Calderone

B&M Transpak or shift kit,the same,anyone?

Transpak : same shift kit plus filter and gasket + drain plug
i installed the complete transkit
- Raybestos friction and steels
- Filter and Shift kit

What's so amazing about this shift kit ?

i can't notice any difference with my stock setup
i added the B&M 2400 Holeshot Converter

Some say it will chirp your tires and plant you in yoir back seat
maybe i did something wrong ?
i went with street/strip,what are the benefits now ?
i also replaced .500 tv boost and .283 reverse valves

what's the cool factor ?

can i downshift at any speed to any gear ?
can i manually change speed ?

im not sure...
i need some feedback here

biggrizzly

Can't say anything good or bad about the B&M products, but I have used Transgo in the past with great results.

I bought another transgo kit for my 94, but was recomended it might not be optimal to use it for my 3000 stall converter and my high mileage trans. So, I'm just going with a external cooler and larger transmision pan.

Lichen

B&M shift-kit in my '93 works great. Big difference. PeteK does not recommend the Transgo for a '93. I can go sideways in 2nd gear.

Calderone

any others ???

Calderone

hey lichen..apart of that..what other benefits,or features ?
thanks

Iroc57

If you are not getting a HARD shift 1-2 and a firm 2-3 you did something wrong. That is the advantage, less slip under heavy load and less wear on internals. Put in first and shift 2nd at 4000rpm to second under moderate to heavy throttle and let us know how it feels. Also when in drive where is you tranny shifting under light to moderate throttle?


In a vette you should chirp 2nd at least so you should bring in a friend that has some experience to take a look if it isn't hitting you hard.

Calderone

i did everything right,step by step. but i added a 2400 torque converter.-
The 1-2 shift kinda hits,that didn't happen before,but i don't feel more seat of the pants
almost the same as stock .-

"Put in first and shift 2nd at 4000rpm to second under moderate to heavy throttle and let us know how it feels."
Manually ? how do i do this ?

In a vette you should chirp 2nd at least so you should bring in a friend that has some experience to take a look if it isn't hitting you hard
I have no friends with shift kits over here.-
what's the hardness ?
please explain me a bit more
thanks

Iroc57

Find a big parking lot or deserted road...

Yes manually...
Drop your shifter all the way down to 1 (or low, or L ...I can't remember what it is called on these). Go easy and shift up one click (gently until you get the feel). it will go into second. Go up one more and you are in 3rd (Drive). One more and you are in overdrive (OD).

Practice this and you will be able to shift into 2nd around town up at 3-4K rpm and get a nice chirp to impress your friends If you leave it in drive you will have to put your foot into it too much to safely do this on public roads

I cant leave mine in drive because with the 2.59 gears around town my converter heats up too much(2200 stall) so I end up shifting manually all the time. That is why I hacked up my interior...



A shift kit does not give you any more power so don't expect any better acceleration. The stall converter just gives you better launch, it allows your rpm to come up before it locks to put you in your torque band. 2400 may be high if you have a stock L98 (I forgot what you have....sorry). If you expect a huge difference in performance you should do the gears next. That will give you a real seat of the pants gain

Calderone

OHHHH i didn't do it manually,i will do it today
i see now ...its ok then
but what's supposed to do ? not automatically shift into 2 ?
can i downshift with no harm too ?

i have a bored .30 over ,with Hypereutectic Flat top pistons for more C.R. ,ZZ4 Cam and LT4 springs ..that's most of the engine mods
im planning on headers soon when i get the money
what you think ?

Iroc57

It will shift auto when you leave in drive or OD. You are just controlling it manually when you want...simple like that. Downshifting should be done only when slowing and one gear at a time. Do not, I repeat....DO NOT grab that shifter on the highway and slam it down to race someone. Let the tranny downshift on it's own and it will. It would be real embarassing if you blow your engine and/or spin out of control while trying to look cool

As far as the headers, they should have been done before the cam. Common sense here...more air in needs more air out

Calderone

headers ..........comin' out !
no no i wont do that on highway i know

MK 82

You have to use some common sense when manually downshifting. Going in to first at 80 would ruin your day. Not any different on a manual.

Muffin

My B&M kit works exactly as Iroc describes. Oh, by the way, fooling with the gearshift at 40 mph and slipping it into reverse,while not advisable, is exciting.

Iroc57

We used to reach over and do that from the passenger seat. It was nice to be young and stupid

BIG FUN

Wingralf

Odd, I put in the cheapest B&M shift improver kit and followed the 2nd stage instructions.. and the results,

It will shift very hard from 1st to 2nd. in drive or overdrive at stock shift points. anything pasted half throttle will break tires lose.

Moving shifter to 1st I'm able to hold 1st gear till redline and car can at times turn sideways. 2nd to drive shift is at normal 4700rpm to 4800. no control over this shift point.

If I were able to go back I would have only used stage 1 as the 2nd stage of this kit is abit too harsh "all the time"

All of this is with a fairly stock 85 engine

BlackC6LS3

I can't go full throttle on street tires because the tires will spin 1st, into 2nd and then 3rd. From a roll I can get it to downshift to 1st, spin them into second and etc. I think its a much nicer than the TransGo even when that was working correctly.

rodj

Most shift kits give you several options as to final use.
You should as stated above have full manual control ; should stay in selected gear and not upshift until you move lever -should down shift immediately lever is fulled back.
On a TPI you should be shifting 4200-4500ish for optimun performance.

Ed Ramberger

Couple of things that might clear some of your questions up. This is the Cliff's notes.

The stall speed of the convertor means what RPM it will allow the motor to turn to before it locks up and transfers full power through the unit.

The stall speed is the rpm the convertor will flash to on launch - this allows the motor to get into it's powerband for launch. You will also see it flash if you are just putting along and gun it.

In allowing the convertor to slip, extra heat is generated. Typically vehicles that did not have an additional trans cooler will require one when adding a high stall convertor. You should always check to see if the existing transmission cooling system will be adequate for the convertor you are installing. This can be as simple as checking with the manufacturer of the kit.

A high stall convertor won't give you any additional power, it simply allows the engine to better use the power it has.

In the past I used Fairbanks kits on turbo 350's and loved them. I cannot state with authority the best kit for you.

With a 2500 rpm stall on my 350 TA and a shift kit, it launched hard and shifted hard enough to chirp the tires. It also allowed me to hold it in gear until I wanted to shift. Manually shifting at the correct part of the powerband really hit hard.

Iroc57

Thanks for that

Ed Ramberger

I should clarify one statement I made in making it brief. The stall speed is the speed to which the convertor will allow the motor to turn to - examply holding the brake and giving it the gas. Stock is about 1500. Hence the term "stall speed"

FULL power is transferred in a convertor that has the capability to lock-up. This eliminates the slip and improves fuel economy at highway speeds.