Rolls forward in neutral, locks up rolling backwards??

I’ve seen some of those threads when searching for solutions to problems I’ve had, and I get excited that someone else has had the same issue, only to find they never posted a follow up.

Thanks for the heads up on the snap ring. I’ll be getting after it over the next few days starting today.

And now the update you've all been waiting for!

I followed the advice given by several of you and simply removed the crossmember to drop the tail down. It was much easier than I thought it would be. I made a cradle out of 2x4s and used a floor jack to slowly lower it while sliding it back. I think that was the sketchy part. When I put it back in, I'm either going to do a better job supporting it, or "rent" a transmission jack from HF. I should've followed pt70's advice and used more wood and 2x10s instead. As usual, the damn headers were in the way. Oh, I also disconnected the exhaust hangers to get the x-pipe out of the way.

Now time to remove the pump and get to the front drum. Let me tell you guys, I am extremely lucky I didn't damage the threads in the pump. The parts store only had a regular slide hammer, so I had to improvise with a bolt I had. I forgot that the threads for pulling the pump are LARGER than the fastener threads. I banged on that damn thing pretty good with a bolt in the fastener hole, not the larger hole. I caught myself in time, switched to a larger bolt at 3/8 x 16, and it came right out. Surprisingly, the clutch plate teeth look just fine, and from what I could see of the friction material, they don't look burned up. Here's a view of the inside of the drum.

I was also expecting to have to replace the band, but it looks good. I suspect this transmission was recently rebuilt. What are your thoughts?

Now look at the first photo of the band. See that washer?? DOH!!! I now understand why folks recommend installing the pump with the transmission vertical. So, what I think happened was a series of errors made by me. I didn't tighten the band down before removing the pump, causing things to drop down after it was removed (including that washer). With the pump out, I turned the input shaft just because I'm a curious monkey and wanted to see it spin. I think that misaligned the tangs of the drum. Then when I re-installed the pump, I just jammed it in there and ran down the bolts. The misaligned tangs never realigned, and the washer got smashed just where it sat.

I decided not to replace the clutch plates and steels, because to me (pops agreed) they look fine. I didn't want to go digging around and increase my chances of making another mistake if I didn't have to. I'm waiting for the transmission shop to open so I can go get another washer and receive my deserved flogging from Keith, the owner. Then I'll have pops come over and help with the assembly....this time in the VERTICAL position!

Nice work.
You'll be back on the road in no time!!

The band looks brand new!! Glad you saw the thrust washer.

Jam it in is not a thing you want to do.

Boy have I learned that the hard way.

Take the clutches out and post pics. And when you assemble it the first time, leave out the clutches, pump gasket, band, and pump o-ring and just check the endplay. Buy two of those little thrust buttons in case you want to double them up. And buy an extra front thrust washer; a thin one, in case you might want to add it to the pump washer.

CudaFactHackJob said:

Take the clutches out and post pics. And when you assemble it the first time, leave out the clutches, pump gasket, band, and pump o-ring and just check the endplay. Buy two of those little thrust buttons in case you want to double them up. And buy an extra front thrust washer; a thin one, in case you might want to add it to the pump washer.

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Oddly enough, I was about to post a follow up that included pictures of the clutches.

I was giving the drum a final inspection before launch, and something caught my eye. I took it apart and found this.

Without hesitation I packed up the drum and drove to the transmission shop to show him the pieces, so he could identify it. Turns out I broke the sealing ring....easy enough. But while we were shooting the ****, he was fiddling with the drum and noticed the clutches were loose. "Really ******* loose" is the technical jargon he used. I don't know, I'm not a transmission guy. Anyway, he popped them out and showed me how worn they were.

These are from the direct drum. The forward drum clutches didn't look as worn, but the steels had burn marks that showed evidence the clutches had been slipping.

Keith is a great guy and not out to nickel and dime people, so I trust him. He suggested replacing the clutches (obviously), but also suggested replacing the lip seals. After some back and forth talking about compressing the spring etc, I decided to pay him to build the drums. I think that was a smart move, especially after he said he'd set the clearance for the clutches. I had no idea I was supposed to do that...just thought you set the clutches in and let er rip. He also said he'd replace the wave snap ring with a flat snap ring, and that would give me a crisper shift.

Replacing the waved ring in the direct clutch is a terrible idea. It will give a harsh reverse engagement that will get old quick; unless you run a high stall converter. If you want a better 2-3 shift, then drill out the 2-3 apply hole in the valve body separator plate as per the TransGo instructions. Double check your work and the same goes for everybody else's work. Air check the drums when you get them back.

Thanks, I'll give him a call on Monday. I never really had any complaints about the shifting before, so I think I'm not gonna mess with the valve body. Maybe someday when I know a little more about what I'm doing, but I think for now I'll stick with the basics and just get the car together and running.

Okay, drums are back from the shop and I’m ready to put them in. However, when I moved the transmission from the horizontal to vertical position, this piece fell out. Anyone know where it goes?

Front band strut; goes from the apply lever to the band.

Well that explains why it fell out. The front drum and band were both out when I moved it, and when it fell out. I notice the notches are not exactly centered, how should it be oriented?

Sorry I took so long to get back on here. The band only has one end that the strut fits. Did you air check the drums mounted onto the pump with it chucked into a vise? I air check every drum twice; once before I take out the piston to find out what happened and then again after it's reassembled.

Dont know if that rearend has adjusters for axles on it like the 8 3/4. But had the same thing happen on my race truck. The clip that holds the adjuster from moving bent, and everytime I rolled it backward it would tighten up and bind the axles. Felt like what you are saying. Worth checking. I almost jumped into my tranny aswell

CudaFactHackJob said:

Sorry I took so long to get back on here. The band only has one end that the strut fits. Did you air check the drums mounted onto the pump with it chucked into a vise? I air check every drum twice; once before I take out the piston to find out what happened and then again after it's reassembled.

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Thanks, I was going to air check the apply levers but didn't know to air check the drums. Luckily Nothing is assembled yet, so I can still do that.

Cool Hand said:

Dont know if that rearend has adjusters for axles on it like the 8 3/4. But had the same thing happen on my race truck. The clip that holds the adjuster from moving bent, and everytime I rolled it backward it would tighten up and bind the axles. Felt like what you are saying. Worth checking. I almost jumped into my tranny aswell

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! I'm pretty sure I found the problem in a previous post; the drums fell out of alignment when I pulled the pump for an unrelated issue. I didn't tighten the front band before pulling the pump, so everything fell loose. Post 53 shows the tangs of the front and rear drums misaligned, I'm pretty sure that's where I screwed up.

Stupid question, but I’m getting everything buttoned up and I can’t remember what goes here. I couldn’t find anything in the service manual and pictures online make it look like just a bolt goes there, but I don’t have said missing bolt.

Okay, I figured out that it's the governor pressure port, but why the hell would I remove the plug?? Now I need to find the damn thing.

Anymore, I never remove those plugs because a couple of times I forgot to put them back in...

Well, I found the plug in a ziplock bag labeled “tranny drain plug” and remembered why I removed it. I thought it was the drain plug when I pulled the engine. Boy am I stupid. BUT, I’m not as stupid as I was yesterday....at least I hope not.