1983 Bonneville Wagon motor questions
- Thread starter CoachFoust
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While waiting for my next trip "up north," I'm doing some thinking and planning...two things I'm not great about. I got my 200-4R home and I'm going to have it rebuilt. I'm not 100% sure of its condition, so I'll err on the side of caution.
Since I work at a Tech College, it'll be students doing the rebuild, but I'm pretty confident in most of their work. My questions are as follows: I've read about lock up versus non lock up torque converters. The transmission I have doesn't have a TQ, so that'll be an investment in my part. Which do I go with and why? I'm not seeing anything really definitive on the subject. I plan to eventually run 3.42s or 3:55s with a posi out back. Will that affect the rebuild process? CPT seems like a reasonable place to start for parts and they don't recommend a lock up.
As always, thanks in advance for the input!
Since I work at a Tech College, it'll be students doing the rebuild, but I'm pretty confident in most of their work. My questions are as follows: I've read about lock up versus non lock up torque converters. The transmission I have doesn't have a TQ, so that'll be an investment in my part. Which do I go with and why? I'm not seeing anything really definitive on the subject. I plan to eventually run 3.42s or 3:55s with a posi out back. Will that affect the rebuild process? CPT seems like a reasonable place to start for parts and they don't recommend a lock up.
As always, thanks in advance for the input!
Little tip for the motor mount bolts. The OEM nuts have a flange. Drop them into angled box-end of your wrench and put some masking tape to hold them in place until the threads grab. Feed the wrench in through the oval holes in the front of the K-member or through the control arm slots.
3:55's are for the old 8.2 rears. For a 7.5 or 8.5 you jump from 3:42 to 3:73. With overdrive 3:42's will be plenty. When looking for manifolds beware of some '71 and '72 models. For some idiotic reason the factory left the end bolt flanges missing, feeling just the inside bolts would be enough. WRONG! I had to bevel grind the ends inward to get a decent seal on '72 heads. Lots of manifold types, so just make sure they dump to the rear. RA4/HO's would be sweet.
You don't need the lockup torque converter. It's a bad investment for a car that will daily drive. Protect your rear end from any momentary lapse of discipline / judgement that could occur in the future, lol. A lot easier to enjoy 'stepping on it' with peace of mind that nothing is going to break.
If you decide to go non-lockup, the valve body will need to be modified accordingly. You can't just install a non-lockup convertor and be done with it.
From what I've read, Art Carr prefers building these transmissions with non-lockup.
From what I've read, Art Carr prefers building these transmissions with non-lockup.
I haven't had anything new to report...however, it is getting closer to Labor Day weekend. I'll be heading back to Lincoln to pull the 454/TH350, and hopefully get the 400 put in. Any advice on headers? I'm going to do some looking around this week.
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