Hi Everyone, I was able to put my rebuilt engine back in and mate it with my 700r4. However, I went to bolt the torque converter to the flexplate and there is about an inch gap between them! Can anyone tell me if this is normal? I made sure the TC clicked 3 times during installation & spins freely. If I slide the TC forward about an inch, will that "disengage" it from the tranny? Please see attached pic. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Nothing else was changed except the motor? You had this flexplate/trans/converter all together and running before the motor rebuild?

1" is too much of a depth distance and can cause you trouble in the long run, something is amiss..

http://www.protorque.com/techi/ti_it.htm

May just need to shim between them, but that sounds like too large a gap even for shims... If you do shim, make sure your bolts engage deep enough. (thread depth equal-to or greater than bolt diameter as a rule of thumb)

In my case, I wouldn't say an inch however there certainly was enough room to slide my finger in between the TC and the flexplate.

I had my motor rebuilt and had to use a new flexplate due to broken teeth. Since I had the motor out, I decided to swap my factory TC for a Hughes 2200-2500.

Then check with Hughes' Tech support, give them the measurements, and see what they say.

Thanks for the responses guys!

I just crawled under the car and measured... the gap between the flexplate and TC is 1/2".

That's not too bad.. I'd still talk to Hughes and make sure.. They'll probably ask that you put a 1/4" washer between the plate and converter just to be sure.

That sounds reasonable.
Still it's sound advice to call tech support as 85 Mike TPI suggests.

Thanks for the advice guys!

I will call Hughes tomorrow and see what they say. Thanks again!

FYI -

I called Hughes... after being transferred to 3 different people, the guy said there should be at most 3/16 gap.

He said that, since my new converter is on and the engine is in, take the old converter, put a rag in it (to keep it from leaking) and face it down on the ground. Then set the old flexplate on it and measure the distance from the ground to the flexplate holes. Suppose to be 5 7/8".

I will do this when I get home from work.

He also suggested that maybe my builder put the flexplate on backwards but it looks right to me?

From your picture, the flexplate is on correctly.

I tightened the motor & transmission mount bolts. This did close the gap a little bit... now its only 3/8".

I measured the old TC from the ground up (as instructed by Hughes) with the old flexplate laying on it and it did measure 5 7/8".

Going to call Hughes again later and see if they suggest shims w/ longer bolts.

bad news... Hughes suggested I pull the engine again, remove the new TC and measure it with the flexplate like I did the old one

The rep didn't like the idea to shim it. Said something about it throwing off the "pilot"?

iv had some pretty good sized gaps like that and bolted it on up and was fine.im shure the tec knew what he was talking about but iv never had any problems.iv never used any shims but if i were you id go ahead and get some washers that fit the bolts perfectly (maybey get smaller ones and carefully drill the id to perfect size) and use them with some thread lock on the threads and it shouldnt give you any balance or pilot problems.

3/8" is fine. There has to be some gap or you would never get the engine and trans together. I would against shims as well. There not there from the factory and they shouldn't be used or needed with aftermarket parts either.
It's always recommended to use new converter bolts (not sure how many people do) however the locktight and proper torque are absolutes.

But if I ignore the 3/8" gap and tighten the bolts, the gap will disapper from between the flexplate & TC and move the TC closer to the engine. Thus creating a gap on the other side of the TC. Would this cause it to not engage correctly?

its ok its supposed to pull it back out of the tranny some.gm took that in account like the guy said earlier you wouldnt be able to get your motor in or trans out if it didnt have that play..blot it up your fine i agree with skinny about not useing shims i never have and havnt had any trouble...ill tell ya what bolt it up and to put your mind at ease when you start it up leave one trans line loose and in a bucket or something and if its pumping fulid you know its engaged right then take it for a fun ride and enjoy it lol

If you want a little peace of mind, stop in at a couple of transmission shops and ask the tech what his opinion is. I'm sure they've seen just about everything and have to warranty it too.