Tranny repair shop recommendation needed - Phoenix area

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Arizona

Arizona

Former Yooper, always a MoPar fan.
Joined
Aug 16, 2017
Messages
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Location
Gilbert, AZ
Hi all,
Now that I am retired I am FINALLY working on my 65 Dart again and am looking for recommendations for a tranny shop in the east valley area, outside of Phoenix. Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert etc. or east side of Phoenix.

Any help is appreciated.
Jim
 
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Arizona said:
? All I am looking for is names of good tranny shops in my area.... no need for pics. I am not wanting to work on it myself.
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Pete’s transmission in downtown has done 2 727 for me and have been great to deal with.

Jake
 
I heard dat..til some overpriced shop screws it up and you wish you would've done it yourself...couldn't have done a worse job..Every shop job that comes in here was thrown together with an overhaul kit and that was it.
 
I rebuilt my first one about 7 months ago. Used the Monroe book and the old video and took my time. Very happy with the results. I bang on it every time I take a drive!

Thing about a shop is they are not going to take their time and really don't care about the outcome.
 
If you can pull a 904/727 out, rebuilding is the easy part. They are the easiest automatics to rebuild. And there is some great literature out there.
 
OK! Thanks for the input guys. I agree that most shops of any sort care more about getting paid than doing a really good job. Evidence of that is the paintpen notation that it was worked on (rebuilt?) about a year before I got it, and as far as I know it wasn’t driven much at all after that. Being a do-it-yourself type I decided to do it myself.

That brings up other questions - what model it is, which book/guide would you recommend, and where would you recommend to get a rebuild kit?

Thanks very much!
Jim

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Arizona said:
OK! Thanks for the input guys. I agree that most shops of any sort care more about getting paid than doing a really good job. Evidence of that is the paintpen notation that it was worked on (rebuilt?) about a year before I got it, and as far as I know it wasn’t driven much at all after that. Being a do-it-yourself type I decided to do it myself.

That brings up other questions - what model it is, which book/guide would you recommend, and where would you recommend to get a rebuild kit?

Thanks very much!
Jim

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That's a 3 speed 904 non lockup. That's all I know, lol
 
Well no question in my mind you've done the right thing. Just like a member said taking it out and putting it back in is the hard part. You'll find once you've went through it it was easier than falling out of bed...
@70aarcuda generally has video copies of rebuilding the transmission that if asked nicely will send you one....
When I did my first 904 which basically is the same transmission just smaller and same valve body I watched a few youboob videos and when at it. My biggest takeaway was if you have a transmission supply place close by use that for buying your rebuild kit / 1 on the internet as the kits are generic and can be missing a seal or something and if you have a place you can go and just get another piece instead of sending for it it will save headaches. Buy a massive jar of Vaseline LOL.. a couple quarts of transmission fluid to soak the clutch is in... And while you're at it definitely install a transgo two shift kit.. the shift kit won't make the gears bang hard just click exactly like you want them and downshift exactly as you imagine you want it to be... I've yet to talk a remember through building their own transmission and have them regret it..
 
Arizona said:
OK! Thanks for the input guys. I agree that most shops of any sort care more about getting paid than doing a really good job. Evidence of that is the paintpen notation that it was worked on (rebuilt?) about a year before I got it, and as far as I know it wasn’t driven much at all after that. Being a do-it-yourself type I decided to do it myself.

That brings up other questions - what model it is, which book/guide would you recommend, and where would you recommend to get a rebuild kit?

Thanks very much!
Jim

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I like these 2 books. The first pic is a newer book and Tom is a member here.

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I'm just to give a scale of a timeframe...
Another member that coached me a little bit when I did mine managed many transmission shops in the day said that if one of his guys couldn't rebuild at least three of these in a day they wouldn't have a job very long. Now with that said I wouldn't expect any of us with non professional tools to do that but in the long scheme of things if it took you a week or so to play with the internal parts and get it right you can imagine the care that will be given...
Besides maybe buying a couple quality snap ring pliers there's really only one special tool needed to release and compress the rear drum... Instead of buying that tool I used a piece of c shaped metal and my vise...
I use this same exact technique on an old Ford 2 speed transmission as well...
I'll see if I can find a picture...
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So you can see the piece of c metal pushing against it in the vice?.. it was just a little too narrow in the spread so I had to put the piece of metal on the floor and hit it on its back side to spread the little legs a little further apart to get the perfect spread to cradle... But very simple instead of buying some fancy-schmancy tool...
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Don't get overwhelmed just take one section out at a time then rebuild each section one at a time and put them back in one of the time. Bag and tag all your little parts and take plenty of pictures...
 
If you watch this video you can rebuild a 727/904......904 are very similar to the 727 except smaller

 
Instead of c-shaped piece, i used my balancer puller,3 3/8x3” bolts and 6 nuts. Bolts stand off the puller with the nuts,and a piece of all thread insead of pusher bolt. Stick all thread in vise, set clutch on that and pusher on top. Snug a nut and compress the springs.
 
There are three different snap rings. The front of the output shaft, front clutch drum, and rear bearing retainer in the tailshaft housing. First, pull in and out on the input shaft to get a basic idea of how much end play you have.
 
Remove the valve body; ten bolts, easy peasy, remove the front band adjuster completely and the band strut will fall out. Then spray WD40 around the pump where it contacts the case. Remove the 6 pump bolts. Gently pry between the lugs of the drums to push out the pump. Sometimes you have to tap the pump back in a few times. But spray more WD40 around the pump before you tap it back in. You can use two bellhousing bolts screwed into the pump(2 of the pump bolt holes are threaded). Pry against the head of the bolts with a large channel locks top. If that doesn't work, remove the starter stud, stand the trans up on its bell housing on concrete; lift it 6" high and drop it onto the concrete for the pump and front drums to fall out. Sometimes 3" works. Oh, and that's INCHES not FEET.
 
There you go! I read the book and watched the video before I even started. Then I re-read and re-read as I went. I also backed up the video over and over until I was comfortable doing the step. I went to A&A in Indianapolis (?)for a kit. Then I had to go back to them for a 4 planetary bushing and a billet retainer. I went with a Superior shift "correction" kit. For a spring compressor I used two cheap plastic "wood" clamps from Harbor Freight. It was my first rebuild and much easier than I thought. Have a clean work area. My wife allowed me to use her folding table. I took my time and double-checked everything. Take lots of pictures!

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CudaFactHackJob said:
Remove the valve body; ten bolts, easy peasy, remove the front band adjuster completely and the band strut will fall out. Then spray WD40 around the pump where it contacts the case. Remove the 6 pump bolts. Gently pry between the lugs of the drums to push out the pump. Sometimes you have to tap the pump back in a few times. But spray more WD40 around the pump before you tap it back in. You can use two bellhousing bolts screwed into the pump(2 of the pump bolt holes are threaded). Pry against the head of the bolts with a large channel locks top. If that doesn't work, remove the starter stud, stand the trans up on its bell housing on concrete; lift it 6" high and drop it onto the concrete for the pump and front drums to fall out. Sometimes 3" works. Oh, and that's INCHES not FEET.
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I'm not sure I'm on the pride the pump out bandwagon... After the valve body is taken off is there any reason you can't stick a screwdriver back behind it and give it a whack and kick it out?...
As I was watching this one video of this Hispanic cat rebuilding one he did this little maneuver as he shouted out how we were all rookies and how he was a pro and I had to replay the seen at least a half a dozen times to catch this little clip of where kind of almost unseen he pushed it out from behind. That was something that bewildered me as I tried to use those threaded holes on the front to use kind of a puller to pull it out...
The second time I did it plip!.. 1 whack and out it came LOL...
 
The defining moment for me was when I had it rebuilt and went over to a friend's house and gave him a ride and we got on it just a little bit not hammer time but just a little bit and when I shifted he looked over at me like that is exactly how a transmission should shift... And I gave him that knowing look back like I did that!...
 
Dropping it gives the most even pressure against the pump. Prying between the drums usually works, but cocks the pump in the housing when the bottom of the pump moves but the top is stuck in the case. Any access from inside the trans doesn't pressure the top of the pump.
 
CudaFactHackJob said:
Dropping it gives the most even pressure against the pump. Prying between the drums usually works, but cocks the pump in the housing when the bottom of the pump moves but the top is stuck in the case. Any access from inside the trans doesn't pressure the top of the pump.
Click to expand...
I think dropping it is more of a professional move then a rookie move..
my first time running through it I wouldn't want everything to come spilling out at once..
 
Thanks for all the encouragement and suggestions! I am excited to try something new on the Dart.
 
Do you want to do a shift kit first or the overhaul? I would finish one up completely before I tackled the next. But I wouldn't even put a shift kit in it; I would just drill a few holes out in the vb and block the accumulator. Can somebody post a pic of TransGo's vb drill instructions?
 
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