Had trans rebuilt last year and drove great. this year rebuilt engine, just a month ago. Driving down to rebel run in Lima OH while slowing to cross some RR tracks i noticed some shuddering between 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears, and when stepping on the gas it will slip in 3rd. When "manual" shifting it seems to be OK shifting but still slips in 3rd. Thought the governer was bad, replaced it, still does same thing. Now, i know bendtsens and the like sell 472/500 cadillac adapters to 'modern' 400s and 350s. Anybody know of a place that adapts 429s to the same? it's a '66 429. Or, i'll just end up rebuilding the 400 i have and hope it doesn't happen again. Seeing as they are not a common 400 type they are pricey to rebuild. thanks -ace
hunh? I thought it was like the Buicks of the same year, the case is different but the internals are the same. Is it a regular one (ST) or a switch pitch (SP)?
cant you just put a BOP 400 behind it? they're pretty easy to find they would be the 400 from any buick olds pontiac or cadillac before they started putting chevy motors in everything (so pre-75 i beilieve)
that's what i need to know . Hollander interchange says the 400s behind caddy 429s only fit from 65-67.
but the insides should be the same. I've had guys try and tell me the Buick ST400 was gonna be expensive to rebuild, then the tranny guy tells them it's just a damn TH400 inside. I am pretty sure the Caddy one is the same way. Now if it's a Switch Pitch, that'll scare some people. It's like magic and UFO's, they don't understand. But they're all pretty simple. I'd find a transmission shop in a "not so great" part of town with some older guys working there. They usually know what's up.
zman, my 'regular' tranny guy is an old timer. He and his two sons are not exactly the friendliest first off. But, we never had a problem with them until recently. This trans has leaked like a sieve since they rebuilt it. Since pulling the engine, i took the tranny up to them. They looked it over (after 5 days) and said it's fine. They even say they put a new pump seal in and new pan gaskets, etc. Here's a surprise....it still leaks! It's not a switch pitch. I would assume it's the same internals for sure, but for some reason it cost 500 some bucks to rebuild to SOB. Not to mention my case was cracked, apparently, so add on another 150 for a "new" case and now we're getting a tad on the expensive side. I'm thinking i'd be better off to pull it, and take it elsewhere and hope for the best.
I have a good running tranny out of a 65 which would be the same model you have (65-67)... I'd be willing to make a fair deal on it... i'm located in Gladstone, Missouri... my email is [email protected]... Uncle Luke
This would have been much better as a PM or if the poster had at least done an intro first. But at least he has the part, 3 states away...
i feel honored. i was his first post. yeah, uncle luke- PM me or something if you get to reading this.
hey ace... yea their pricey but what you need for all that torque. do it right and u will never regret! I am just saying... call me pop.
that's for sure. rated at 480 ft./lb. stock is nothing to sneeze at. i've got an isky cam in now, so the horse rating is no longer stock either nor is the torque rating. I'm thinking the pump is bad after brainstorming this afternoon with my old timer machine shop guy at the auto parts store. It's a possibility anyhow. I'm thinking of just getting another 400 trans, for this year caddy, and rebuilding it and taking a day to swap them out. If it was good enough "back then" it ought to be able to good enough today...assuming it is put back together correctly . The constant leaking since the rebuild has me a little concerned as well.
The '64 TH400 is is own beast, sort of, but the same bolt pattern as the '65-'67. Some '64 blocks have the '63 Hydro bolt pattern, and used a factory 1" thick adapter to bolt up the TH400. Some '64 blocks have the TH400 pattern built in. I would recommend keeping '64 stuff with other '64 stuff and not mixing and matching anything... '68-'85 472/500/425/368 are a BOP (AKA BOPC) bolt pattern on the front, but have a longer (and larger diameter) tail shaft than the normal 'long' TH400. Any TH400 with the dipstick tube coming through the case instead of out of the side of the oil pan should be same guts (or a least interchangeable) with a few exceptions: - switch pitch (and all switch-pitch guts should be the same) - TH425 (TH400 bent in half, for FWD Eldo and Toronado) is _mostly_ the same as a regular TH400, but a few differences. - around '73, the over-running clutch assembly was redesigned for improved lifespan. Usually called a 'sprag' assembly. Most people say the newer style is better all around, but some say that while the later style lasts forever mileage-wise and the early style wears over the miles, the early style is stronger as far as transferring power. Either way, they are more than capable of handling the power you have. If it only lasted a year, I would take it back to the guy who built it and give them a chance to sort it out before taking it elsewhere...
I was under the impression that the 64 Caddy's were the same as the '64 Buicks. One year valve body but for the most part the same stuff.
CadDaddy, thanks! Great info. So I should be safe in assuming the internals of my '66 is the same as any th400 then? Dipstick is through the bellhousing area. Could it be the pump is bad? Wonder if it's cracked or something causing the constant leak? If they didn't catch it when they rebuilt it, any new gaskets/seal wouldn't solve the problem- which it didn't. It's not just a drip here and there but a rather constant drip turning into a puddle over a night or two. I wonder if this is/was an indication of a problem that would develop down the road, like the aforementioned problems i'm having now?
Leaks are not acceptable on a freshly rebuilt trans, IMHO. I have never seena cracked pump (they are cast iron), but I have seen converters worn where the seal rides (just like a crank seal can wear the crank). If they used a re-man converter, that could be the source of the leak (and the other problem). I would recommend getting the line pressure checked - if you have a problem causing low line pressure, it could cause the noise, etc (not the leak, unless the leak and low pressure are the same problem), and it can eventually wipe out hard parts in the trans.
I think what i will do is search for an "extra" 65-67 trans and rebuild that one. Once it's completed i'll simply switch them. Although, i don't think it'll be so simple. I'm hoping i don't have to pull th engine to get the trans out. Remember, it's ina 1950 Lincoln now. I think i have just enough room to pull it back then drop the front. so, anyone have a 65-67 cadillac trans?
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