Stick a fork in it, it's done. Now it's decision time...

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Bamamav

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
Messages
6,171
Location
Berry, Alabama
Last time I drove the Lincoln, the tranny wanted to slip a bit on the 1-2 shift. Drove it to a show today, and it has steadily gotten worse. At slow speeds, it will shift fine, 1-2-3. Mash on it a little, and you get 1-slip-2 slip-3, or 1-slip- BANG-2-3. Got to the show OK, went to back up in a parking slot, no reverse, then BANG, reverse. When I got ready to leave some 6 hours later, put it in reverse, backed up fine, repeated the slipping on the shifts sometime, sometime it didn't. Got home, stopped and was going to back in off the highway, no reverse.:mad: Acted like it was locked in drive. Since I had done passed the drive, I went down the road and turned around and pulled in. Tried it again, still no reverse, only drive and park. Tranny is toast I figure. can't complain too much, I don't know the history of it, was in the car when I got it, figure it's probably from the same 75 pickup the engine came from according to the block numbers.

So, it's done probably for the season. I'll have to pull engine and tranny as a unit since the cross member is welded in. My hobby time is limited since we are raising the Grandson, so it will take a while to get it apart and get the tranny built or replaced. Or, since I have it all out, do I replace it with a Ford small block like I would love to do? I have an early 302 with big plug heads, and a couple of AOD trannys, but would rather have a later roller motor, really would like a roller 351W which are hard to come by.

The Chevy runs great, leaks a little oil from the front seal, but that will be easy to fix with it out of the car. I'll probably go ahead and do the timing chain while the cover is off, may even swap in a small cam while I'm in there. See where this is headed? Keeping the Chevy is probably the cheapest way out, even with a few new parts. The Ford swap though would get the car back to it bloodline, but will probably cost me more. Decisions, decisions! [S

One thing I have decided on, while the engine is out is the time to swap to power steering and my GM steering column. Then I can change my engine mounts if I need to to clear the power box. Exhaust should be fine with the Chevy, not sure on the Ford, may have to set my 302 in just to check even if I decide to keep the Chevy for now.

So, I guess my build thread will be getting some new pics in the near future.
 
Man bama, you sound like you have my kind of luck. I lost 3rdbin my sedan a few months ago. So i swapped the tranny out and now im havin first gear issues! Keep us updated.
 
I put a quart of Lucas trans fluid in it before I left Saturday. I tried it this morning, reverse is completely gone. Acts like it's locked in reverse and drive at the same time.

After 41 years, it's probably time for a rebuild....
 

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