350 shift kit

I'm looking for a shift kit is there one that is better then the rest or are they all pretty much the same?

 

Trans go has a pretty good reputation.... the cheap B&M kits not so much.

But I haven't bought a shift kit for a 350 ever, I just play with shims, springs, plugs, drills, etc and make them work nice.

 

Just get the B&M three stage kit if it's for a street vehicle. Follow the instructions on where to drill a hole larger in the seperator plate. You'll be happy.
I put a TransGo kit in my third TH350 with a shift kit and I'm thoroughly disappointed in it compared to the B&M---even the one that was put in a worn transmission.
Having said that, it could've been the guy that built the tranny.

 

Also, it depends on who you ask!

 

I'm right with you! It's good to have choices.

 

This is the Trans-Go you want http://www.oregonperformancetransmi...TI&Product_Code=TRG-350-1-2&Category_Code=350 the cheaper Trans-Go kit is much like the B&M in quality and performance a second alternative is the Superior/Fairbanks K-350 HP,a lot of shops use these as Superior concentrates on commercial sales rather than retail and only does transmission parts.

 

I installed a B&M shift kit in my 62' Chevy, back in the early 80's. About 1 month later the Tranny went.
I did the same thing with a 63' SS and that lasted about 3 months then reverse blew out.
The moral of the story is, even if the trans seems OK before you put the kit in, make sure it's not just good..but in excellent condition!

 

I am rebuilding the trans so that should be good to go.

 

I have had real good luck with the $30 B&M kits. There are also better kits by B&M similar to the Trans-go shift improver kits.
I usually go with the cheapo B&M convertor (used to be just over $100) and their shift kit for normal street cars. If you are looking for serious trans components, start on the inside with good frictions and bands, then do the shift improvement kit and big convertor.

 

Are you going with any better servos and hard parts on the rebuild?

 

I always used the B/M transpak on level 2 (level 3 is full time manual). Not the cheap shift improver kit, the $50 transpak. Lived fine behind plenty of 396s and 454 with wide open manual shifts. Will chirp the 1-2 shift under throttle, firm shifts with normal driving.

 

I've installed quite a few B&M Shift Kits and a couple of Trans Go's. I kinda like the B&M's, but that's because they're the one's I'm used too. It's been a long time since I set one up as Street/Strip, pretty hard on u-joints and such. Set them up as Heavy Duty/Taxi and you'll have nice crisp shifts without being too harsh.
Larry T

 

For what it's worth, I've had a B&M in my daily truck ('66) for about ten years with no problems.

 

My son, who is now 22 years old caused me the biggest pain ever with a T350 and a full manual shift kit. I was doing up a full manual kit on it and my then 2 year old son was my constant shop companion at the time as i was a single daddy. Worked it over (my first full on build of an auto tranny) and had carefully laid all the goodies out. Put it all back in and got in back in the car later that night, but did not have time to button it all up.

Next day, i got it all good and took it out for a test run and no matter what, i could not get it out of first gear. it was stuck. all the cussing and adjusting in the world wouldn't make it work.

That night, i got home with my son and started doing some laundry. As i picked up his little overalls from the day before, some tiny ball bearings fell out of his pocket on the floor.

Long story short, that little rascal had scooped up the check valves and put them in his pocket, thinking they were just something shiny. Next day, i dropped the valve body, installed the check valves that i thought were in there to begin with and it ran like a charm.

Lessons learned? double check everything, take your time and keep your kids away from the parts while working on something you are unfamiliar with.

 

transgo stage 2 is all ive ever used...

 

I've done a B&M on a 350 and it worked ok-no complaints. Zero ball bearing kit.

I've used Transgo on all my mopars and love them- my ford friends all use transgo.

My local machinist (races a dual quad hemi cuda, and is a mopar genius) told me about some of the factory flaws that Transgo corrects (their tech support told me the same thing, but my guy sat me down with the valve body and detailed out the circuits, flaws, and the corrections).

I find local chevy guys have about a 50% success rate with their transgo kits in modern cars.

Take that all for what that's worth-B&M is ok-nothing special. Transgo has a good rep for older slushboxes.

rick

 

What does TransGo do/use differently from the B&M kit? I like what the B&M Street Strip does/feels. Oh, its in a 350 turbo trans.

 

Will you give a detailed 'how to' for doing this? Pix included.

 

Installed the B&M shift improver kit, 1st one ever, works good, seems worth it for the money.

 

I'm sorry, but it's a trade secret of a shop I worked at years ago....but the basics are that you shim the pump regulator spring, increase the clutch feed hole sizes, and restrict the accumulators.

 

Whip out one of your shop manuals and point out the procedure, please and thank-you.