Exxon Valdez Trans Pics.....

S

snook

Well-known member
Pulled the trans out of MAXIMVS today, haven't started the teardown yet, but it's not looking good already :mad: , there are aluminum chunks and shavings in the bottom of the bell housing :doh: .
The converter looks ok, but I'm sure it is crapped up as well, considering the debris washed out from the trans leak in the bell area. I'll be starting the teardown soon and I'll supply pics and commentary as I go along with the overhaul.
I managed to score a nice original big block 1965 push button slip yoke trans from a friend of mine, so I have some spare parts in case this goes badly.
Anyway, here are some external shots of the trans and the bell housing area:

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Shrapnell is never a good thing....:naughty:

I had a buddy who blew his 727 in his 69 383 roadrunner, when we pulled it to replace and/or fix it came out in 7 pieces!!![smilie=2:

Keep us posted on the, hope not to grizzly findings....[smilie=f:
 
On top of what looks like aluminum chunkage, I ran a magnet through the mess and there is a good amount of steel in there also :mad: . To say I'm not a happy camper would be an understatement.

This thing only had about 15 runs on it after a freshen up. There are a lot of high $$$ parts inside and I hope they are OK, but I'm not holding my breath. The case is the important part, especially the rear half. The trans is a one year only 1965 BB PB slip yoke and are extremely hard to come by nowadays and $$$. I got lucky and a friend sold me one of his spares, so at least I have parts in the event of a washout. I was hoping for just a minor seal leak but looks liike $hit happened. Well, at least this go round, I'll have no one but myself to blame if it goes tits up and I'll learn something to boot.

Trust me, I've contemplated the manual route on more than one occaision, but I got tired of wasted thrust bearings on my last 4 gear race car, also the scattershields were a royal PITA.
 
Before anyone asks, I don't expect any warrantys on race parts - by its very nature racing will break something. Am I disappointed that it's hosed up with so little use? You bet, but that's the breaks. All I can do is learn from the experience and the next time I'll only have myself to blame if it craps out. At least now I'll know how to do my own transmission work, that's gotta be worth something.

I'm over being pi$$ed, now I just gotta get MAXIMVS up and running again.

I'm going to go ahead and replace the front discs with wilwood stuff and anyone that needs a 74-76 A-Body disc brake setup can have these when I pull them off for free, you pay shipping. I'll need to keep the spindles (may get new ones and if I do, you're welcome to those too), you can have the 11.75" rotors, bearings, calipers (and factory big disc adapters) and pads. Not sure about the master cylinder yet. Only about 75 miles on them (1/4 mile at a time, mostly!). All I ask is that you use them and don't resell them. Might be a while though.

Brakes are spoken for already fellas...............
 
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69.5 I appreciate that, those dudes are RARE and are worth some serious core coinage now, who'd a thunk? Let me see what shape my junk is in and then we'll talk. I can always use another spare though.
 
I think I know of two more as well, one for sure.

I would think your converter's probably OK. I don't see anything huge in the debris field (relatively speaking), and with a good flush it could probably go back in and work just fine. I'd just keep an eye on the fluid coming out during the flush, and there's anything truly scary, well, it was worth the price to find out about it.
 
is it really a 1 year only trans and not say 2 year?.....ive seen that same "typewriter drive" cable shift trans in 66 newports
 
snook said:
69.5 I appreciate that, those dudes are RARE and are worth some serious core coinage now, who'd a thunk? Let me see what shape my junk is in and then we'll talk. I can always use another spare though.
Click to expand...

Wished I'd know that a month or so ago there was one in a 65 polara in the wreckers....cars gone now...:shifty: Gone to the big crusher in the sky...:doh:
 
Who knows what Ma did with leftover 65 slip yoke trans, there may have been a few holdovers, but doubtful. This particular case (the rear half) was only available in 1965 models. 62-64 big block PB trans used a ball and trunion rear half, if it doesn't use a driveshaft slip yoke, it's not the 65. If you guys ever see one, grab it. All the race trans guys will pay good $$$ for cores and the racers will give you more than that. They're being hoarded and no one is giving them up except a few to friends. A&A always asks me if I want to sell mine.
 
well let me ask this....if its stock cable shifted and its got the standard slip style rear shaft its the right one right?......if so i can probably track down alot more

the ball setup if the way the early a-100s were with the driveline haveing the slipper built into it and bolted to the trans not sliped into the trans
 
Everything was ball-and-trunion through '64 (even 4-speeds), unless I'm mistaken. '65 is the only year of the cable shift with a slip yoke; everthing went to shift linkage in '66. They changed the columns and console shifter mechanisms if I recall correctly. I've not seen one 1966 car with cable shift, but again, I never say never when it comes to Mopars. It would have to be a way, way early '66 though; EFI Ed's '66 300 is linkage shift with a September build date.
 
well the one i have is IDENTICAL to yours and is from a 66 newport..ive seen a handfull of typewritter drive(cable shift) cars out this way...every one of em was a HIGH end c-barge
 
Good snag, grab all you can, keep a few for yourself if you need 'em and sell the rest. They command a premium, especially among the NSS guys, and NSS is growing pretty good right now, so supply has pretty much dried up to a trickle for those things. Does your trans use a separate cable for Park?
 
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