727, no 2nd gear, What happened.

[Brickster]

The car is a 73 Charger, with a 500" wedge (about 530hp) and a gear vendor OD on the back of the 727. The trans was rebuilt about 1000 miles ago but we didn't know at the time we would have the HP we have now.

Last thursday on the way home from a Vegas get together for Mr. Angry I noticed the trans held 1st gear longer than normal but everything else seemed OK. Then on Sunday no 2nd gear at all. It seems that the trans goes from 1st to 3rd while driving normal with the gear selector in drive.  When you downshift to 2nd the engine revs like it's in neutral. The fluid does now have a burned smell. It seems that we may now have more engine than the trans was ready for. 2nd question, what would be the correct setup for the car? has a 3.92 rear gear, 28" tall tire, Gear Vendor, and the car is at least as heavy as a stock 73 Charger SE.

[lisiecki1]

sounds like the 2nd gear clutches/band burned up on you....do you know what the previous trans build consisted of?  some red racing (alto) clutches and kolene steels and red racing or kevlar bands should hold 530 horse very reliably....if you decide to build one for yourself use the search on rebuilding a 727 and you'll find a load of information, this was discussed not all too long ago.

Randy

edit: found the link to the earlier thread

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,58890.0.html

[John_Kunkel]

2nd gear is a function of the kickdown band, the first thing to try is a simple adjustment; if the adjuster stud just keeps on turning without tightening you'll need to look further.

Pull the pan and see if the apply lever is still attached to the band link, the link often pops out when the band adjustmenyt becomes too loose.

[RD]

john is correct in 99.9999% of the cases in this situation, but sadly i have come across where that link on the adjuster side actually broke causing the link to lose is proper placement between the band and the adjustment.

is this the case? most likely not, but it is a possibility.  make sure you inspect the link for any damage.

[Brickster]

where is the adjuster stud located?

[lisiecki1]

on the side of the transmission, looks like a large locknut with a smaller hex head bolt in it.

[Brickster]

I tried turning the band adjustment in and it eventually stopped so I tried to drive the car to see what happened and when I tried to pull out of the garage it felt like the parking brake on when I was in first and reverse. I did some searching and found the thead about how to adjust it properly. So i'm headed back out to the garage to turn it back out 1.5-2 turns.

[Brickster]

It worked! I seems to drive better then it ever did. Thanks for the suggestions.