I am looking to buy a th350 i have found one cheap that they said it was rebuild they dont have any receipts (it was a guy he knew that has done many rebuilds) i was told and never installed with a shift kit for 150..it seems to good to be true the guy said i can pull the pan to look it over...obiously just looking at the fluid you can be fooled they could have drained cleaned and put new fluid in it..any things i should look for to believe that it is really rebuilt...sorry for the newbee question everyone has to learn
I'd say too good to be true...how much is even a basic rebuild kit? I'd guess a good core is worth a hundred.
the question was what should i look for when i pull the pan...my buddy just had his rebuild for about 500...i think i will take a look at it might just be too good to be true
Look for metal in the pan, either like metalflake in paint, or a metallic sludge. Should be pretty obvious if it's never had fluid since the rebuild. Rash's question about the converter is important, new converter is crucial to the rebuild's life span. Last couple years TH350 price seems to have dropped big time. My buddies and I have taken a half dozen to the s****yard cause nobody wants em, even good working transmissions. Might be playing a role in the price. If their buddy rebuilt it, they probably only have a $150 rebuild kit invested. good luck
Like they say in Missouri "Show Me" - if you can't see it, as you are already thinking, how do you know? You don't.
should have ***embly lube on the seals, and at the thrust washers and stuff, and it should look dry and have no metallic residue at all inside the pan or on the valve body. do you know the guy selling it good enough to get your money back if it don't work? if not, then you might not want to spend the $$$
Ask them why the transmission was pulled to start with.I got a TH350 out of 74 chevelle with bad engine for $100 but I had to pull it myself.
its $150!! try it,Not alot to invest, besides you know the guy!! is it alot of troube to install it? will he give ya another if this one is NG?sounds pretty good!ya gotta remember after you buy something theres going to be dozens of people that had one for 1/2 the price or that threw one out!!lol JimV
Check the end play of the input shaft,that will tell you alot,if the guy knows what hes doing he put all new thrust washers in and set the end play under .020.set the trans on it tail with the input facing up so all the weight is on the output shaft then lift vertically up on the trans the input will fall,thats your endplay,if its right id bet the trans is good.
The great deal usually comes with an element of risk, it's part of the game. Can you roll the dice and live with the good and the bad. Or do you think your always comming out on top? There's one in the want adds for $60.00 now and I'd bet it's a runner. I just paid $100.00 for one and I'm a little more than sure it's going to work for me.
I have found good motor/trannies for around that amount. Sometimes even been the guy to sell it that cheap. Sometimes you just put some bread into a drivetrain that later down the road during the buildup you totally changes directions...for this person, perhaps wanted an overdrive after doing the TH350.
Also, make sure it's not an electronic converter lockup late model th350. They've got weak-**** internals.
Also - If I remember right - on the TH350 - can't you see the front clutch pack from the pan... If I recall there's a "window" that you can see a couple of the clutches/steels - might see if they look good and smell them for "burnt" smell - trust me - if they're burnt there's no way to get that smell out of the clutches if you put your nose close to them.... It's been a while since I've been into one so it may not be exactly the one I'm thinking of... Can someone else verify? Clutch / steels /seal kits are cheap for 350's - around $50 - around $80 for a complete kit with bushings - maybe more or less depending on brand/quality of parts... Also - shift kit - the Trans-Go No-Yo-yo kit is a "shift kit" and I think it was $12-15 - not like their "reprogramming kit" which runs $50-90 depending on 'stage' I think B&M is only like $25. So he might have $100 in all the parts and doing it on the side - or he's cheaping out and not replacing bands or steels or ???? and saving a little money - of course cores are cheap now - and like the other poster said - if you hold out you can usually find them free to $20 if someone doesn't know how to rebuild a trans...
pull the pan and also pull the governor out. If the pan has been off and the fluid was wiped out to clean it you may not see much obvious, but if you pull the governor out, chances are no one has taken this out for 'cleaning' of a used box. If the governor is clean and everything in the pan looks good, go for it. $150 isn't all that much to gamble with. If it is no good, atleast you have a usuable core for rebuilding (hopefully). Last week I picked up a complete overhaul kit (seals, frictions, gaskets, steels), pump bushing and taihousing bushing, adjustable pressure modulator, and a B&M shift kit from NAPA for $133.00 (shop cost). If the convertor is not new with the trans, spend $100.00 and buy a cheap B&M or equivilent. The slight extra stall will make you happy and you will know that it is a fresh convertor with no debris in it.
Thanks for the help hopefully i can take a gander at the trans...i will look it all over...thanks again
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