans, there should be a gap between the converter and the flexplate. You should have to pull the converter to the flexplate about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch. If unable to achieve this, something is wrong.

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

agree 100%, ---they were already just about touching after putting in trans, looked normal , did not test by sliding , never had any need to, to your point above about it never happening, just aligned pattern and put in bolts, like 50 times before. .won't do that again, but I did do it twice, thinking it was at one end of normal tolerance, if I thought anything at all about it. . So , it looks easy to spot today, faked me out 100% then..

Forewarned is forearmed,and all that.

Yep. I found out about that the hard way, also. Had a custom race converter built. They built it for use with a block plate, which I wasn't running. That made the converter 1/4 inch too long, and put pressure on the pump. Got one 1/4 mile pass, and couldn't get back down the return road. Filled the converter and trans with fillings. The company did stand by their mistake. Totally redid the converter, and then built me a better trans. The trans was not built by them, but by myself.

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

that is what happened to mine, full of junk. Pump does NOT like being pushed on! Well, now we know! Thanks charlie,,,