If your tranny went out...

[boondoggle]

Greetings from a newbie! smile.gif

My girlfriend and I have an 86 Grand Wagoneer w/360. Well, it's actually her GW - but she loves it to death, and I'll be doing all the work, so you could say it's "our" Grand Wag.

Anyhow, the tranny was leaking for a while there then it finally went out on us. Coasted it into a Wendy's and got it towed home the next day.

So, now I'm thinking to myself how much we love this truck (and especially how much the woman loves this truck - she calls it "Peggy") and I've been thinking about just building it up good and strong for her - putting on a nice Edelbrock Performer package w/cam, manifold, carbeurator etc. Maybe even a lift kit sometime next year.

But, first I've got to get the tranny fixed. Which brings me to my question:

If your tranny went out on your Grand Wagoneer, and you were planning on juicing up the engine with this kind of stuff: PerformerRPM package (http://edelbrock.com/automotive/chrysler_2a.html) what would you do with it when you rebuilt it?

I don't want to spend a bunch of money putting a stock tranny back in only replace the stuff a couple of months from now. Or is there not that much to upgrade tranny-wise because it's 'all in the axles'?

I'm new to these FSJ's and am gonna try to learn as much as possible before doing anything.

Here's to learning!

Cheers,
boondoggle

[Gladi8r]

First of all, welcome to the board. Now, the performer package that you have the link for is for a Chrysler 360 not an AMC 360 so the manifold will definately NOT fit. You need to get the same package for the AMC 360. The 86 GW would have the 727 torqueflite tranny which is a good tranny and once you have it rebuilt it will more than stand up to what ever changes you make to the engine. You can also have the tranny shop add a few extra clutches to the clutch pack when rebuilding.

Glad to hear that you are wanting to take care of that fine automobile ya got there smile.gif

[Bob Barry]

Just rebuild the transmission back to spec, keep the fluid clean and cool, and you can tow heavy stuff with it for over 100,000 miles with no problems whatsoever. That TF727 can stand just about anything, besides neglect (which will do in the stoutest transmissions around).

[Tad]

Welcome aboard, boondoggle.
This is the best place on the planet for FSJ questions.
Here is a research tool for all the things that plague us...

Marty Sells’ Really Fast Search Tool (http://www.studiosells.net/cgi-bin/keyword-search.cgi)

and then you need to ckeck out the...

John Jacobs FSJ FAQ's Page (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jjacobs149917/fsj_faq.htm)

Keep us posted. smile.gif

[Rande]

Welcome. I echo Gladi8r's advice: don't try to stuff Chrysler 360 parts into your AMC 360 engine. That will just cause trouble. ;)

If you want the tranny beefed up a bit, have the rebuilder install a reprogramming kit like the Trans-Go kit. It reprograms the tranny for faster shifts that greatly reduce wear on the clutches. There are also kits that have more clutches and other parts to beef the tranny a bit. Any good rebuilder would know about these.

Main thing is to keep the fluid full and clean and cooled. Your truck should have an auxilliary tranny cooler. If it doesn't, you should consider installing one.

[ December 08, 2002, 06:53 AM: Message edited by: Rande ]

[will e]

Yeah, a shift kit might be nice. You will get the most heat build up as the tranny slips from one gear to the next.

NEVER let it run low on fluid. It will toast it. One it is rebuilt if you hear even one missed shift stop as soon as you can (safety first) and check the level. My tranny guy said that you want to keep the level good in these tranny's. I check mine every couple of weeks.

For performance/lift. I didn't look at your planned combo but If you are going to take it wheeling you will want the torque to come on strong in the lower RPMs. You don't need to build a 6000RPM engine. Typically, if you build an engine for MAX horsepower this is done by spinning it at higer RPM's. To do this you need a cam with some overlap. This will cause you a loss of power at the lower RPM's. Bottom line. Keep it mild.

If you plan on goiung fast on the street, sell the wagon and get an AMX! smile.gif smile.gif

And welcome to the board. You are gonna love that truck! and keep the girl friend who loves it too. This will help later in life.

[ December 08, 2002, 07:47 AM: Message edited by: will e ]

[boondoggle]

Wow! You guys are great. That's some excellent info.

That FSJ FAQ of John Jacob's answered a lot of my questions for me.

And I don't know why, but I wasn't aware that the AMC and Chrysler 360 weren't close enough. Makes sense though. Hmmm.

I guess I'll go with a stock tranny. I'll ask the rebuilder if he's familiar with putting shift kits in the Torqueflite. If so, maybe I'll help it out a little. And you're right - torque is king.

This is going to be my gal's daily driver for the most part - so I won't be going nuts on it. I'd like for the engine to be strong, and since the suspension is gonna lead to saggin wagon before long I'm trying to get my ducks in a row and plan that part too. Maybe an add a leaf to the back and a 2" lift or something. 31" tires would probably be plenty for this truck.

Was poking around underneath it today and noticed some rust forming - not too bad, but not good. Looks like I'll be buying some POR-15 too! smile.gif

If anyone wants to see some pics that were taken a few months ago, look here:
Pictures (http://homepage.mac.com/sballinger/PhotoAlbum8.html)

[ December 08, 2002, 06:31 PM: Message edited by: boondoggle ]

[Rande]

Your post says: eastcoast, but the license plate looks like a Minnesota plate. Where are you at?

[boondoggle]

I live on Staten Island in NY. Moved here about 3 years ago from K.C.(work, ya know).

Used my TJ to tow a uhaul trailer, with most of my stuff in it, out here - that was kind of a hair raising experience. Fun though and the Jeep handled it well.