Billet Front Drum Question

[Turbo Keith]

So when is one needed ? I have one and billet shaft in my GN , its a stock engine but running alky at bout 28 lbs of boost . We have an 86 T Type thats mostly stock that I may add alky soon but keeping it very close to stock . I just bought a PTC converter for it , I'm running a TA49 Turbo but when I build the tranny ny question is the billet front drum needed ? And I know its better to be safe than sorry . Thanks for the help as always Keith .
Yall stay safe out there

 

[mikestertwo]

I assume you mean a billet shaft forward drum. IMHO it's always needed. The stock shaft forward drum is the weak spot in these transmissions. Whenever you firm up the shifts in these transmissions and start making some power that shaft is on borrowed time.

 

[Grumpy]

Do it now. You won't like it sitting on the side of the road helpless. there is no limping it home.

 

[grass doctor]

be careful where you get one from keith..some junk floating around out there ...

 

[mikestertwo]

be careful where you get one from keith..some junk floating around out there ...

Get the drum from Scott McClay Engineering in Tehachapi, CA. They are a perfect fit and I have never had a failure with one.

 

[grass doctor]

CK had a bad batch made ... I I believe when bruce started these things he had a test jig and Boeing involved ...

 

[77 cruiser]

I have one from David Husek.

 

[JC'sGN]

when was the ck bad batch ??

 

[grass doctor]

recently from what I've heard ...but just hear say

 

[m233roller]

They are not full proof as I spun the shaft right out of a billet one from Bruce. For your application Id buy a heat treated one from Art Carr. Lots less money.

 

[grass doctor]

They are not full proof as I spun the shaft right out of a billet one from Bruce. For your application Id buy a heat treated one from Art Carr. Lots less money.

but you have a very heavy foot mike ... LOL and bently has no control over your crazy ways

 

[Grumpy]

They are not full proof as I spun the shaft right out of a billet one from Bruce. For your application Id buy a heat treated one from Art Carr. Lots less money.

ya we used a lot of them over the years on stockish cars . in the last few tears we have had a lot fail. had one in Melissas car low tens. over the winter we were freshing up her car an I lent it to a friend of mine with a TTA... 11 sec car. broke it in a week. we don't use them anymore.. take the $$$ an use it towards a billet one. sometimes ya just have to bite the bullet.

 

[grass doctor]

ya we used a lot of them over the years on stockish cars . in the last few tears we have had a lot fail. had one in Melissas car low tens. over the winter we were freshing up her car an I lent it to a friend of mine with a TTA... 11 sec car. broke it in a week. we don't use them anymore.. take the $$$ an use it towards a billet one. sometimes ya just have to bite the bullet.

yep they aren't made like they use to be ... old ones the best ..just like you GRUMPY

 

[Steve V]

I try to upsell them on every unit. I have used Daves/Lonnies/Scott McClay......people talk and I hear things....not sure what's fact or fiction as to who actually makes them and who buy them for who.

As far as Bruce goes ---NEVER EVER deal with that crook unless you want to get screwed.....smart man on trannys ...very poor business man.

 

[Turbo Keith]

I bought one from CK bout 2 years ago and had my tranny rebuilt and it fit with no issues .

 

[mikestertwo]

I bought a few from CK a few years back and 2 of them turned out to be paper weights. One had so much run out in the drum it was unusable. The ones I did use the run out was marginal. The other the shaft diameter was so big it wouldn't fit in the center support. That's when I decided to go with Scott McClay and never looked back. All his drums fit perfect and had minimal run out.

 

[Steve V]

I bought a few from CK a few years back and 2 of them turned out to be paper weights. One had so much run out in the drum it was unusable. The ones I did use the run out was marginal. The other the shaft diameter was so big it wouldn't fit in the center support. That's when I decided to go with Scott McClay and never looked back. All his drums fit perfect and had minimal run out.

Same here, crazy runout.

 

[TexasT]

Seems like a pretty easy operation if you can source the billet shafts, have a lathe and know how to operate it, and have a good Tig welder to put them back in with minimal distortion. That said I only have the tig and I am still working on the dimes part.

 

[IrvJr]

They are not full proof as I spun the shaft right out of a billet one from Bruce. For your application Id buy a heat treated one from Art Carr. Lots less money.

I have one from Art Carr and its been solid since day 1. And that man will talk your ear off about 200's.

 

[m233roller]

Yup Irv your so right. At the time my billet one broke a billet one couldn't be found. I called and talked to Art
( really he did the talking ) He told me his would take up to 900 hp ? Yes he said 900 hp. He said his were heat treated using the same method as Boeing's. Well to be honest I didn't really believe all that but I needed one so I bought his. It was like $195 then and I had it in about 3 days. Well the moral of my story is that I beat the hell out of that trans for years with many 10 second 1/4 mile passes and lots of street racing. It is now in a friends car up in Canada and he's pounding the hell out of it. I'm sure I got my moneys worth !!!