billet aluminum Low/Reverse piston kit ????

[71swing]

I’m told from different sources (A&A, Cope Racing) An email from Andrews racing below:

The billet aluminum Low/Reverse piston kit, along with a manual (or forward) shift reverse pattern valve body is recommended because the OEM Chrysler piston could crack with the increased pressures. The manual valve bodies typically come out of the box set at about 150-165 psi of line pressure. Your stock or shift-kit valve body may make only 90-115 psi of pressure. So it's simply a recommendation to upgrade that low/reverse piston to something that'll withstand the pressure.

You can install just the valve body itself, but you run the risk of losing reverse and/or second gear, should that piston fail.

To install the billet low/reverse piston, the tailshaft does need to come off, in order the move the low/reverse band linkage out of the way, to swap the piston.

Hope this helps some,

Chris Andrews
Andrews Racing Transmissions, Inc

My question is what does the install require? Is there any detailed instruction of this install anywhere?

Has anyone done this before. Can a simple car enthusiast do this by himself in the garage with the transmission still in the car. Or should he leave it to the professionals.

The reason I'm hesitant is I'm aware the tail shaft housing needs to be removed for this service. I'm not sure if this would be over my head.

I have no problem bolting up a valve body, but removal of the tail shaft is a whole nether ball field.

 

[fishy68]

I don't know of any detailed instructions unless they come with the piston and I doubt they do. I have installed Trans-go shift kits with the transmission out of the car a few times and I noticed in their instructions they say when installing their shift kit you have to disassemble the the low/reverse piston to replace a spring and add a spacer and it can be done in the car without removing the tailshaft.

NOTE: I'm only repeating what I read in the trans-go instructions. I haven't actually done one in the car myself. But the way they describe doing it sounds reasonable. Going by memory they said something like you have to take the low/rev. band adjuster bolt all the way out and then using a large screwdriver push compress the band so you can remove the band strut. Then you can swing the band lever out of the way so the piston will come out after you compress it and remove the snap ring.

Try going onto Trans-go's website and looking up their TF-2 kit and look at the instructions and you'll see what I mean.