It was time to change the tranny oil so I put the '70 on jack stands and removed the drain plug. To my surprise, LOTS of brass filings were flowing out with the oil (so much filings they turned the oil a goldish color). Not good... Once the oil drained I found a broken synchronizer key in the pan. This is worse... So I pulled the trans, put it on the bench and removed the shift cover. I found more broken keys and extensive wear. Now I'm really in trouble! Pull the tranny completely apart and what a mess. The source of all the brass filings was a very worn 4th gear synchronizer. I found more broken synchronizer keys (three total) and worn/corroded gear teeth, worn sliding sleeves, and a worn countergear pin hole. Gosh! I'll have to ask the chief financial officer (my bride) to raise the budget ceiling for this rebuild... Last year when I bought the tranny, the seller claimed it was rebuilt. Less than 200 miles later and it's on the bench. Lesson learned.. :banghead3:
Dayum....I HATE it when people screw other people! I can't remember....what tranny is that? M20 isn't a familiar name to me for some reason.
What some people do to get famous. Hope it wasn't a relative. Especially on the wife's side. Anybody else, you can even call him 'Late For Breakfast'.
Today I cleaned the case it looks, well just okay... It appears the counterpin hole can be sleeved; I'll know more when I talk to a friend of mine (he's a machinist). There is some gouging on the thrust surface of the counterpin hole that may render the case a very interesting paperweight. The M20 is the wide ratio (2.52:1 first gear) muncie installed in vehicles with a more highway friendly rear end gear. Purchased it through "evilbay" last year. Now I know the seller is someone who completes a "100% rebuild" by cleaning the parts and installing new gaskets.
Hopefully you can get the trans back in service. I'm kinda surprised the ebay seller was able to ship it full of gear oil..... usually shippers consider the oil a hazardous material & will refuse shipping that way. It's a good idea to take a 1/2" wrench with you when looking at a Muncie trans especially at swap meets to pop the side cover off for gear inspection.
That's a shame, Kingswood, but I gotta tell ya, that is one sweet wagon. Is that a factory four speed? What engine does it have. If it is factory, that's gotta be incredibly rare; if it's not factory, you have did one heck of a conversion job. Very, very nice Chevy.
The trans was shipped dry, no oil. The pictures I viewed before purchasing didn't tell the whole story. Lesson learned... Today I gave the case and countergear shaft to my machinist friend who believes he can sleeve the hole, and drill and tap for a drain plug. I plan to purchase the rebuild parts and gears locally, no more "evilbay". The M20 install was last year's (Jan~March '09) winter project. "Persuading" the floor pan to make room for the shifter was the most challenging part of the swap. The M20 and TH350 trans are the same length so the trans crossmember, mount and driveshaft yoke fit the M20 perfectly. The pedals, linkage, and trim pieces pretty much "bolted" in place. There was even a hole in the firewall (covered by a small metal plate) for the upper clutch rod. The shift lever boss on the column is the only evidence that it was originally an auto trans. The engine is a 355 sbc.
Maincase Progress Just got the the maincase returned with the new bushing installed. Last week I received the new gearset (M22Z ultra wide ratio/2.98:1 first gear) and rebuild kit. Hopefully this weekend I can begin the prep work and start the rebuild. First time walking through a Muncie rebuild so I plan to take my time...
Let me know if my roofer buddy can deliver a dump truck load of old shingles to the dude that sold you the trans. I was burned like that a couple years ago, not fun. G
oh....I LIKE that idea, 63wag! I have often wondered how to really "get" guys that screw people for a living. And, trust me, I would drive the truck and do the dumping myself. People that screw other people for a living are lower than sewer scum. I have a real hate for those kind. I really do. God help the one that ever does it to me. I like your idea. The only one better would be to dump a full trucks worth of septic waste in the guys yard. Preferably, right on his front porch and where his car is parked.
Silver, I had an experience with a trans shop that supposedly "rebuilt" a transmission for an Aerostar van (my cousins). The price for the bench job started out at 500 bucks, good deal right? Well, when I went to pick it up it turned out to be 800 bucks. But hey, maybe it needed more than a regular rebuild. I'm in the business, I understand so I gave them the benifit of the doubt. 31 days later, the van wouldn't move foward or reverse....NOTHING. So I yanked the trans out and took it back to him, he had it for 2 weeks. He dodged my calls repeatedly, once I finally got an answer it wasn't what I expected. The owner of the trans shop tells me "I don't know, there's nothing wrong with it. Maybe the converter's bad." I had to get another transmission since I got that one back in pieces. I had a huge altercation with that loser all for nothing. Needless to say, that's where the shingle idea came from. It wasn't something I condone, that's not the way I pursue things. But a good friend of mine in the roofing business saw how ticked I was about the whole ordeal and took matters into his own hands. I didn't think he was serious until I saw the pile right in front of the loser's entrance on my way home from work. I felt a little vindicated I must say. And a short while later the fool went out of business, karma rules. Although I have a feeling I wasn't the only one burned by that cheat. Good thing for people like that is that a roof doesn't last forever and the old shingles have to die somewhere.....
M20 Progress Sorry for long hiatus... Life got in the way of my hobbies! The latest pics of the M20 attached. Most of the work was done last weekend. All went together very well. About 100 needle bearings support the countergear (4 clusters of 25), held in place with the gooey transjel. The countergear pin lined everything up and fit snug in the new bushing. The gearset assembled on the mainshaft with little effort. The warmer weather (it hit the mid 40's today!) is a good incentive to finish the build and get it installed for a test drive!
