Begin by draining the oil and removing the shifter and linkage and thedriveshaft. |
With the tranny on the bench next to the GV intermediate housing, youcan see the difference. You can also see how much longer the entireassembly is. We had Lakeland Driveshaft shorten and balance ourdriveshaft. For our application, the total length of the neededdriveshaft is 31 inches from the universal joint, center-to-center. |
Remove the side cover, exposing the gears inside. |
Next, remove the six bolts holding the tailhousing on, and slide thehousing and output-shaft assembly out of the tranny. Don't panic whenthe needle bearings in the input shaft fall out; just make sure youdon't lose any of them. |
How much did this all cost? Click the Receipt above to find out... |
It all started in October 2002, when I drove the Valiant to Bristol, Tennessee. In case you're counting, that's a lot of miles with the little 360 dutifully holding the tach needle at 3,500 rpm. The trip was fun, with the radio faintly jamming under the screaming engine.
Somewhere around Atlanta, Georgia, I decided something needed to be done. I got to thinking (Since the cotton in my ears kept things from leaking out, I had no better use for the old noggin), How would a Gear Vendors unit work in this thing? The Gear Vendors unit offers a .78 to 1 (22 percent) overdrive ratio, and that will effectively reduce fuel consumption, engine rpm, and, oh yeah, a lot of noise from that rpm. Another option with GV is the ability to split each shift. For example, you can start in First gear, then hit the GV button and have First high. You can then hit the button and shift to Second after the rpm has reached the point of shifting, and then hit the GV button. Theoretically, splitting each shift of the four-speed like this gives you eight speeds from a four-speed tranny. Rearend gearing affects the split-shift theory dramatically.
I decided to take the plunge: I called Gear Vendors and told them what I needed, and about a week later, the box-o-goodies arrived. However, as soon as I opened the box, I hit my first glitch. The intermediate housing that connects the under/overdrive unit to the tranny was for a long-tailshaft B- and E-Body transmission. Gear Vendors said they use the longer tailshaft to get more clearance between the GV unit and the floor. It sounded logical, because due to drivetrain angles, the farther back the unit, the lower it becomes. The problem is the A-Body-transmission output shaft is shorter than the B- and E-Body shaft, necessitating a longer output shaft for the tranny. Also, the output-shaft bearing in the A-Body tailshaft housing is a 307 bearing, while the B- and E-body tailshaft housing uses a 308 bearing. To fix this minor glitch, I called Passon Performance in Sugar Loaf, Pennsylvania. If you decide to put a GV unit in your A-Body and you have a long-tailshaft B- or E-body tranny lying in the corner, problem solved.
GV is aware of the situation and is exploring possible remedies. By the time this story makes it to print, they will probably have the problem solved. I'm glad Jamie at Passon Performance didn't get upset with the numerous phone calls he received from me, as this was my first time tearing a four-speed tranny apart. After the service I received from Gear Vendors and Passon Performance, I highly recommend them both.
Instead of telling you how it went, let's just do it...