727 trans rear band and drum shot

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Plato2k5

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Own a 88 Wrangler with a warmed up 360 LA with megasquirt EFI. I had installed a B&M transpak shift kit long ago. Then decided to put a Transgo TF-2 kit in. It always had a 2-3 flare shift and I never gave much thought about it.

Ordered a Turbo Action Forward Pattern MVB, heavy duty rear spring, rear billet servo, and billet retainer.

Upon pulling the pan it was full of band material. Once I was able to get a look at the rear drum and band, its shot :( The drum has grooves in it from the metal on metal wear.

I beat on this thing always. It sees a lot of 5,500 RPM shifts in 4 low. I run 39.5" x 13.5" wide tires. Not exactly sure what my stall is on the converter but I know its been gone through the first time I did the trans build.

What is a good rear band to go with? Rigid, flex? I want something that will hold up for a long time.

thanks!
 
That is not a shifting band. The front one is & takes the abuse. Something was wrong, in my opinion to damage the rear like that.
 
Oh... I thought it was used when you manually shift it ? When off-roading I always manually up and down shift. When going down a hill I slam it into first. I have the Cheetah action gated shifter.

I torqued the band to what the TF-2 sheet said to torque it to.

What should the band be set to? Should I follow what the instructions say on the valve body i'm installing? It calls for 3 turns out.
 
I believe it's engaged "on" when in low or reverse. The front band "stops" the drum during shifts. Thats the band that takes abuse. Honestly A&A Transmission's red lined bands with grooves (solid band) are typically the best deal on quality stuff.
 
Ok that would make sense then. The front band is in great shape. Never needed to touch that ... yet. I do a lot of first gear stop to compression brake me down very steep slopes/hills.
 
You do not have a choice on flex vs. solid band for the rear. All rear bands are solid construction. All you have a choice on is the material. Red lined bands are plenty good IMO. Make sure you have the converter opened up and cleaned real good and flush out the trans. cooler lines real good. Guarantee their full of crap by your description

BTW: as 80fbody said the rear band isn't a shifting band but downshifting at high rpm can beat on it since it applies to help hold the drum. 1-2 shift overlap can also wear on the band, may have had some and you just didn't feel it. Never was a fan of B&M shift kits. The MVB should take care of the shifting issues.
 
My tf727 manual says back rear band off 2 turns. Turbo action mvb instructions say 3..... What should front and rear bands be adjusted to?

I guess I will have to use more brakes and less trans for braking at lights and down hills........

Mad dart......that doesn't list 727 for use......

Can I also turn the drum on a lath to smooth it out? I can't find a spec that lists tolerances
 
Ok thank you. I need to research what band to go with. Do not want to do this again....not fun.
 
The kevlar band is tougher on the drums than the red lined based on my research. That's why I wouldn't recommend that. I'd call A&A Transmission & tell them how you use your trans as it's different than most on here. The manufacture alot of 727 stuff. They're a small but very good operation. May take a couple calls to get thru.
 
Plato2k5 said:
My tf727 manual says back rear band off 2 turns. Turbo action mvb instructions say 3..... What should front and rear bands be adjusted to?

I guess I will have to use more brakes and less trans for braking at lights and down hills........

Mad dart......that doesn't list 727 for use......

Can I also turn the drum on a lath to smooth it out? I can't find a spec that lists tolerances
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Since your planning on running the Turbo Action valve body adjust the bands to the setting it says to use. It should come with instructions telling you that. Also make sure you use the recommended front band lever. Some manual valve body's call for a 5.0, others may call for a 3.8 ratio. I recently talked to a guy with a rear drum that was grooved up and he said he turned it down on a brake lathe but if you have a regular lathe available it might be easier to use. If the grooves are real deep it's probably best to replace it but if their not too bad I'd look into having it turned down. If you do have to replace it and don't have a source check out www.wittrans.com
 
Thank you all for the above help! I will call a and a and speak to them about what I should do to make this trans live. I'll post back what they say.

Now, I should probably flush my converter.......I see people drill and tap a not plug on the side so they can fill with cleaner and dump it out . Then just install a plug. Seems easy enough......don't want to spend a lot to have it cut open and re welded. Thoughts ?
 
the last converter I cleaned out, I laid it on the bench engine side down and sucked all the fluid out with a manual brake bleeder pump (harbor freight). Then I put some gas in it and sloshed it around (stood it up and rolled it side to side a bit), laid it down and sucked that out. I did that for probably an hour or more until it came out clean (or mostly clean). I put enough gas in it so that when I stood it up, it would run out if I didn't have it tilted a bit with engine side to the ground.... Probably not the best way but it cleaned it out and seems fine.
 
Plato2k5 said:
Thank you all for the above help! I will call a and a and speak to them about what I should do to make this trans live. I'll post back what they say.

Now, I should probably flush my converter.......I see people drill and tap a not plug on the side so they can fill with cleaner and dump it out . Then just install a plug. Seems easy enough......don't want to spend a lot to have it cut open and re welded. Thoughts ?
Click to expand...

You will never ever get all the crap out doing it that way. Band and clutch material sticks like gooey snot. Will it work, probably. Would it be better to have it flushed the right way, absolutely. If you were rebuilding an engine and the block was cruddy would you douse it down with gasoline and use a wire brush to clean it? Same principal.

There's an old saying many shop owners said that holds true, "pay me now or pay me more later"...

And don't forget to flush the cooler. It'll be full of crud too
 
So you think all that stuff gets past the filter?

You are saying the best way to then clean it, is find someone who can cut it open and clean it out, then weld and balance it. The cooler will be easy to flush and I will definatly do that.

I understand what you are saying.... just you can clean an engine so easily! HAHA, no areas that are not easy to get to.
 
Plato2k5 said:
So you think all that stuff gets past the filter?

You are saying the best way to then clean it, is find someone who can cut it open and clean it out, then weld and balance it. The cooler will be easy to flush and I will definatly do that.

I understand what you are saying.... just you can clean an engine so easily! HAHA, no areas that are not easy to get to.
Click to expand...

I've heard some guys say they flush them by just opening up the drain plug and running cleaner through them but according to my converter man old burned clutch/band material will get stuck in the converter and simple flushing won't get it all out but when you run some new ATF under pressure through it the new ATF loosens up that old crap. That's why it should be cut open and cleaned. Yeah the cooler is easy to do. NAPA sells a good converter flush in a high pressure spray can.

BTW: not sure what a trans/converter shop near you would charge to do this but my guy cuts them open, cleans them, and inspects everything and welds it back together and balances it for $80. If it needs a new snout that's an extra $20. Not really bad when you figure what your getting IMO
 
fishy68 said:
I've heard some guys say they flush them by just opening up the drain plug and running cleaner through them but according to my converter man old burned clutch/band material will get stuck in the converter and simple flushing won't get it all out but when you run some new ATF under pressure through it the new ATF loosens up that old crap. That's why it should be cut open and cleaned. Yeah the cooler is easy to do. NAPA sells a good converter flush in a high pressure spray can.

BTW: not sure what a trans/converter shop near you would charge to do this but my guy cuts them open, cleans them, and inspects everything and welds it back together and balances it for $80. If it needs a new snout that's an extra $20. Not really bad when you figure what your getting IMO
Click to expand...

That is a smoking deal for sure!
 
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