[TRADERMIKE 2012]

Today is 4/5/23 and we finally installed the Trans. (TH 400) in the 1979 Pontiac T/A, Gear Vendors is backing it up. The Drive shaft is in place, the lines are attached and the linkage is hooked up as well. The fluid is installed and when we start the Engine, we will be able to top the fluid off. We cleaned the bottom of the car and spot painted any area's that needed paint. We are modifying the Carb. lower pan by drilling the tops of the Tri-power lids to add more air volume to the engine, in hopes to add to the VE or so I have read. They produce air filters that have filters on top as well as the sides but I can't find them to fit my set-up. I will be manufacturing my own screens and backing them up with homemade filters under the lids this week. By this coming weekend, I will try to start the vehicle with the two new batt. that I purchased for $120 each. I have a mini-starter and HD wires. Plus, a Sudbury switch and dual HD batt. in the trunk.

The vehicle has been off the road for at least two years and the carbs. were drained by running the engine until it ran out of fuel, so I don't expect any varnish in the Tri-powers. I have the car off the ground and high enough to work under safety jack stands and cinder blocks are located in all the rite positions. Before we rebuilt this Trans., we had replaced all the wires in the engine compartment and installed new wire loom over them to give them the 1967 look to go with the 1967 Pontiac 428 ci engine and 1966 Tri-power Intake Manifold. We have yet to start this engine with the new adjustable timing gears. We found that the passing gear was not working and it will be a change to drop down when I pass again. We installed a deeper Trans pan off a truck too. I will order a deeper pan for the Gear Vendors soon with an adaptor extension for the oil pick up. After I put 500 miles on the Trans., I will purchase a new screen only filter, less the yellow membrane some filters use. plus, an extension for the deeper pan, that fits up in the Valve body area. We installed a remote oil filter for the Trans. fluid to go through, but won't use it until we break in the rebuilt trans. After I break in this Trans. with the rubber lines, I will be replacing them with all metal lines, except where rubber is necessary. I expect to run into some unforeseen problems; however, we will overcome any and all of them. After two plus years of studying about this trans. and purchasing parts, it is going to be nice to get behind the wheel again.

Lord, please keep me safe and keep the vehicle from breaking again, Amen! We will test the trans. on stands and record the pressure in each gear and top off the fluid on a level surface. I run the fluid that exits the torque converter to the radiator cooler first, there the temp. is about 180 degrees F, then to the air-cooled trans. cooler, that lowers the temp. to about 160-170 degrees F, then to the remote filter and back into the Trans. I use the factory shroud and 19" fan blade plus I have two oil coolers and a doughnut adaptor. Inline I use one copper pipe to and from the engine about 12-16" that transfer heat to the atmosphere. There was a time when I was working on the AC unit installation and I removed the Condenser unit from the vehicle and I realized that the Condenser unit in front of the Radiator was like a wall in front of it, the temp. was about 30 degrees cooler without the Condenser in the way. But I need my AC so I eventually Installed it when I bought the new Compressor. So, those proud people I have spoken to in the past. Since you don't use a Condenser in your cars as the manufacturers installed them, there you have it. I think if the factory had made the Radiator fins tighter and the Condenser fins wider it would have let more air into the radiator, keeping the engine cooler. It was much later that the factory would not overlap the two. I will add some photos of the Tri-power Carb. lids as I put the vehicle back together. Mike out for now, progress in motion.