PART II - Finishing the install of a B&M shift Kit and new filter in the Ford AOD transmission

Before the valve body gets re-installed, the accumulator valve on the tranny-side gets a heavier, shorter spring and a spacer to make up the difference -

Once that is installed, the valve body goes back on, using some alignment pins that come with the kit -

 Critical here is to get the gear-selector levers fit into the actuators as you seat the valve body - 

Once they are positioned and checked and the valve body is seated flush, 

the 20 shouldered bolts can be installed hand tight - then torqued to 90 lb-inches,

Next came the new filter -

Everything getting torqued to 90-100 lb-inches and triple checked.

 Last came the pan gasket an bolts, again torqued to specw, which was ACTUALLY stated  as 72-124 lb-inches - as if any torque wrench even had those markings! so I used a mid-way amount of 100.

So that's it! The keys to doing it? Cleanliness, acute attention to detail, reading and re-reading the instructions over and over, checking off the steps and studying the pictures in detail. You CAN do it.

Don't forget to check out my website at www.E-tekRestorations.com!

B&M Shift Kit Installation in Ford AOD transmission - PArt I

The 1940 Ford Rod is on it's way to Graveyard Customs this week for prep and paint and while there, I'll be turning my attention to engine and tranny upgrades and detailing, plus doing some work on the trim and some other pieces that need to be ready for re-assembly.

Today I got started on the B&M shift kit installation. I've done two of these before - in much older trannys (1967 and 1974) - and it made one hell of a difference. This trans is quite a bit newer (1989), but I'm sure it will still have a very  positive and very noticeable effect on shift crispness and overall speed by holding the RPM's longer, then changing harder, in each gear.

Up and onto the bench -

 Removing the pan and draining the oil.

Loosening one side of the pan allows the fluid to be drained slowly from one corner.

Once the pan is off there's about 20 - 10 mm bolts that hold the valve body in.

After removing all those bolts, the valve body and separator plate was removed to be worked on first -

 Here's where the magic happens:  the valve body, separator plate and torque plates.

 Gaskets top and bottom are removed and modified ones will be used in their place.

 The torque plates are then removed -

Here the gaskets and separator plate is removed and the check-balls (8 to 10 in all) are removed:

Below - the check balls and pressure springs - 

Next, replacing the springs. The shift kit has heavier springs designed to hold the shifts longer, at a higher RPM, before allowing the tranny to snap into the next gear -

 Here you can see the old black spring being replaced by the new, heavier,  red spring -

Another spring gets changed out - 

Once those items are changed out, the separator plate is slightly modified by drilling out a couple holes to a slightly larger (1/8") size. This allows more fluid to flow through to the accumulators.

 There a re a lot of holes and slots in the plate and one wrong move renders it useless. I carefully measured and went over the directions several times before proceeding!

 The instructions include a diagram showing which holes need to be enlarged, but there are a lot of dots, circles and slots! I went over it no less than 5 times - from various angles - to ensure I got them right.

 Again, this part is critical - the plate was marked and compared back to the instructions several times.

As per the instructions, the marked holes are to be drilled out to 1/8" inch (0.250") 

As shown below,  two of holes were already the correct size so only 2 needed to be changed.

The drill bits point to the two that needed to be drilled out:

After drilling, I took the edges off with a fine file, then removed any burrs with another, larger drill, twisted by hand over the holes.

Check balls go back in - 

Pressure springs go back in - 

Then the separator plate and gaskets are ready to be replaced.

 Then the torque plates are re-installed and torqued to 90 inch-pounds.

The valve body is now put aside and work begins on the actuators, shown below....

Stay tuned for Part II - 

Don't forget to check out my website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

For the last while I've been updating my projects threads on GarageJournal.com, HAMB and ClassicZ.com but haven't been doing much with the blog. If you came here looking for updates, please check out the following links....and of course, don't forget to check out my website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !


E-tek Project Thread at GJ.com


E-tek's 27 and 40 Ford Projects on the HAMB


E-tek's 240Z thread at ClassicZ.com

Tweeting for Dupli-color.....

As part of the Dupli-Color PaintCrew, I'm getting used to Twitter and tweeting about my shop work. I'll send regular updates on the Datsun 240Z, the 1940 Ford Sedan Rod and the 1927 T-Roadster to the @Duplicolor and @E-tekRacing pages. Follow me!

What kind of car projects can you accomplish during the winter months? #carenthusiast #customcar #diy #winterdriving
— Dupli-Color (@DupliColor) January 9, 2013

Of course for more tech information, auto-inspiration, or just some light reading, you can always check out my website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Details, details...

Getting down to the fine details on the 40 Ford before it goes for paint. Which aren't minor, and take a lot of time, so I guess they aren't really details....are they?  ;)

Today, more dash work -

Fitting the billet aluminum dash gauge face plate:  Although made for this application, you need to double check all this before paint. Even it it fits - snuggly - that's too tight. The application of primer and paint will add several mils of material to the edge, material that will flake off with the slightest pressure - so the plate has to fit in easily, with a slight gap. That meant material was going to have to be removed.....

I removed material from the edges of the aluminum plate with 80 grit, then 120G and finally - and only because it was on the unseen edge - finished it with 240G. If you did this on a forward facing piece, it would have to be finished with 600G (at least).

Next, I whipped up some new tabs to be welded to the back of the dash to hold the dash plate.

A set screw will allow for some adjustment -

Check out my website www.E-tekRestorations.com