1972 360 Duster

[scott hoffman]

Hi this is Scott,

This is my Father and suns project car, I got this car from another father and sun as their attempt stalled and the car was left sitting for 5 years till i got it for a steal 2800 bucks.The car is 360, 727, 8 3/4 391 gears. We have replaced every break pice on the car including disc break conversion to the larger bolt patters, and Mister Diff axles. The place I need some help is the Trans that is in the car is I think Toast. The car will not shift out of first gear and even in that is very slow to accelerate, so I have first and reverse. I have a brand new rebuilt 727 waiting for the spring to go in. I am not sure what converter brand and stall, flex plate to go with? or to try to use what is in it now not knowing the Stall. I do not know any specks on the motor except it has a very healthy lope and J heads. The motor seems to run good but not as smooth as my 73 Roadrunners 340 at idle. Do you guys think a Fluid damper or a Rattler might smooth this out. Thanks Scott

 

[AJ/FormS]

-A 360,very slow to accelerate in first gear, with 3.91s, seems to indicate a bad converter.Or brakes stuck on. Or a really crappy tune. Crank some initial advance into it, like 18 to 20 degrees,and see what happens.
-Tranny stuck in low could be a couple of things; a dislocated rooster-comb comes to mind as an easy fix. The VB needs to come down tho.
-Bigger cams idle jumpy. if the engine smooths out by 2400rpm then a dampner will not help at all.

 

[scott hoffman]

Hi, the breaks i know are not stuck, the tune i am sure needs a little work, but how do I make sure if the converter is bad? And if it is bad what Stall range should i be looking for? Thanks Scott.

 

[scott hoffman]

I have a rebuilt 727 trans I can put in but a few friends are telling me anytime they switch to a new trans they usually go with a New converter? Ok my friends are not Mopar guys. what is your thoughts?

 

[SLOPAR72]

Stick a vacuum gauge on the motor and report back..... Lots of reasons it may seem to herky jerky lol..... Right off the bat I wonder if it truly is a 360 and if so are there weights mounted to either the converter/flexplate for the External Balance?

Dunno but sounds like you got a good deal so congrats...

JW

 

[AJ/FormS]

Oops sorry, I see you have reverse as well. That means the rooster-comb is fine. Having reverse means also that the hi drum is and the L/R band are working.So with manual Low working, we know the forward clutch is working and at least the over-running clutch is fine. So out of the 5 elements, the only one missing is the KD band. So I would start with a band adjustment to be sure the struts are still engaged.
Is manual low in the correct place on the quadrant? I mean, are you perhaps starting out in 3rd gear with a manual only, reverse pattern VB. That would certainly explain the sluggish acceleration.

 

[scott hoffman]

Thanks ill have to check on the Vacuum Gage and report back, The motor is definitely a 360 as i questioned that when I bought the car sight Un seen while I was on Deployment and sent my wife to check it out. I sanded off the paint on the front of the block on the drivers side head to run the numbers and is surely was a 360. Good Idea AJ on the manual low placement as I just installed a floor mounted shifter taking it off the colum. Thanks for all the suggestions I now have some things to look at. Ill post an update as soon as I know more thanks guys.

 

[diymirage]

engine bay is painted black, that means it was owned by a chebby guys
chebby guys are notorious for not understanding the complex need for a properly adjusted kick down linkage on a mopar

I would start by making sure that is installed AND adjusted properly