In This video we tear down the TH400 to see what parts we need to fix it. Rat Rod Bobs Merchandise - T-Shirts and more: rat-rod-bobs-merchandise.crea... MUSIC BY: elevatedjamtracks.bandcamp.com/
Bob, you are a brave man sir. I've never had the guts to try and tear apart a trans. I've done a lot of work on cars and trucks in my years but the trans is one area I never wanted to mess. with.
Check the drum with a straight edge, if you can see light between the straight edge and the drum, replace it. If it's flat, use emery cloth to knock off the glaze. You're doing good Bob, just take your time, it's a fairly simple transmission.
Well Rick I'm pretty sure you can not only see light but probably could read the newspaper thru that straight edge. Gonna have to see if I have a better one in storage.
The lazy robot could be handing you tools... The trick is not being able to tear an automatic transmission apart. The trick is being able to put it back together and have it function properly the first time. The problem with so many automatics is that even the same model will have evolved in manufacturing from year to year, so to get the right documentation for the right year, and understanding the details, the subtle parts is what's important in order to put them back together so they shift right, shift at the right time, etc. All those little ball bearings are check values and must go in the right spots. Good experienced transmission builders are worth their weight in gold.
I rebuilt a 4l60 I found a you tube channel called the transmission bench the videos are great. I bought a kit from him and he answered my questions. I can't say enough good things about him.
Dang Skippy I ain't never seen anyone tear apart on them transmissions my brother tried to do one for a mustang a long time ago it did not work and turn out too good for him let's pray you get that you'll go and going right I love the video thank you for showing us
Years ago I built a table that had sides and would drain the oil into a bucket. I worked on hydrostatic pumps and motors. That was years ago, now I would be taking a picture with my cell phone every 2 minutes. Good work Bob.
@@timwiltse365 I looked into it. Pretty cool. I have a 475 that I'm rebuilding that I got from a motor home with I think 32 thousand original miles the kid said. I took it apart n it was perfect. Even the seals. Course still getting replaced anyway.
I've never touched an automatic but I have rebuilt Manual transmissions from several manufactures. One thing I've found is to watch RU-vid videos for pointers, you can spot a hack really quickly and you just search until you find a knowledgeable people.
Great video as always Bob. Riveted as always! Keep them coming sir. Always look forward to the next video Bob. Totally love the channel. Keep On Motoring Brother!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Cotter pin tool or a radiator hose tool makes getting the big snap rings out a little easier but a big flat head screwdriver works too. Thx for sharing!
Anyone wanting to learn transmissions, the early 2 and 3 speeds are the way to go.. Not too complicated and there are books to really help you out. Patience is needed, can't buy that though, haha. Nice to see you do transmission too Bob, Ain't Skeered! lol
for those of us with sore backs...use an engine stand to hold any transmission up high enough to sit down in a chair--you can even spin it easily. you just won't be able to shove a torque converter onto it. Take the apparatus off the engine stand that you normally bolt the back of the block to, arrange it to bolt onto the transmission's bellhousing, and then just slide 'er onto the engine stand's male fitting (trying to hold the trans in the air while bolting the stand to it is just plain tiring)
Most GM automatic transmission are fairly simple even the 700 r4 I built one for a retired Colonel Vietnam vet on the back of S10 tailgate for his Cadillac front wheel drive 15 years ago and it is still rolling,,,,he said his mind was blown lols 😎 I told him it was just transmission nothing major Colonel lols.old man Bailey Roger's God rest his Soul.
@@RatRodBobBuilds I totally respect that and realize we all have different tastes and we stretch budgets when needed but so many parts are just plain next level dangerous. Could be a tool for building subscription base too.
That wear in the pan was fine, could've cleaned it & put in truck. Seeing how you did pull it apart, you should've taken end play checks front & rear (that book you got will give you acceptable clearance specs. The filter is different because you have an early model. If you've got another TH400 laying around with late model filter use that pan and order late filter (those early cans are junk and 3 times expensive to replace) Before ordering parts, check that tag on the case the first two numbers on the second row will give you the year. Nothing wrong with the surface on your reaction carrier (Don't try smoothing it out, It needs that rough surface for lo/rev band apply) you can hold a straight edge across it, hold it up to light while with your straight edge against it, don't see light under edge, it's good, re-use it. mic your frictions & steels (they come in different sizes to take up clutch clearance in drum.) Good rule of thumb for clutch clearance .010 for each clutch (if you got a 5 ct. clutch pack you want .050 on your cl. drum clearance 6 count .060 etc.) Replace the Intermediate sprag (they're cheap insurance to hold 2nd gear) Pull the pump apart to check gear wear, you going to replace pump bushing anyways. No hard part damage you good, just order paper & rubber kit, clutches if you want to freshen it up. Although them you pulled out of there would work fine. Yes it already has a shift kit installed by trans-tec.
Wow! I asked for help and you stepped up. I really appreciate all that information and tips. Pretty sure that "reaction carrier" will show light under a straight edge. Got it, on the clearances ... pretty sure they're both 5 ct packs. I'll have to get the book out for sure on assembly and I'll check the end play then ... I reckon since I didn't before disassembly. The pump bushing looked like new do I still need to change it? To bad I ain't your neighbor.
One thing you want to be oily is the trans inside. Thanks for the vid helps dummies like me. Smash that like people...I subbed to the other channel too bawb
That filter came from an older trans. The newer ones have a bolt that hold the filter on. The bolt hole is in the valve body, you might need to swap in a newer valve body because it has the tapped hole for the bolt.
That transmission was out of my 70 Chevelle before I passed it on to you. It worked. That converter is a loose one!! It was over 3000 stall behind my mild 454. I was wondering where my early oil pan went! The early pans have what looks like a heel print in them. I don't remember what year the actual trans is. The tag on the side of it will tell you. Looks like it will clean up ok. My advice would be to split the pump in half and inspect it. I don't remember if that's the one that made noise or not. Its been a long time! Also , inspect the way the center support fits the case. Turbo 400's are known for wearing out the case ridges that locate the center support. If the support fits loose front to back when the snap ring is in , you can buy oversized ones to take up the slack. If I remember right , one from a 727 torquflite is an old racers fix. I used to know a lot more about them , but its been 30 years since I last built a 400.
Thanks for that info and those tips. And of course for the transmission. You see I still have everything you sent me ... waiting for a new life. If you need that pan back I can make it happen. I have other later models ones I can use here.
Hi Rat Rod Bob 😁 again from here in the D Michigan 😎 hey Thanks for your time and video of the rebuild of a Automatic Transmission, I really appreciate it.
That’s the way to do it. Want it done right, do it yourself. I rebuilt a C4 with the help of a video, can’t believe it works great. No big deal, just check your tolerances.
First time seeing the inside of a automatic transmission. You're making it look fairly simple, not too scary 😉. Looking forward to seeing the reassembly. At least Red did the camera work for you 😂🤣✌️.
I hear ya. Videoing the process will not be easy but I'll do my best. It's just components ... build one at a time and stick em all together in the correct order. LOL
Hey Bawb, Your doing good!!!! When I worked in the transmission shop, drove towtruck and pulled em back in, then pulled the trans out, big guy did the rebuilding, then i stuck them back in. Couple of times he would get backed up and i would help put clutch pack together and a few other things, never could seem to get the little balls back in the right pockets, and several times ballpoint pens donated their springs for me, so i just stuck to pulling and putting!!! But i've got faith in you to get it back together with everything in the right place the first time!!!!
It's easy and the main things that I can point out are make sure you clean everything very good, especially the valve body as metal from the clutches can make a shift valve stick. Next is when you put the new seals in the drums and the clutches make sure to reassemble the clutch pack then use a magnetic base dial indicator set to zero touching the last clutch disc or friction disc then lift the clutches with a pick to get the end play up and down of pack and compare the spec. from factory. When you put the pump back in with all the roller bearings and shims against the pump housing between the first drum and all the other goodies then with your dial gauge on zero touching the very end of the input shaft then lift the shaft towards the converter and pump while watching what the end play. End play of input shaft, clutch pack play, and a clean valve body will get you there. Upgrade and planetary gear from 3 to 5 planetaries and the drum that look like 1/8" steel is the weak point! If power is involved put the upgrades in. Best option to add holding power is to add an extra friction and steel to clutch drums, machining the drums is the only way other than buying drums that hold extra steel and friction. Good luck and Haynes manual and a positive attitude will be all you need to get threw it successfully. Oh, and if the harder seals give you trouble going in put them in the hot sun on a black piece of plastic and let the sun warm them up or very HOT water to submerse them in to get them flexible.
Done my first turbo 350 years ago and it was in a chevy 4 wheel drive and no go. pulled all back out transfer case and all to fine 1 check ball in wrong spot. Lesson learned check the check ball location, take pics, read the book. But now all you have to do is watch Rat Rod Bobs and you can do it.
Really good video Bob, i know way more about an automatic transmission now than i did 35 minutes ago, which still isn't much, lol, but you look like a pro, you ain't afraid of nothing, catch you on the assembly video
Mr. rat ,you have balls of cast iron ! That’s waaay too much stuff to keep track of and then re assemble ! I have to remind myself that old guys really do rule!
I like a educational video like this one There's nothing to it but to do it. I like to say. Great video Bob. I notice ole Red is MIA when there is work to be done. 😆 see ya next time.....
I agree , most people see an exploded view and say no way! But ounce you tear one down and see it's not that bad. I've done 7 and not had 1 fail yet. Good book is a must.
I've rebuilt several engines but never had the nuts to tackle the automatic transmission. I paid a pretty penny to have my TH400 built for my BB Camaro in the 80's too.
That's the only A/T I've ever done. Ive got the getrag 360 out of the beast and puting it back together today. Almost done but not yet. lol Take care brother.
I agree. Transmissions aren’t really all that hard to work on. They’re hard to understand so if you’re going to design some sort of modification that would be difficult but a friend needed to rebuild a 700 R4 and neither of us had a clue what we were doing and I just said let’s wing it And we grab the book like a Chilton manual or some thing and we pulled everything apart and Summit had a kit that was a rebuild that had almost everything but we had to buy two gears and I think there were a couple O-rings or something we had to get. I don’t remember but it took us the weekend but we figured it out from a book and it wasn’t too horribly confusing. He did most of it but he wasn’t too mechanical and Mechanic I probably wasn’t at the time either and it came out working pretty good.
Worth the watch man! Interesting to see it come apart.. always heard don’t do it, I’ve got a couple of these kicking around and usually pay the 1100 for rebuild because it’s over my head.. maybe one day I’ll get the balls to try? Great trany never really had many problems with TH350/400. Oh and this Louis character that knows so much in these comments of your thread Bob , I know guys like this there a know everything do nothing thanks for sharing what you do know keep these videos coming sir!
Enjoyed the video Bob! One task I would never try is to tear apart a transmission. I purchased a new 700 R 4 from Monster for my 39 olds. They don’t give them away….😂 have a great day Bob. 👍🇺🇸🙏
@@RatRodBobBuilds i believe they hit me for $3200.00 which includes all hoses, torque converter, cooler, etc. You can have them painted purple, green or silver….I went with the silver and is built to handle 450 Hp. Took 8 weeks to get it which I went there to pick it up and they gave me a tour of their facility, tossed in a couple cool T shirts and a hand full of stickers…..their facility is located in Brooksville Florida which is a little over an hour from my house in Clearwater florida. They recently broke ground there to build a 1/8 drag strip and they already have a burn out pit where you sign a waiver and can burn the tires off of the rims if you want..😂😂 nice facility…I am Running a ZZ4 350 4 bolt main which puts out around 395 HP. Just purchased an original Bat wing air cleaner which looks great…slowly I am putting the old girl back together and hoping to be finished by the November Turkey Rod Run in Daytona florida……take care Bob and tell Red to tighten up! Have a great rest of the week and have a bitchen weekend ole boy! 👍👍👍🇺🇸🙏
If I get a Turbo 400 trans and combine the parts to build my A-904 trans , I could have a TA-1304 transmission. All jokes aside very good demonstration on how to remove and keep the parts in the order removed. That will help tremendously when it comes time to reassemble.
The one special tool you should have is a ''Universal Transmission Lip Seal Installer & Protector'' (search this for a picture). Not some thing you have to buy you can make your own with guitar strings. All it is, is a piece of brake tubing with a .016 and a.035 hard wire loops smashed in the ends. But it will make installing the piston seals so much easier with out damage.
Lol heck I ain't no "transmission guy" 😁 I was lost when you pulled the governor off. And those steel balls you pulled out 🧲 had me assured that I'll never tear a transmission down without supervision. But I would %100 like to learn how so I can know how. I ain't NEVER enjoyed having to pay someone else to do something for me, especially on my vehicles.
Far as I ever got on a transmission is a shift kit once you get past taken that valve body Damn that's where I say that's enough way to go Bob Thanks for the video
If I can get the assembly video done with some details maybe things will look a little easier. They are a little stressful to think about though ... right?
Enjoyed your lesson on TH 400 trans disassembly a lot. Not sure I'm ready to dive into auto trans rebuilds yet though. Your video coverage is excellent. Was Red the cameraman ? LOL! Thanks for the educational look into auto trans teardown, looking forward to the assembly lesson. Thank you for informative videos, all of which are excellent .
I had to rebuild a 4l60 but with my wife on Google showing me pictures it went pretty smooth, I think the grey matter in the pan is from the clutches bedding in but that's just a guess, nice work Bawb
Thanks for this Bob👍🏽😀 , because I want to do it to a auto one day, I did manual box before but never a auto , the one in my 1996 Rav4, may need doing at some stage ? Plus a project car at a later date 👍🏻🤙🏼
My father used to say, if you can figure out an automatic transmission. Dealing with women will be a breeze. I've been married three times. But I'm still learning at 60. Thanks Bob.
