Hi there,
I am finally starting the rebuild on my 1988 Camaro convertible that has been sitting in my backyard for 15 years. Family, house, etc. took priority before this.

Anyway, I originally took the engine and trans out 15 yeears ago to do an engine rebuild (that I never got around to) and I parked the trans in the back corner of my garage. And there it sits to this day. I put a cap on the rear seal, and left the torque converter on it, so (hopefully) no dirt or debris got in it.

My question is, do you think this trans is usable? Will it need a rebuild? Anything I will need to do before installinng it?

Thanks in advance.

 

probably ok-i'd just stick it in and try it-could pull the converter off ,check that seal not damaged,stand tranny on output for a moment(if no fluid in pan)and pour a little ATF around the input shaft so pump will be lubed when tranny put back in service.

 

Whew! That is lucky. After looking at my engine block, I thought the tranny might be a goner too.

Thanks for the info.I will check it carefully. With it out of the car, is there anything I can do to improve it? Shift kit? Anything like that? My main complaint back when it was in the car, was that it took too long to downshift for passing at highway speeds. Shifting was, meh, okay but kinda slow, like a lot of automatics back then. for this car, I don't think I want neck-snapping shifts, but a little firmer like a stick-shift would be nice.

 

Since it's out I would put in a shift kit, or at least a .500 boost valve and a "corvette servo", Sonnax pressure spring and Sonnax Heavy 1-2 accumulator spring. I'd also compliment that with a higher stall converter or at least a better 'stock' converter (corvette's had a 2150RPM stall converter with a 700R4 in the late 80's - they're about the same price as any other 'stock' reman converter and provides a good bump in stall from the ~1650 RPM converter that was stock)

FWIW - Higher stall converters will "soften" the hit of a shift kit at lower RPM's and running a high stall lockup style converter won't impact highway MPG at all since it'll be locked up in 4th on the highway...

 

You didnt say if you left fluid in it or not. Without fluid, sitting that long can wreak havoc on the seals and valve body. Just throwing that out there.

 

Hi there,
It was a long time ago, and I can't remember for sure, but I think I did leave fluid in it. I had heard that if you left it dry, some internal seals or o-rings or something would dry out and shrink, then you get lots of internal leaks, and all kinds of problems. I put a plug in the tail housing, and left the TC on just to keep the fluid in and dust out.

I need to drop the pan to be sure, but I am pretty sure there is still fluid in it.

 

With it sitting that long a full over-haul wouldn't be a bad idea. Seals, gaskets, and clutch friction materials can crack and get weak with age. Transmission work is something that you want to have done right the first time.

While you have got it out of your car now is the time to correct / modify / repair points of concern. That way when you install it back in your car your can have some piece of mind.

What are you going to do to your car? Are you going to keep your LO3 stock or add some performance mods to it? Factor your goals for your car (fast street car, drag strip car, road course car, street cruiser, etc.) in to your transmission modifications too.

 

Sorry for the delay in following up...
I took the trans to a shop, and worst suspicions confirmed. The steels were all worn, gaskets were bad, seals leaking, etc. Needed a full rebuild. At $1100.00

Well that's not going to happen. So I bought a used 700R4 locally from a running car. For $125.00 I will take my chances. If need be, I can save up for a properly built tranny later. I just want to get it running for now.

 

dude, take it from me. go ahead and have it rebuilt now. in the end it will cost less to just do it now vs later

 

i once used a TH350 that i know had been sitting outside uncovered with no dipstick and nothing blocking the hole and nothing in the tailshaft... i just pulled the pan, wiped the goo off, put a new filter in it, and stuck it in the car with new front and rear seals. it shifted kinda weird at first, but after a little bit of driving and a fluid/filter change it cleared right up and survived for at least 2 years behind a 350 in a Nova.

 

Hi,
I appreciate the advice, but, I'm not going to take it. I shopped around on Craigslist, and I found a shop in Ypsilanti that builds near all-out race trannys for around $900. So I will try this junk tranny for now, and save up the bucks to get a rebuilt one from them. I'm sure their tranny can handle anything my engine can put out.