Transmission Adapter.
Installation
Instructions.
Page Four
After purchasing an oil cooler and coolant lines
from the parts store, mount
the cooler in front of the radiator or anywhere you are certain it will
get
plenty of cool air. Too small a cooler will lead to a hot
transmission, while
too large a cooler wil not harm anything. I recommend installing an
inline
filter in the cooling line. A cooler and inline filter can double
the life of
a transmission. The stock filter strains the oil as it is picked
up by
the pump. Long before the oil returns to the pan, it picks up clutch
debris
and converter dirt and circulates it around. The oil cooler lines are
the
middle of the circuit, right after the converter. A filter there goes a
long
way to keep the rest of the circuit clean. Most transmissions spend
their
whole lives recirculating break-in trash, so filter it right away and
the
trans will last longer.
SHIFTING-
You will have to experiment a bit with the shift lever on
the trans in order to
find the right length and angle to allow proper shifting. You can use
the
column shifter if you pirate the linkage and bellcrank from a GM car.
Use the linkage rods and the bellcrank that mounts at one end to
the frame and at the other end on the side of the trans. Mount it
to
float between the frame and trans just like GM did.
After that, it is a simple matter of making the push-pull rods
the right length.
An easy way out is to use an aftermarket shifter that bolts
to the floor and uses a cable. These shifters have all the right
levers etc to operate any of the common transmissions without
requiring much work to install. For my Hawk, I just removed the
column shift lever by driving out the small roll pin in the handle,
bolted a Mustang floor shifter to the floor, and simply
ran a shift rod to the trans.
FLUID--
For the first couple of weeks you should keep a close watch on
the fluid levels. The trans and torque converter will keep
working out air bubbles and filling voids for quite some time.
It may be a long time before all the converter and all the
passages are completely filled and the level quits dropping.
Don't be surprised if you use up to 10 quarts before it is
all over.
TYPE F FLUID VS DEXRON II FLUID
EITHER type may be used in any automatic transmission.
Federal rules require a certain degree of compatibility.
They are basically the same fluid, but the Type F fluid has
been modified for higher friction.
Drag racers have for years used Type F fluid in all makes
of automatics for the extra clutch gripping power.
The story goes that Ford was having trouble with clutch slipping
in some of their automatics and asked the oil companies to
change some friction-modifiers to help the trannys hold up.
The GM fluid DEXRON is more slippery.
I use DEXRON myself.
I tried using the Ford F fluid in a couple of our race cars,
and could not tell the difference.
It may be that some of the clutches were soaked in DEXRON
fluid before the trans was assembled.
From what I gather from my studies, from race parts
manufacturers, and published papers is that DEXRON
lubes better, Type F grips better, and most trannys
really aren't that picky.
IMPORTANT POINTS TO KNOW---
*****
ALWAYS run an oil cooler. NEVER try to get by without one.
The torque converter generates huge amounts of heat and the
oil is the ONLY way the trans can dump off the heat before all
the bushings get soft and melt out.
If you can't tell when the tranny shifts, there is a good chance that
the clutches are wearing faster than they should.
A shift that can be detected by the driver without being
overly harsh is the kind that will make the clutches and internal
parts last the longest.
******
NEVER NEVER NEVER use
any sort of bellhousing mount with
a GM transmission.
Using a bellhousing mount will GUARANTEE that
you will
break the transmission case in very short order.
Likewise, NEVER use a solid mount at the rear of the transmission.
ALWAYS let the rear mount "float" a little.
ALL cars will flex.
Flexing breaks trannys.
You do not want to snap the trans when the car moves.
NEVER mount it solid. Let it float WITHOUT any
bellhousing mount.