418W build up - RPM or Vic Jr.

Originally Posted by Chris_Curl

for another valve body option, talk to jay at broader performance

Broader Performance Home Page

Thanks for the info Chris. I called up Jay at Broader Performance, and for $200 he built me a valve body that will do what I want. Jay is very knowledgeable and great to do deal with. My new valve body will allow me to hold 1st gear, hold 2nd gear, and then it will shift into OD once you let off the gas. Not only does this give me control over the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts, but it will also prevent me from going into OD at WOT which will kill the OD band.
It is going in the car this coming week, and I'll let you know how it works out.

I took the car to Hughes Transmission to have my new valve body installed. A number of people here locally recommended Gene Hughes to work on my AOD since he is known to have a lot of success with these transmissions in high performance applications. When he pulled the pan, we discovered a lot of material in the bottom of the pan. Since the transmission had also been slipping badly going into 4th I decided to have him pull it, open it up, and see what was going on. This transmission has never worked right and I was not going to ship it back to Florida and deal with Transmission Depot anymore... I just wanted it built right once and for all!
To make a long story short, the components in this "600 hp Demon transmission" don't amount to much more than a stock transmission with a shift kit! The bands and clutches looked like factory parts and were in bad shape. The 4th gear band and drum were completely toasted!
I called Jay back up at Broader Performance and had him put together a high performance kit for me that can actually stand up to a stroker motor! Gene went completely through the transmission and reassembled it with the kit and custom valve body from Broader Performance.
Now this transmission finally works just like I expected it to in the first place! It shifts hard, when it should, and the valve body works just as advertised! I can hold 1st and 2nd, and it will not go to 4th at WOT. It shifts into 4th when I let off the gas, and it will shift normally into all gears when driving normally. This thing feels like a C4 in 1st through 3rd but then cruises in 4th gear on the highway.
Chris, I hope you have better luck with yours!
Now on to installing my new AFR 205's, matched/flow-balanced Victor Jr. intake, and Miller mid-lift rockers!

I smell a scary-sick ride being built . . . . . . .

Originally Posted by dennis111

I smell a scary-sick ride being built . . . . . . .

Or perhaps... REBUILT! I'm basically going back and doing some things the way I should have done them in the first place. (I know that Joe Sherman is grinning if he is reading this!)
The transmission is where I really got burned. Ebay is a wonderful thing, but you have to know how to sift through all the B.S. that is out there. Not being familiar with AOD's, I should have done more research and had it built locally instead of buying the "Ebay special".
The top end stuff is really more of an upgrade than doing it over. I knew from the start that I would probably upgrade the heads when I had the money to do it. Fortunately that happened sooner than later. The top end is being torn down now, and I already have my Procomp 210's, intake, and rockers sold to a friend who is building a 393.
Thanks Dennis!

Originally Posted by kgordonl

Or perhaps... REBUILT! I'm basically going back and doing some things the way I should have done them in the first place. (I know that Joe Sherman is grinning if he is reading this!)
The transmission is where I really got burned. Ebay is a wonderful thing, but you have to know how to sift through all the B.S. that is out there. Not being familiar with AOD's, I should have done more research and had it built locally instead of buying the "Ebay special".
The top end stuff is really more of an upgrade than doing it over. I knew from the start that I would probably upgrade the heads when I had the money to do it. Fortunately that happened sooner than later. The top end is being torn down now, and I already have my Procomp 210's, intake, and rockers sold to a friend who is building a 393.
Thanks Dennis!

I've been to the school of hard knocks too. At first I bought a Stealth and an RPM intake. The Stealth made it on for a year until I figured out how to put the Vic Jr under my hood. I also started out with the ProComp heads and happily moved onto the AFR's. Sometimes I wished I had tried the Canfields instead. Bought my present cam with the intention of using the car almost exclusively on the street, but now am considering a nasty strip roller. That would require a new custom carb, and I would probably tear the whole motor down again for a refreshening. I've been through various clutches in the last 2 years. I started using the car with 3:70 gears and a traction loc. Burned up 2 of those in short order on the street. Swapped to the True Trac and 4.11 gears and have been reasonably happy--4:30's would have made me happier. About the only thing that I haven't tinkered with twice is the toploader--that thing, so far, has been a rock.

Oh well, I guess doing things 2 or 3 times to figure out what really works is part of the fun.

Good Luck with that Monster!

Originally Posted by dennis111

I also started out with the ProComp heads and happily moved onto the AFR's. Sometimes I wished I had tried the Canfields instead.

The guys at Panhandle Performance who set up my top end said that with some work they can get a little more low rpm flow out of the Canfield 190's than the AFR 205's. (Of course by the time they're done with the Canfields the intake runners are more like 200cc) I was going to go with the Canfields since they would have probably worked well with my combination, but two things made me decide on the AFR's.
First of all, one of my header pipes runs right under my power brake master cylinder. I have that small section of pipe wrapped to keep it from boiling my brake fluid. The higher exhaust ports on the Canfields would have raised my headers about half an inch and I just don't have the clearance. The exhaust ports on the AFR's, on the other hand, are lower than my ProComps and will give me a little more clearance under the master cylinder.
The second reason is simply that AFR's are so highly regarded and there are plenty of dyno results and testimonials out there that show how well they work. Besides, with the article on Steven Rupp's engine as a "blueprint" (very similar build to mine) why try to reinvent the wheel? If I can get 552hp out of my street car, I would be plenty happy!