Here is my dilema fellas.
A. Should I take a chance and put the trans I got from the van last year into the car and hope for the best
OR
B. wait for my wifes van to sell so I can rebuild the van trans(somthing I have never done before)

I am worried about how long my trans is going to hold up with it skipping second gear.
Can anyone tell me what rebuild kit I would need for this trans. I am not sure of the year van it came out of (it is a slant trans). Here are a few pics. any help would be greatly appriciated.

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Lookin @ the pump, I'm thinkin 904, but a shot of the bottom of the pan would be /much/ more helpful.

Hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like a 904 lockup.

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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

What areas of the trans would you need picks of to tell for sure?
I know it came from a mid 80's van(I pulled it myself). So Would you guys rebuild it or take achance and just put it in?

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If the pan has a "kickout" at the dipstick tube area, it is a 727. If the pan is straight in this area it is a 904. On the input shaft, if the splines go all the way to the end of the shaft it is non-lockup. If the input shaft has a smooth area at the end of the shaft, about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long between the splines and the end of the shaft, it is a lockup. You will need to use the correct torque converter for the type of trans. Lockup and non lockup, use different converters. There are numbers stamped on the pan rail. If you have a friendly dealer, or trans shop in your area, they could tell you the year and model of the trans. If you don't want to rebuild the trans, I would pull the pan, and see what it looks like, inside. If there is not much fabric like material, or metal in the pan, and the fluid is still red, and doesn't smell burned, go ahead and use it. A small amount of "black" stuff on the bottom of the pan is ok. While the pan is off, adjust the bands.

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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

Speaking of adjusting the bands... does anyone know where to get a proper socket? My adjustment screws are four sided, except the corners were rounded off from the factory. This makes it impossible t you a standard 'square' socket. I ended up just usin a wrench on mine and guesstimating (much like a couple of those center nuts on the intake). Anyone have a better suggestion?

When you need odd special factory tools try napa, tool trucks, or the origianal maker of the tools which is SPX Miller.

look at the end of the input shaft. that means its a lockup torque converter transmission. I think those were A-999's. I know enough about 'em to identifiy 'em and stay away from em! (unless its what you are looking for....)

Small diameter front pump plate => 904 family.

"Ring" around the splines on the input shaft => lockup convertor tranny


Since it came from a van, I'd guess its an A999. It could also be an A998, but both are comparable- beefed up/ lockup versions of the 904. I think the 999 had the deeper ratio first gear. If you have the convertor, it should be a bolt-in behind a '68 or later slant 6.

Wasn't someone asking about the availability of 998/999 and the deep first gear trannies in a /6 version the other day?

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By the 80s the slant six 727 was long gone. Vans in the 80s got A904s, A998s, and A999s. THe A999 did have a higher (numerically) first gear ratio to assist the van in getting off the line. It really depends on the application as to whether it was a 904 or 999. Either way, it is going in a car so it shouldn't really matter.

I did grab the converter and flexplate when I pulled the trans fron the van. And from all your helpfull information(thank you) it is a lock up trans.
What would make a lock up trans less desirable?
Aren't they supposed to get better milage?
I am hoping for the wide ratio gear set.

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Um... somebody must have forgotten to inform them of that when the factory put the 727 in my '82 pickup.

Whether or not a lockup trans is "less desirable" depends on a) who you ask, and b) what whoever you ask is going to do with the trans

They gained a rep for being un-reliable when they first came out in the mid 70s. The failure was pretty ugly: the convertor lockup clutch material would shed off, and thoroughly scunge up the rest of the trans. Ususally very quickly and with no warning But by the early 80s, they were (IMO) quite reliable. With today's modern fluids made especially for lockup clutches (ATF +3 and ATF +4) there should be no problem.

They DO provide better mileage, and they run MUCH cooler on the highway because there's no continual convertor slip converting power into heat as you cruise along. The price you pay is that when cruising in high gear and mashing on the gas, you don't get any torque multiplication until you mash the throttle far enough to trip the convertor out of lockup, whereas with a regular convertor you get immediate torque multiplication. But that's just in third gear- when running up through the gears from a standing start, there's no real difference There are also fewer "off the shelf" performance torque convertors, so people avoid them for performance situations.

For a daily driver, I actually prefer lockup. A lockup A998 or A999 is what's going into my '73 Satellite (318/904) at some point.

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Just swap the non-lockup shaft into it, add you favorite converter, and enjoy the 2.78 low gearset when you nail the gas. If its already out of the vehicle I'd have it rebuilt. I love the 998/999's for racing !! RICK

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If you can't be good, at least be colorful

...well, 2.74:1 to be exact!

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!