A500 rebuild. Removing lockup?

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Cuprum-74

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I'm currently tearing into the $200 A500 I got
it's from a 92 2wd Dakota.

So I've done the non-lockup mod before with the A999 I have now
I'm planning on doing the same with the A500 now. The main reason is torque converter selections are junk for LU 26 splines.
The highest stall I found is 2500 which may be enough but at nearly $500! While a non-lockup 2500 stall is over $100 cheaper.
Sure the extra 200-300 rpm reduction is nice but not critical.
My current setup is: 91' 360 roller LA [9.7 compression] with future stroker aspirations. An A999 with a deluxe rebuild kit (red eagle & kolenes) with lockup removed, Turbo-action's cheetah valve body and a Hughes Torque converter (2000 stall).
Style 95/5 (95% daily driving, freeway, cruising - 5% track)
I do currently have 3.21 rear gears but I plan on going up to 3.73 range.
I've seen Trailbeast's snazzy setup where uses toggle switches for O/D and LU.
So the question I have is: At what point is a stall too high for an OD transmission?
All I've ever dealt with is 3 speeds but I have never rebuilt an OD before. But so far from what I've seen the A999 and A500 there's about an 80% similarity between the two.

As you can see here, definitely needs a rebuild. But it is from a 250,000 mile work truck.
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I do hope someday I get my own shop. The wife is starting to get a little territorial about "her side of the garage"
And yes that is another transmission on the shelf under the window. A 904 I used for my A999 non-lockup conversion.
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Safe bet is to keep your stall 3-400 below your highway cruising rpm. You’ll need to play with calculators to find that magic number with your gearing.
You can get closer than 3-400...
but risk boiling due to not coupling often enough to keep fluid cool.
I’ll add this too for thought:
For a “pro touring” type of set up, a coupling speed 200 rpm uunder where your cam comes in makes for a very responsive car.
 
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Contact one of the performance converter builders, give them all information they ask for, and see what they recommend for stall for your application. You might want to ask them if they build "DUMMY LOCK-UP" converters. The lockup piston is removed.
If you're going to get into the OD section to see what it's like, remember that there is heavy duty coil spring in there that must be carefully removed. If my memory serves me right it's compressed to around 700PSI.
You might want to check the tooth pitch on the OD planetary. Chrysler upgraded it from 22.5 degree tooth pitch to 15 degree pitch in 1996. There were issues with the early design and that was the reason for the upgrade. There's a kit that includes the 3 pieces for the changeup, the OD sun gear, the OD planetary and the OD ring gear that is available. You would be able to get that from your area Transtar outlet. Another upgrade in the OD section is to change the OD sun gear thrust plate and bearing. Again comes as a kit. There are other upgrades that the parts company I worked for sold that virtually all rebuilders asked for when they were doing the A500. Trailbeast and Rusty can give you their insight as to what you will require.
The attached PDF shows a breakdown of the OD section and the areas I've mentioned.
Don't let price be your only guide, and "Do it right ONCE" JMHO.
 

Attachments

  • A500 PARTS BREAKDOWN #2.pdf
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I understand all of it except the part about, "her side of the garage"..the rationale escapes me..
 
I don't get removing something from a transmission that makes it more useful then the rest.

Garages are for cars.
 
I have an A999 lockup that flashes at about 2800 and its awesome for street driving. That lock up kicks in high gear and I can lug it down to 1500 as long as I dont get into hard enough to kickdown. If you dont need a high stall the lock up tranny is the way to go on the street. My issue is its too tight for what I need for my track use.

Although mine is hydraulic lock up so I dont know what is available for the electric lock up transmissions.

I know turbo action makes non lock up converters with the correct spline for the lock up transmissions.
 
Yeah, sorry for not updating.
Since the last post a lot has happened. I started a new job, retired from the National Guard, and moved into a new house which took a lot of energy as we were dealing with the crazy house market here in Utah.
Too many buyers not enough houses so therefore everyone is ramping up house prices like crazy, we sold our old house in about an hour but took us almost 5 months to get a new one. We finally found a new build that we had to wait another 6 weeks to finish.
Only problem is no landscaping due to being a new build. But the 4 car garage make it worthwhile!
Still crazy now with building hardware skyrocketing added to the mix.
 
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Yeah, sorry for not updating.
Since the last post a lot has happened. I started a new job, retired from the National Guard, and moved into a new house which took a lot of energy as we were dealing with the crazy house market here in Utah.
Too many buyers not enough houses so therefore everyone is ramping up house prices like crazy, we sold our old house in about an hour but took us almost 5 months to get a new one. We finally found a new build that we had to wait another 6 weeks to finish.
Only problem is no landscaping due to being a new build. But the 4 car garage make it worthwhile!
Still crazy now with building hardware skyrocketing added to the mix.
A 4 car garage? Does your wife get 2 and you get 2, or did you cut a different deal???!!!
 
A 4 car garage? Does your wife get 2 and you get 2, or did you cut a different deal???!!!

Nope she gets one, her damn Tahoe takes enough space as it is.
I get the rest since I also have two motorcycles.
Plus I need space for the next project:
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