Yankee Express RestoMod Project

[kiwigtx]

Good stuff tackling a transmission like you have Ghost....like the method.

 

[Brandy]

Good stuff tackling a transmission like you have Ghost....like the method.

Thanks mate. You know, I have to confess that I have always thought they were way to complex to be messing with. But, Tom Hand assured me that I could do it and has stuck by me with e-mails for questions and problems. His manual is spot on and has a lot of step by step pics and individual sections for every step. hard to go wrong. We shall see later on if the thing actually works in the end! Haha.

 

[Brandy]

Ordered the plastic spacer ring for inside the front clutch drum. Found mine to be broken. Had the trans all assembled but it failed a couple of tests. Took it back apart to check everything. Sigh. lol.

 

[Budnicks]

nice progress Ghost

keep it coming

 

[Brandy]

Received the steering gear/ pitman arm nut and washer today. Also the new right rear e brake cable to install on the other side to bring the ends up into the middle under the floor for the center pull e brake. Sent out a POMO for new rear shocks, going to drive over to Maine in a week or two to pick up the new hood I bought. The custom hood work did not turn out as I had hoped so I'm going back to a regular steel hood with a Hemi scoop.

 

[Brandy]

current headache...

 

[Brandy]

I took apart the trans again and replaced the snapped plastic spacer ring with the new one. Put that back together. Installed the pitman arm nut and washer. Set about getting the valve body back together. After awhile I realized I was looking at a 1966 diagram and working on 1973 transmission. lol. Downloaded the '73 manual from My Mopar so now I have the correct diagram.

 

[Brandy]

received the billet steel apply band strut, nice! Also got in the right side e brake cable to mount on the left rear to bring both cable ends to the center. Got the steering pitman arm nut and washer and installed those too.

 

[5.7 hemi]

You know the drill, pics!

 

[Brandy]

You know the drill, pics!

In the morning, too lazy to get out of chair...lol.

 

[Brandy]

 

[Brandy]

 

[Brandy]

I'm going to take a stab at creating a "pistol grip shifter". To that end I bought a piece of steel 4"x14"x1/4' and I have a hunk of black walnut wood from a tree in one of my pastures. I'll be slicing up a spare tow ball for the two "hips" that the wood sets on and for the top cover. I will post as I go along..
I need one that fits the car due to the Audi console positioning where a stock automatic arm would be too tall.

 

[Brandy]

So here's the first steps finished: rough shape cut out. Bent to my needs. One hunk of oak and one of black walnut. Stay tuned....

 

[Ugk]

I've been thinking about doing a shifter handle like that to mine. Looks like a good start

 

[Brandy]

So now I have the shape all roughed out, holes drilled, installed a plastic guide and added 3" to the bottom because it was too low in the console. On to the wood handle part where I'll make a blank that's slightly larger and bolt it to the handle then grind it down to almost and then finish sand to final shape.

 

[aeon280]

So now I have the shape all roughed out, holes drilled, installed a plastic guide and added 3" to the bottom because it was too low in the console. On to the wood handle part where I'll make a blank that's slightly larger and bolt it to the handle then grind it down to almost and then finish sand to final shape.

View attachment 755746 View attachment 755747 View attachment 755748 View attachment 755749

How do you planned to engage park/reverse lockout?

 

[Brandy]

How do you planned to engage park/reverse lockout?

I have a stepped plate that will stick up through the white plastic and the metal plate under it, to the left side of the lever. I rigged up a spring loaded cable pull with a drop in tip that will rest in the reverse lock trough. Will have to pull up on the cable to lift the tip out of the lock space and then the rest are rounded humps for the tip to fall into for each gear. I'll hook up a micro pressure switch under that lock space to close the circuit for back up lights. I just have not cut the slot for the plate to come up through yet. I want to install the torque shaft first to see where it sets in relation to the lever. That will assist me in figuring out the length and shape of the linkage arms. I also need to weld on the tab to the lower right side of the lever so the shift linkage that goes up the upper torque shaft arm will hook in.

 

[aeon280]

Cool, look forward to seeing the finished product.

 

[Brandy]

How do you planned to engage park/reverse lockout?

Thanks for your interest! Anytime your re-engineering a factory assembly to fit a custom set up there are many steps involved. Just think of all of those boring R&D meetings I'm missing that the original engineers had to sit through!!