1967 Cuda Notch 273 w/904

[67CUDA273]

I've been doing some work on my 'cuda, and I'm logging my progress offline with pictures as I go. I want to also share the progress on FABO, being as that is where many of the tips and advice I'm using have come from. These first pictures are what I was sent from the old owner before I bought it. He was the 3rd owner to have it. He was getting ready to swap out the stock 273 2BBL with 904 for a 340 4BBL with an 833. I ended up taking the original 273 and the 904. I would have LOVED to have the 340 but I didn't have any more $$$.

The guy he bought it off of (2nd owner) wanted to turn the car into a racer. He had swapped the power steering setup for a manual box, and also had taken the blower/heater out and patched the firewall. He had also stripped it down and had painted the engine bay. In the process he (for some reason) removed the fender tag. I haven't found a build sheet yet. He had it garaged for several years and never did make anything of it.

The original owner had it for 30 years and from what I can tell had babied it. It has been in Idaho its whole life, and with the thick undercoating and unsalted roads, the body/chassis is very solid. There are 43,000 miles on this car!

 

[67CUDA273]

After I bought it, I had to figure out how to get it from Idaho to Columbus, Ohio. I found a hauler that would do it for a pretty good rate. I had explained to the broker that I was in a residential neighborhood, and that getting a full size car hauler around my street wasn't going to work. That apparently got lost in translation. A Wrangler shipping for CarMax got caught in a limb around a sharp turn. We had to take it off the hauler to maneuver the rig around the tight turn. Russian driver..not so happy.

She was a filthy girl when she finally arrived in February. Luckily the weather cooperated and the roads were clear. My boys shoveled the remaining snow from the driveway and we got her in the garage!

 

[67CUDA273]

..and "Wash Me" we did. I wheeled it out to the driveway the first above-freezing day we had to get the grime off of her to better see what I had gotten myself into. the dirt just FLOWED from this car.

I took all of the parts out of the trunk and back seat to start a basic inventory of what I had. Lots of misc. buckets to sift through. Luckily they were grouped so it wasn't too hard to figure out what went where. The previous owner had purchased some of the repair items: new windshield, roof liner, seat covers, carpet, dash pad, etc.

 

[67CUDA273]

With so much to do it was hard to figure out where to start from, so I just started. I took off the exhaust manifolds and intake to get a better look at the engine. Rough, but that was kinda what I had expected. I knew from the get-go that I was going to rebuild the engine and transmission regardless.

 

[67CUDA273]

After I got the manifolds off, it was time to whip those into better shape. I scoured the FABO boards and found all the help I needed. I got the Bill Hirsch cast iron gray paint as well as the metal prep. I soaked the parts in oven cleaner, hit them with the wire cup brush, and got them back to bare metal. Rinsed and dried, then prepped. Painted them with a foam brush. I have yet to cure them, but I've got some time before the engine is ready for them. I also stripped and re-painted the y-pipe.

 

[67CUDA273]

Next I decided to drop the transmission to get started on that rebuild. Luckily the previous owner just had it bolted on for freight purposes. I had the front jacked up so far to slide the 904 out, it looked like I was popping a wheelie!

The staff at Harbor Freight knows me pretty well by now. I'm actually a fan of a lot of their products, and I never thought I would be. While 'you get what you pay for' still rings true, their stuff has held up pretty well so far. I can't stand their hand tools, but the stands, jacks, etc are just fine for my use.

 

[67CUDA273]

Right after I pulled the transmission, we decided to move. That put any major projects on hold for awhile. In the meantime I decided to tackle the steering column situation. The previous owner had swapped the column out for a manual column, and also had a manual steering box on it. This was for his 833 he planned on adding. He was going to add a floor shifter as well.

I decided to stick with the 904 and keep the shift stock on the column. Luckily the owner had the original column, so he threw that in the trunk for me. The only problem is that the automatic column doesn't jive with the manual box without an adapter. After some FABO help, I got the FirmFeel adapter. After install, it still wasn't bridging the gap. Several FABO members clued me in that the inner shaft had collapsed, which snapped the sheer pins. I pulled it back out, re-installed, and it fits fine.

 

[67CUDA273]

After we moved, I had the 'cuda in her own garage. I thought I was going to have enough room to work on it in that garage, but no. I rented ANOTHER garage to work out of. I needed a workbench first, so I built a 96"x32"x42" bench. F***er weighs a ton, and is great! Next up..transmission rebuild.

 

[67CUDA273]

Through some great FABO posts (Mad Dart's Rebuild Recipe), I figured out what parts I really needed for a stock/slight HD application. I plan on rebuilding the 273 bored .030" over with a better crank etc. I wanted to make sure the 904 was good to go. This is what I ended up with:

ATSG 904 Manual
(Summit) TransGo TF-1 Reprogram Kit
TCS Billet Strut
TCS Pump Gears
TCS 24 Spring
Oregon Front Band
Oregon Rear Band
Oregon Rear Servo
Oregon HP Rebuild Kit (5 frictions/steels for front drum)
(Ebay) Springs and Bearings for overrunning clutch
(Ebay) Universal Spring Compressor
Assembly Lube

I also got a new set of snap ring pliers from Klipex. They are awesome..and a bit of overkill but I'm sure I'll get some great use out of them.

 

[67CUDA273]

Since I had forgot to drain the transmission while it was still on the car, I had to take care of that first. A little help from my scissor jacks out of my Dakota did the trick. The sludge..OH the sludge! The pan had 1/8" of metallic goo in it, and the fluid was pretty nasty.

Before I moved on I need the TC off, but it was stuck! I checked around, and I guess while this is a rare problem..it's not unheard of. I worked my slide hammer around the TC and it came off easily.

 

[67CUDA273]

Now that the TC was off, I could get the valve body off. Before I did that, I notice the fully splined input shaft, so I've got a non-lock up 904. I flipped over the 904, removed the pan, and unbolted the VB. This was my first look inside of a transmission, and much of it is still 'black voodoo magic' to me. It was more fascinating than scary.

To get the pump off, I loosened the front band and slid it back to get to the pump from behind. Since my slide hammer is a POS, I didn't have any attachments to work it from the front. With the band loose, this meant I would remove the direct and forward drum with the pump on the input shaft. It came out pretty easily.

 

[67CUDA273]

Now that the 'front end' of the transmission was out, I could take the individual components off of the input shaft. The pump comes off first. The direct drum follows that, leaving the forward drum and the input shaft.

 

[nerd racing]

I really like those Vector rims! are those big bolt pattern or small bolt pattern?

 

[67CUDA273]

The forward drum will get 5 new frictions and steels soon. The forward planet, sun gear, and shell come out next. The way the planet and sun gears work is amazing to me.

That leaves the reverse drum and rear planet. Slide the band back, and the assembly slides out.

 

[67CUDA273]

I really like those Vector rims! are those big bolt pattern or small bolt pattern?

I know there's an adapter on it, and I think it's now the 4 1/2" big bolt but honestly I'm not sure yet. I'd like to clean them up and use em.

 

[67CUDA273]

Output shaft and overrunning clutch remain. The clutch looks good, but the bearings and springs are still getting replaced just in case. The race seems to be in good shape. Then the tailshaft came off. The output shaft comes out, and then the governor housing comes off. The servos still remain but it's mostly done.

Next I'll start on the rebuilding of the assemblies!

If I could do it over, I'd make sure the outer case was as clean as possible before disassembly. I'm going to use some ATF to clean the outside and touch up the inside.

 

[RedFish]

I'm curious about the wheels on the car as shown above. 14 inch or 15 ?
Good luck with your project

 

[dge467]

Nice project. That tranny fluid is nasty!

 

[Abodybomber]

Looking good! Nice to see someone, tackle mechanical projects head on.

 

[Pitmoco]

Excellent start!

 

[67CUDA273]

I'm curious about the wheels on the car as shown above. 14 inch or 15 ?
Good luck with your project

I'll have to check it out when I get back home tonight. Honestly I haven't paid any attention to them yet, but I'll let yah know.

 

[67CUDA273]

Nice project. That tranny fluid is nasty!

You're not kidding! I sorta laughed when I finally opened it up. I know it had been sitting for awhile but it's seen some hard times by the looks of things.

 

[67CUDA273]

Excellent start!

Thanks a lot! This is my first 'project car', so it's an adventure for sure.

 

[67CUDA273]

Looking good! Nice to see someone, tackle mechanical projects head on.

Thank you! First time for me really getting this deep into a project. As intimidating as it was at first to rebuild the transmission, it's pretty straightforward as long as I'm paying attention as I go.