Found a 65 Switch Pitch and got it rebuilt Got it home and noticed what looks like some mounts are broken. New to this tranny and didn't see the (what looks like broken) mounts under the grime. Can anyone tell me if this is a deal breaker or if its no big deal....what mounted there if it is broken. Going behind a '65 401. Can find much info on ST400's on the web, let alone pictures.
I had one behind a 455 Pontiac, had it wired to the brake switch and had a manual override on the shifter. I don't think the missing bosses were used to mount anything; they were probably tooling bosses for the assembly line.
No issues there. Those breaks are common casting flashing on a 64 - 66 ST400. Buick nailheads and ST400s are notorious for having terrible casting flashing. The valley of a nailhead block looks like a grenade exploded, and they'll easily make your hands look that way too during cam installation. Apparently they wanted their cars to be luxury but their castings to look like crap. I'd be more worried about how good the rebuild is. The case looks dirty for a rebuild, and the unpainted cover is poor form. Others might disagree, but a reputable rebuilder who puts pride in his work and respects his customer's money wouldn't send a rebuild home looking like that. If he can't do something as easy as scrub or blast off all the crud and shoot some paint on a bare steel cover to keep it from rusting immediately, did he take the time to check all the tolerances and make adjustments or pressure test the clutch packs? I guess you'll find out.
They came in high regard from other people i know, hopefully its all good. I guess I will find out. The fact that he knew all about the switch pitch and what it does is a good sign. No one else I called knew anything about them. Nor would touch one. Fingers crossed
Totally agree with basement sweeper. I wouldn't trust that enough to go to the trouble of installing it.
Castings look fine. Is that blue converter a “Recon” reman? Is it for sure a switch pitch converter? Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I'm assuming its a switch pitch. They asked specifically if I had the converter for it, knowing it was different. I'll call the builder tomorrow to make sure. Didnt know to check all this stuff. Always had ford C4's that were easy
look at the input shaft, the outer tube is the stator support. If it looks like this, with the smooth surface and short splines, it's switch pitch. If the tube has longer splines, and not machined smooth, it's not switch pitch. The pieces you think are broken, are not. They are bosses that are used to hold the case during machining operations, then are machined off themselves at the end of the machining line, as best I can tell. No problem with that part, at least.
I have a couple of Super Turbine/Switch Pitch (also known as Variable Pitch)/ TH-400's. One, the stock bell-housing has been cut off, and an A-1 Automatics, "Chevrolet" bell-housing, with Tri-Five Chevrolet mounts cast in (made of aluminum). It had been on a shelf for years, and the guy I bought it from did't really know "what" it was; he had bought a bunch of transmissions from an old shop. I only have one torque converter however; who still rebuilds them? The machining "tabs" look to have been cut off recently with a hack saw, like your rebuilder did it (???). A "normal" TH-400 converter will not work at all with the Switch Pitch Squirrel, here on the HAMB, is the guy to consult on these, and just about everything else too!!! And he must have been typing as I was. Does it have the two pin electrical connector on the driver side of the transmission? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
that looks right. The bushings inside the converter should fit on the machined surface of the stator support.
The converter should also have seven "spot welds" around the pump drive bung, and where the vanes are welded inside. Regular TH-400 does't have those. You can see one spot weld, in the right upper corner, of one of the photos. So your converter is the correct one too. The one SP-400 I have, sat on a shelf so long, the assembly gel has turned to wax, so it's currently being torn down, and cleaned up for re-assembly. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Thanks...that makes me feel much better. The last thing I want is to tear it out after all the work to fab it it with the nailhead. Going in a '50 special. It would be a huge buzz kill to have it not work
I wish you had started this thread before having it rebuilt to get more info. The ST400 is darn near identical internally to a TH400. Most internal parts interchange, and the rebuilding procedures are the same aside from some different clearances. The ST400 case, converter, pump, input shaft, an valve body are unique. 65 - 67 Olds and Caddy pumps interchange with a 65/66 ST400, so there are donors out there. There's nothing special to rebuilding an ST400, and any builder who knows how to rebuild a TH350 or TH400 can rebuild an ST400. If it were me, I'd at the very least check the input shaft endplay with a dial indicator. You can find the procedure and specs online. That is the most time-consuming clearance to set in an ST400/TH400 since it requires installing all the guts and pump and then having to take things back apart to adjust output shaft and/or stator shims; if the input shaft endplay is well within spec, there's a better chance the rebuild is quality. If it is out of tolerance or near the limit on the loose side, I'd take it back and tell him to go back through it or give you a labor refund. I'd check the output shaft tolerance as well since hack rebuilders don't fool with even checking it and only adjust the stator shims to try and compensate. Hope it all works well for you since an ST400 wired through a toggle switch is pretty sweet for a street/strip setup.
Thank you. Ill check it all out. Hopefully its all good. They seemed to be real familiar with it. The builder was telling me all about how it worked when I dropped it off, which is a good sign. Ill go through the specs for sure. Thanks for the suggestions!
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