Am I OK at this power level ?

[newschool72]

Guys ,I have an LS3 GM crate engine w a Bullet Racing custom cam (220-230 at .050, 629 lift on int and ex), Long tube headers, GMPP dual plane carb intake and Fast EZ efi. All together it should make around 520-540 hp and 490 ft lbs at the crank. Im running a stage 2 2004R trans from the Trans Depot. The parts list consists of ....Transgo shift kit, HD performance clutches/Red Alto, Hardened HD sun shell, Hardened stator support, performance Superior super servo, HD Kevlar band, 500 boost valve, and a 13 vane pump. the car ( 72 Camaro ) weighs 3475 with me in it.
I developed a leak in the front pump area at my last track trip and the trans started making a shrieking sound. The leak was very minor so I drove it the 40 miles home. On the way home I kicked it once and it shifted great but didn't seem to pull like it normally does. The trans is out of the car now and am going to have the local trans guru tear it down and check every thing out, but I need some input from the guys that put serious power in front of these little trannies to tell me where I am with the trans and what, if anything, I need to upgrade or change while its down. Im also looking into a new converter because the one that was in it ( 12" 2100 stall) wasn't rated for the power I make. Im looking at a PATC billet 10.5 " lock up in a 3000 rpm stall. Input on PATCs billet converters would be appreciated too. Thanks!

 

[pacecarta]

why arent you asking the seller why their product didnt hold up and what you need . as i read it they custom build each trans for their customers

if you want a simple answer get a new trans built by lonnie (now at gbodyparts.com) or dave husek (turbobuickperformance.com)
converter i wouldnt consider anything but a PTC or maybe huseks new converter

 

[Xflatrater]

I broke the input shaft at the power level you are at now. I would install a billet shaft forward drum, its a pretty common failure

 

[newschool72]

Im not asking the seller because I don't have very much faith in them at this point. I asked the question because this is the only forum Ive found that deals in 2004R trans stuff to any degree at all. I am on a very tight budget and am just looking for some advice about my trans. I talked with Lonnie at Extreme Automatics ( Im pretty sure gbody .com helps him by answering the phone) and he thought the converter was the problem, but at the advice of another well known trans builder, it was a good idea to tear the trans down and inspect and clean it. My question was , in the opinion of the guys that drive cars with these transmissions , do you feel like there is a weak link in the parts my trans has that I can address while its apart.
I would appreciate any constructive answer to my question. Thanks in advance.

 

[newschool72]

Thanks Xflatrater, for the input ( no pun intended ). That is a pretty pricey part, isn't it? Who sells quality parts at a fair price for these trannies?

 

[Ttype6]

Im not asking the seller because I don't have very much faith in them at this point. I asked the question because this is the only forum Ive found that deals in 2004R trans stuff to any degree at all. I am on a very tight budget and am just looking for some advice about my trans. I talked with Lonnie at Extreme Automatics ( Im pretty sure gbody .com helps him by answering the phone) and he thought the converter was the problem, but at the advice of another well known trans builder, it was a good idea to tear the trans down and inspect and clean it. My question was , in the opinion of the guys that drive cars with these transmissions , do you feel like there is a weak link in the parts my trans has that I can address while its apart.
I would appreciate any constructive answer to my question. Thanks in advance.

As Xflatrater said,billet shafted forward drum. It is usually the first thing to break. You're gonna want to check line pressures. If it grabs each gear with authority and not violence,hesitation,or indecision,I wouldn't do anything that would effect the shift quality. I'd take it apart far enough to replace the forward drum and then put it back together.

 

[pacecarta]

if the converter took a dump pulling and inspecting all the parts is in order


its not so much the parts as the builder and the shift program he chooses to help those parts live
its easy to overdo the program and result in broken parts
at your level with similar build parts to your stage 2 (but with a 7 vane pump ) the dynotech hipro street strip held up well and even went beyond that level to mid low 10s

you could consider a dual feed mod but only if you do the billet drum and input

husek can hook you up with parts and maybe some advice , give him a call

 

[Ttype6]

Thanks Xflatrater, for the input ( no pun intended ). That is a pretty pricey part, isn't it? Who sells quality parts at a fair price for these trannies?

Dave Husek at Turbo Buick Performance produces these drums. They're billet,they cost a lot. They're stronger,they don't break.

 

[newschool72]

As Xflatrater said,billet shafted forward drum. It is usually the first thing to break. You're gonna want to check line pressures. If it grabs each gear with authority and not violence,hesitation,or indecision,I wouldn't do anything that would effect the shift quality. I'd take it apart far enough to replace the forward drum and then put it back together.

The trans shifted with authority, don't know that I would say violent, but quickly. It hits pretty hard at very light throttle, but at WOT it felt right. Just a solid snap and off we go in the next gear.
I dropped the trans pan to inspect the fluid and look for broken parts and the fluid was good. I split the filter and found a very small amount of very fine metal ( stuck to a magnet ) and 3 small pieces of a plastic ,brittle material that looks like the friction material I can see in the clutch packs. Biggest piece was about an inch long and maybe an 1/8th wide. I also cut the converter and didn't see anything broken, but the flywheel side of the housing looked bulged slightly. The front seal looked good and it didn't look like the pump seal was leaking. Maybe the converter hub? I cant pressure test it because its in two pieces now, LOL. This trip to the track was the first time the trans/converter took the full load from the engine and it lost 1 mph from the first pass to the second. The second pass was when I heard the shrieking noise in second and into third gear. After that pass , the timing shack told me I had a trans leak. I will give Dave a call tomorrow and get his take on it. My trans guy that is local is the real deal. He builds trannies for drag cars making 2000+ HP and has a flawless rep around here. You have to know someone who knows someone to get him to build a trans for you. I drilled him on the 2004R and he started spouting stuff I never heard of and has experience with 2004R and GNs. I feel good about letting him inspect and fix the trans. Thanks for the input and any other advise you all can give would be appreciated.

 

[Mr.Spool]

my advise would be to pull the trans out of the car ship it to dave husek.in the long run you will be much happier.

 

[1fastcobra]

Guys ,I have an LS3 GM crate engine w a Bullet Racing custom cam (220-230 at .050, 629 lift on int and ex), Long tube headers, GMPP dual plane carb intake and Fast EZ efi. All together it should make around 520-540 hp and 490 ft lbs at the crank. Im running a stage 2 2004R trans from the Trans Depot. The parts list consists of ....Transgo shift kit, HD performance clutches/Red Alto, Hardened HD sun shell, Hardened stator support, performance Superior super servo, HD Kevlar band, 500 boost valve, and a 13 vane pump. the car ( 72 Camaro ) weighs 3475 with me in it.
I developed a leak in the front pump area at my last track trip and the trans started making a shrieking sound. The leak was very minor so I drove it the 40 miles home. On the way home I kicked it once and it shifted great but didn't seem to pull like it normally does. The trans is out of the car now and am going to have the local trans guru tear it down and check every thing out, but I need some input from the guys that put serious power in front of these little trannies to tell me where I am with the trans and what, if anything, I need to upgrade or change while its down. Im also looking into a new converter because the one that was in it ( 12" 2100 stall) wasn't rated for the power I make. Im looking at a PATC billet 10.5 " lock up in a 3000 rpm stall. Input on PATCs billet converters would be appreciated too. Thanks!

Trans depot. What a joke
Dave or lonnie.

May wanna look at the 4l80e


Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

 

[newschool72]

Trans depot. What a joke
Dave or lonnie.

May wanna look at the 4l80e


Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

I agree on TD. Chalk that up to ignorance on my part. 2 years ago when I got all the parts together for this build, all I knew about 2004Rs was ,it had the gear spacing I wanted and would fix easily in the tunnel of my Camaro without mods to the tunnel. I didn't have a clue the little trans was so critical on setup, and TD had the best price to fit my budget. Im going to Email Lonnie and talk some more about the trans now that the trans is out and the converter has been cut apart. Thanks for the input too all. I will post up what happens next.