viper771

Hey everyone! Well I got my 442 running the other day ( I have never driven it, its been sitting a LONNNNG TIME.. since I owned it actually due to being overseas and other things) and over the winter, the tranny puked out a lot of fluid all over my garage floor. After asking in other forums, I guess this is normal if they still for too long.

So anyway, I refilled it... started it up... no reverse! If I shift it to N, and all the forward moving gears, the car idle drops (almost to the point of it sounding like it will die out, esp at 1st)... but still no reverse.

The engine and tranny aren't orig. to the car (68 442 turnpike cruiser that was converted to a 455 at some point). The tranny, according to the data plate, is off a 77 Caddy (AA). Instead of rebuilding this thing, or having it rebuilt.. I was thinking of just getting a JEGS or Summit th-400. The Summit one is around 900 bucks. I don't plan on racing it or anything. Just drive it around and maybe hit the freeway sometime eventually. I read that TCI isn't that great a choice... and JEGS stuff is a bit more expensive when you compare to the Summit one.

So what do you guys suggest? I am still new at this stuff. I am also working on a 62 Starfire as well... It would be nice to get one car on the road. At this point I don't care what it looks like. Thanks to everyone in advance!

joe_padavano

I can't comment on brands of rebuilt transmissions, as I have rebuilt my own (and the TH400 isn't that hard), but I will say that you need to compare the FULL price including shipping when comparing Summit and Jegs. I've found that the two are within pennies of each other for the same item, delivered to my door.

boese1978

Check out Monster Transmissions

Kennybill

My suggestion is ask local car guys/auto mechanics for a good transmission shop near you.I have 4 good ones nearby. Two nationally known, Rossler transmission and Abruzzi transmission. A morpar buddy bought a trans, brand and store you named. It never worked right. I suggested he take it to Carl Rossler's. They found multiple problems. 6 stripped bolts plus other thing. 4 racing seasons later, no pproblems. We're talking a 400 turbo in your case. Every shop can do them.Go locally you'll probably save $ and headaches. Get the car ready for the road so as soon as the transmission is done install and drive it. You'll fine out if any problems while under warranty. Jmo, Ken

droldsmorland

X2 on all of these suggestions. The fully built and warrantied units from Jegs/Summit are hard to beat especially matched with the right converter. But a good local guy with TH350 & TH400 knowledge is hard to beat too. I have had good luck with both. The TH400 is relatively easy to rebuild and tune to your needs. Want a smooth shifter or a bone jarring tire chirper...either is attainable. Cant beat a 400 for its durability behind a torque monster Olds or any other stump pulling big block.

tru-blue 442

I would go Local. Find yourself a good
BOP shorttail 400 core along with
the Caddy core for another bump
off the invoice maybe. Then you'll
be set for Spring. Good luck, nice car.

viper771

Thanks for the advice everyone! I did pick up a th400 book and watched some vids online. They don't look too hard to rebuild really. I will have to check out monster transmission as well. I guess I can even check out a local junk yard for a core too. There is a big one close to me actually come to think of it.

Now... how do I know what kind of torque converter I need? Might be a dumb question but I never had to mess with any of this yet so this is all new territory. I am using my 68 442 as my learning car since every system needs attention to it. So might as well learn right

I may have to work on some other parts of the car before I put the tranny in since I can't drive it yet even if the tranny did work. I do appreciate all the feedback. It is SUPER helpful to me!!

tru-blue 442

My suggestion is that if
there is a large yard close by,
See if they have any early to mid 70
A body, 442, GTO, Buick GS possibly.
As long as it was a big block car.

If not the regular A body, BB car. Cutlass, Lemans,
Skylarks for example would work just fine.

viper771

Ok I will keep that in mind. I wanted to shoot for that year range anyway

jag1886

I always go with a local on transmission builds, if there is a problem it's a lot easier dealing with someone in person than trying to fix a transmission over the phone. Most good shops can also supply the core for the rebuild.

nicks1966

rebuild it yourself, if you can do a carb you can do the transmission. I bought top of the line parts and the tools to do it and still spent less than the local shops wanted. I know the parts are better than they were going to use. I don't know why everyone is afraid to rebuild automatic transmissions.

viper771

Which special tools did you need? I did rebuild a 4GC carb before. I haven't tried a q-jet yet. I did think about trying to rebuild one myself. There is a HUGE old car junk yard by me and they may have a good core. I really don't want to use the one in my car.

What kind of rebuild kit would you suggest and where did you get it from? I was looking at some on rock auto but I am sure there are better places. Did you put in a shift kit or anything like that?

Also, are there any real differences in torque converters? I would be happy with just the plain ole stock kind if it would get my car moving again

nicks1966

I purchased my kit from AR transmission in California, up graded to alto red clutches and kolene steels, alto band and a 34 element sprag. You will need to have the old style drum for the sprag. I put very mild shift kit in it. used a stock converter. I am going to get a coan converter for the new 468 engine going in this summer.
As for tools I went way over board, I purchased all kent moore tools for the 400 off ebay. Bushing driver set , seal installers, pump remover, band apply pin gauge, clutch pack alignment tool, dial indicator set. Out of all the tools the only one I could not have done without was the dial indictor set.
I worked on it over a weekend, took apart and cleaned Saturday, assembled Sunday. I could have done it in one day but was in no hurry.

billmerbach

Talk to coppercutlass he got done rebuilding a trans not too long ago he may be assistance if you decide to do it yourself

viper771

That sounds like a plan! After watching some vids people posted on youtube, it doesn't seem all that hard to do really.

Stevec

Find a local reputable shop to rebuild it, I just had a stout th400 built for $1060 with a core. Stay away from monster transmission, just google them there are a lot of unhappy monster customers out there.

droldsmorland

Dont forget about the large snap ring pliers, pump puller, bearing/bushing install/remove kit and the solvent parts washer etc... Cleanliness is key to a successful rebuild so is a tub of petroleum jelly. While rebuilding a trans is fairly straight forward its not quite the same as rebuilding other basic assemblies in your Olds. There are several standard general mechanical practices in which to employ:
Be careful to avoid nicking & ripping new seals. Pay close attention to the seal seating & direction. Keeping it all clean. Do all the valves in the valve body move freely and how to make them do so if not. Proper friction/steel stack up tolerances, what best tight or loose stack up? Band tolerance and how to adjust for optimal band to drum clearance. What is the best friction/steels and band material to buy? How to properly inspect the hard parts. What to install as an up grade for deficient factory pieces. What to do if you need to restrict a hole or enlarge a hole in a separator plate. Do you have the correct size & type of drill? What is the best shift kit to install? How to tell if the pumps any good....etc...etc...etc....
There has to be a thousand little tricks and nuances that make for a durable high(er) quality and higher performance build. The benefit of having a seasoned trans shop rebuild it is they have all of the tools & tricks. They know all the little secrets. Same for a crate trans from TCI, Coan, Hughes, B&M to name a few of the leaders. Both will offer warranties.
IMO its great to be able to rebuild a TH400 and feel it work flawlessly and put down 10 feet of rubber on the 1-2 up shift. Im not trying to discourage you at all. I like anyone who DIYs. But if this is a daily driver where you need reliability from the get-go you may get frustrated having to pull it out several times to get it right. Or worse burning it up and having to start over. If you really want to DIY take a couple of cores apart and put them back together to see whats involved. When you feel confident then go for the 400. Do as much home work as you can and you should be successful. Did I mention cleanliness???

droldsmorland

Steer clear of any rebuild kit from china! Buy the highest quality kit you can find. Be aware the kit may not contain every item you need to do the rebuild. Id recommend calling one of the several well known auto trans suppliers as mentioned in my previous post for guidance. Do you have a Transstar dealer in your area?


A converter is sort of personal matter. Do you want stock performance go with a stock stall. Do you want a little slip go to the next level. Do you have a 3 series rear end with more than stock HP (larger cam) then go the next level up. The biggest mistake people make is going to high on the stall. Take a gander at jegs & summit for converter matching. Jegs has a nice application chart in the street converter page that will give you cam, gear ratios, and engine characteristics to aid in converter selection. My guess is that you'll likely go with the street rodder or Saturday night special. Im running a break away as thats whats matched to my application...love it.

viper771

Thanks for all that info!!! I was thinking of doing just that with a core just to see if I could do it. Right now, all the brakes need redone, the wiring was hacked up over the years, radiator is shot, etc etc. Just getting it to move in and out of the garage with little effort was kind of the main reason for getting the tranny to work at this point. I may just do more research on tools and parts for it, and work on the brakes for now. I would be curious as to what kind of condition the internals are of the caddy tranny that is in the car now.

Most ppl I saw rebuilding a th400 were not using any special tools really, except the dial indicator to see what kind of end play there was in the shafts. But it would be good to get some more tools. If I get a rebuild, I don't want anything crazy. Stock or close to is fine with me. I want some nice smooth shifts heh. Thanks for all the info! I will get to work with some research.

lunaboy

besides " A " bodies and the big block cars in the junk yards; keep an eye out for 70-77 Pontiac grand prix. rust buckets with short shaft. I have found many a good th400 in these.

tru-blue 442

70-77 Grand Prix is an A body.
It would have to be a BB car to
have a 400 turbo. But yes, it would
be a shortshaft. I'm not sure, but did Poncho
put 400's behind any of their smallblocks?

lunaboy

69 -72 Grand prix are gm G body and 73 -77 are A body, but just trying to help poster find a th400 in a junk yard. not to many A bodies in bone yards anymore.

66400

All 69-75 GrandPrixs with automatic transmissions were th400 short tail.

Most 76 and 77 GPs had th400 short tail with the Pontiac engines including the 301(77), 350, 400 and 455(76) Pontiac engines.

In 77 GM started mixing Olds engines into the GP line.

Pontiac did not have small block/big block as they were all the same external size.

Henry

tru-blue 442

Good to know, thanks fellas.
If the OP needs, I have an OG
400 core out of a 70 442.

There is a Fastenal about a mile
up the street and the newspaper co.
always has free pallets.

viper771

All very good info!! I really appreciate it since I am still pretty new to the hobby. I bet the shipping for a th400 core would be pretty high wouldn't it? There is a big salvage yard called Stark Wrecking near me.. I guess it is full of old cars going back to the 40s and 50s. I will see what I can find out I would also like to put a posi unit in as well.. since I just have an open rear end right now. I have to crack open the diff since it is leaking all over and I can see what kind of gears I have. Sorry to get off topic lol. I am always looking for something for these cars Thanks for the info everyone!

droldsmorland

The last TCI trans I bought from Jegs was 1250 drop shipped to my door. Of course I had to lift it off the back of a 32' trailer...lol

viper771

That isn't too bad.. as long as the tranny worked like it was supposed to. How heavy are those things lol. I would have to figure out how to unload the sucker if that is the case!

droldsmorland

140-145 wet w/o the converter add another 40-45 for a wet converter. They come in a small HD cardboard box banded to a wooden base. I was able to man handle it to the ground. Maybe the driver would help get it off the gate or ask a friend or your son if you have one.

viper771

DAMN.... well I would be all on my own me thinks on that one lol.