Guest nickdaytona Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Just got back from my holiday and went to the garage to find at least a litre of transmission blood all over underneath the '65 . Ugh ! Every '60s car that I store in there feels the need to pee all over the floor- WTF? I'm going to do a tranny service on it anyway so i hope it just a line or gasket ( what else could it be ? - it hasn't moved in monthes) Where's the best place for the tranny kit ? Vented- feel better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bb1970 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I got lucky with mine. It leaked a quite a bit. I got under it and tightened up the pan bolts. Problem solved. I hope yours is no big deal. I bet you can get a tranny filter and pan gasket at any parts store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelman Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I bet you can get a tranny filter and pan gasket at any parts store.My understanding is the differences in the Buick ST400 and the regular GM Turbo 400 is all internal. The pan gasket and filter are the samefor all 400s, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, or Pontiac. So the standard Turbo 400 filter kit from the parts store for any 400 should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Nick,This may sound strange, but fill the transmission fluid back up and drive the car! This is not uncommon for the cork pan gaskets to shrink when the cars sit for an extended period. Driving the car can actually seal up the leak by warming the gasket and making it swell up again. Worth a try and it's free!TimP.S. Cookie sheets with sides work great for a catch pan for the leaking fluid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Roostriz Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I'm not sure on the interchange between the early and later 400's. When I did my tranny filter last year I had to use a metal canister type filter that was specific to the first few years of this tranny. It was not the more common flat filter. I would check this before possibly purchasing the wrong part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickdaytona Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Nick,This may sound strange, but fill the transmission fluid back up and drive the car! This is not uncommon for the cork pan gaskets to shrink when the cars sit for an extended period. Driving the car can actually seal up the leak by warming the gasket and making it swell up again. Worth a try and it's free!TimP.S. Cookie sheets with sides work great for a catch pan for the leaking fluid! I hope it's embarrassing and free. Once Frankenbimmer is off the hoist then the riv is going on for "Jamco" mods and tranny service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickdaytona Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Has anyone done any shift kit or rebuilds on their transmissions ? I see a rebuild kit for around $200 from car parts inc. and shift kits for around $70. Worth doing , one wonders? B&M was the brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Roostriz Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 NickI did a B&M shift kit on my 65 when I did the filter change. I put it on the lowest setting because I wanted slightly firmer shifts. I have not driven it much since then but was satisfied with the outcome. It was pretty straight forward. I have done a few on various vehicles and as long as your methodical it should not take more than an hour or two as it only changing things in the valvebody. I would imagine the rebuild kit is just that... all the bands and clutches etc to change the wear items on the trans. This would require removal and disassembly of the transmission itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Nick,Dacco Detriot is where I get all my transmission kits and shift kits. Dacco handles Trans-Go shift kits and they are the best in the business. Many transmission guys will modify the 400 with out a kit because they know what to do. I usually don't recommend a shift kit on a transmission that is older without doing an overhaul on it first, the increased fluid pressure can blow out internal seals that would have been OK at normal pressures.Make sure you know how harsh you want the car to shift, I can make one shift like getting hit with a sledgehammer which is fun for a while, but can get old on a long cruise!Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Just got back from my holiday and went to the garage to find at least a litre of transmission blood all over underneath the '65 . Ugh ! Every '60s car that I store in there feels the need to pee all over the floor- WTF? I'm going to do a tranny service on it anyway so i hope it just a line or gasket ( what else could it be ? - it hasn't moved in monthes) Where's the best place for the tranny kit ? Vented- feel better !Just top it up and drive on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickdaytona Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Filter and gasket it is then !! Thanks for the input , gentlemen !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Luchene Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Quick question on the gasket. I replaced my cork gasket about two years ago with a rubber one. Did fine for about a year and it began to leak again. The pan appeared to be in good shape but the rubber gasket was definitely thinner than the cork one. I would suspect the thicker cork gasket is more forgiving if there are any issues with the pan. Any advice on the best gasket to use or should I just remove the pan and double check to insure it is not bent? The leak is definitely coming from the pan.Thanks - Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Use a cork gasket. Don't over-tighten, you will split it. Go back in a few months and snug the pan bolts all up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 When you have the pan off, lay the bolt surface on an anvil, take a flat faced body hammer and tap down any lips that may have been torqued into the holes from someone previously over tightening them. Then tighten as Jim says. If all of the surfaces are perfectly flat, you'll have less chance of another leak.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Luchene Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Thanks guys...I will purchase a cork gasket tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickdaytona Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 When you have the pan off, lay the bolt surface on an anvil, take a flat faced body hammer and tap down any lips that may have been torqued into the holes from someone previously over tightening them. Then tighten as Jim says. If all of the surfaces are perfectly flat, you'll have less chance of another leak.EdWhats the torque spec, Ed? ( said Nick who might have tightened his pan bolts in the fall because they were so "loose" ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 To Nick (who may have tightened the pan bolts .... when they were so "loose.")I don't have a '65 so I don't have a '65 chassis manual. But, in Group 5 (Super Turbine "400" automatic transmission,) section 5-A, paragraph 5-1-a on page 5-72, in the '64 chassis manual, it states for "oil pan to transmission case.....5/16-18 (thread size).....10-13 ft. lbs. of torque." Because the 64 and 65 are both ST400's with basically the same case, I think you'd be safe with these figures. In my '66 chassis manual, the torque specs for the '66 ST400 - same as the 65 - are also 10-13 ft. lbs, so I'd say that the 65's are as well. Someone with a '65 manual might want to double check to make sure though. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickdaytona Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 To Nick (who may have tightened the pan bolts .... when they were so "loose.") EdLOL , Now that's funny ! Thanks !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Luchene Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 '65 Manual says 10-13 ft lbs. My new gasket is installed and I will check under the car in a few days to see how I made out with the cork gasket. In the end only one hole on the pan was slightly indented but on the opposite side from the leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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