Hi guys im new here and i have a 78 f150 with a stock 400m (mild cam) and run 39.5 super swampers. this truck is more of a daily driver/weekend play truck and i can't seem to keep the "bullet proof" C6 together. Mostly problems with the band burning up.

Needless to say Im going to rebuild it myself for the first time and had a few questions for those who have done this before. I want to get away with the stock 3-4 clutches and go with a 5 clutch pack. What will i all need to change to do this is it just the drums or what. Also i seen where they have an extra-wide kevlar band. again, will this work with the stock internal hardware or is more modifications necessary?

I found a rebuild kit with the Alto red eagle clutches and koleen steels, transgo shift kit, extra wide band, and a R servo for around $350 from a performance shop here on the net. Does this sound reasonable. Just getting tired of taking out this tranny and having someone rebuild it and it not last. on my 3rd one in the last 8 years and each time i asked them to beef it up so it will last. Any info on a good set-up for this tranny or any websites that might be helpful would greatly be appreciatated. thanks in advance

 

You can usually just toss the wave plate to run another clutch. If the clearance doesn't turn out right you will have to find the right thickness of snap ring. You might even have to machine the drum, no big deal anyone with a lathe can do it. Maby try to find a E shift lever, a F would be even better to go with the R servo. Make sure you flush the lines & cooler out real good, you don't want any of the old fluid ran through your new rebuild.

 

You can use a lower forward pressure plate in the direct drum.

That will give enough room for another fibre and steel.

 

just got done tossing my c6 together and like the prev. post i to sub the wave spring for an extra clutch plate, i hate to beat a dead horse but i used a dvd from bad shoe productions and it is awsome, the guy covers all info you need, check em out

 

Hey thank you for the information, bought a dvd that one of you recommended and hopefully its here tomorrow so i can get started. I have one more question for you. Im rebuilding the whole tranny, but i was wandering if you guys had any ideas as to what it sounds like went bad. the truck sat for about 10 years, been doing a bunch of work to it and got it running. first week it shifted great, no problems. second week different story.

started slipping in drive, 1st and-or second at take-off didn't matter what gear. once it got rolling it was fine. now if it sits overnight i can start it up, put it in any gear and it will take off no problems. shift through all gears fine, but once it warms up it will do absolutely nothing in any forward drive (even in manual shifting). Reverse is fine and always has been. After reading up on this tranny a little more im curious as to why i have reverse but no low, i though they were on the same drive gear/drum. Weird how its fine when it's cold. Only thing i did to it was change fluid, filter and modulator when getting it road ready. thanks again and if you have any other "tricks of the trade" like removing the wave plate for an extra clutch i would love to hear them.

 

I know this one has been beat around the bush and and beyond, but after my rebuild should i go to a synthetic fluid and if so what type. Does it run any cooler with synthetic? If not i'll just put the good ol type F back in.

 

The main reason it works better cold is the fluid is a tad thicker and once warmed up thins out and slips past the internal seals.

There are 4 different modulator pins.
Longer ones give a better shift.
A shift kit is a wise investment as is an external cooler.
I have used an a/c condensor with good luck.
Clean it out and bolt it in.

Once you get closer give me a shout and I will walk you through stuff.

 

Alright, got everything apart. Looks like im going to need a new ring gear hub and new single clutch. The clutch pack that goes around the ring gear had two steels with the teeth completely gone. Messed up the teeth on the ring gear. the single clutch wasn't too bad, had all the rollers, but 4 of the rollers had no springs holding them in (guessing that's where a lot of the fine metal shavings are from). All the other hard internal parts look alright some have some wear where they fit into the bushings. How much is tolerable here? they aren't real deep scratches, but i can catch my fingernail on them. The one drum did indeed only have 3 fibers in it. still has the wave plate so im going to toss that out so i can get that 4th one in there. what's better for the 5th one......smaller pressure plates (do i do one or both), or just getting a new 5 pack drum. thanks and sorry for any rhetorical questions. oh yeah what works best with cleaning these parts up.

 

any suggestions on where i can find a new or used low/reverse clutch hub besides having to buy a whole junker tranny. Need the the one-way clutch also (not the plastic type either). thanks

 

I may have the parts you need. Let me check. I am at the fire station for another 24 hours but I will let you know in the next day or two.