I've been lurking, asking questions, and slowly building my swap.....slowly as in two+ years. Last weekend it finally paid off.
The car was making a little over 400whp at the IFO race in November, ran a best of 11.02 on the w58 and 4.10r&p. This weekend it ran 11.2 on the same tune, that's without making it to the 1/4 and coasting through. Let's put it this way: my car traps 125-130 on the w58; i trapped 110 on the th400. The video should yield a little proof:
[youtube]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZSa4iux4jO8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZSa4iux4jO8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
It started here: bellhousing / pumphousing adapter from arnout (williamb82 may still have his)
allows a340e bellhousing to bolt to th400, th350, and others.
My father had modified an old Vega converter to bolt up to the 6M flexplate, and turned down the crank pilot hub to fit the 6M crank. When I finally got around to installing it (December), it drove down the road fine, but the tranny was shot (wouldn't 2-3 shift). So now I knew the adapter was good.
Next item: driveshaft
Custom built at a local Volvo Truck driveline service shop. The part that bolts to the pinion shaft is a Spicer unit with a pilot that matches the toyota pilot at the pinion. The bolt pattern was a bit off; this I want to change soon. You'll need a reputable driveline shop to get yours done.
Holding it in: transmount
square tubing welded to u-channel. nothing fancy, but stronger than stock. Used the original holes in the unibody from the stock mount. I still need to check the driveline angle: should be around 3 degrees.
Putting power to it: torque converter
Precision Converters. Jared at SpeedForSale recommended them (sort of); he thought they already had an off the shelf converter that would drop in. I called them, and through many conversations and measurements, they promptly built a one-off converter for my application. 3200 stall, 9.5" with 6 bolt pattern.
I had a few minor adjustments that were necessary, but those were probably due to foul measurements on my part. This converter was a PITA to get on the input shaft, but it went eventually.
Core item: The TH400
This is a slip yoked, short shaft TH400. Some are bolt in yoke tailshafts, which you don't want. I had it rebuilt locally with a TCI reverse manual valvebody, which I supplied. I threw the guy $600 and hoped for the best (I know nothing of the going-ons inside the case). This bastard is heavy; get a friend or eat some Wheaties.
Lube up: Lokar dipstick and salvage transcooler
<pics soon>
Lokar Lock-Right(sp?) dipstick with top-hat seal. Bling with function. Quick release fitting for easy removal, firewall mountable, and impervious to leaks. Nuff said.
The transcooler origination is unknown. It had 1/2" lines, which I flared with -8AN b-nuts, adapted down to -6AN Russell braided hose, then adapted down again to -5AN fittings to 5/16" fuel line, which was designed to mate to the TH400 fluid ports. Another item I want to improve on soon.
Making it shift: B&M Pro Ratchet
Awesome improvement over the Megashifter, which works best with a forward pattern. Reverse lock-out, stupid-simple shifting (although I foul it up occasionally).
Overall, I'm happy. I need 3.73 gears to make it a 1/4 mile car, or else I'll look silly at TX2K9
I'll get back to this if anyone has any questions.
The car was making a little over 400whp at the IFO race in November, ran a best of 11.02 on the w58 and 4.10r&p. This weekend it ran 11.2 on the same tune, that's without making it to the 1/4 and coasting through. Let's put it this way: my car traps 125-130 on the w58; i trapped 110 on the th400. The video should yield a little proof:
[youtube]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZSa4iux4jO8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZSa4iux4jO8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
It started here: bellhousing / pumphousing adapter from arnout (williamb82 may still have his)
allows a340e bellhousing to bolt to th400, th350, and others.
My father had modified an old Vega converter to bolt up to the 6M flexplate, and turned down the crank pilot hub to fit the 6M crank. When I finally got around to installing it (December), it drove down the road fine, but the tranny was shot (wouldn't 2-3 shift). So now I knew the adapter was good.
Next item: driveshaft
Custom built at a local Volvo Truck driveline service shop. The part that bolts to the pinion shaft is a Spicer unit with a pilot that matches the toyota pilot at the pinion. The bolt pattern was a bit off; this I want to change soon. You'll need a reputable driveline shop to get yours done.
Holding it in: transmount
square tubing welded to u-channel. nothing fancy, but stronger than stock. Used the original holes in the unibody from the stock mount. I still need to check the driveline angle: should be around 3 degrees.
Putting power to it: torque converter
Precision Converters. Jared at SpeedForSale recommended them (sort of); he thought they already had an off the shelf converter that would drop in. I called them, and through many conversations and measurements, they promptly built a one-off converter for my application. 3200 stall, 9.5" with 6 bolt pattern.
I had a few minor adjustments that were necessary, but those were probably due to foul measurements on my part. This converter was a PITA to get on the input shaft, but it went eventually.
Core item: The TH400
This is a slip yoked, short shaft TH400. Some are bolt in yoke tailshafts, which you don't want. I had it rebuilt locally with a TCI reverse manual valvebody, which I supplied. I threw the guy $600 and hoped for the best (I know nothing of the going-ons inside the case). This bastard is heavy; get a friend or eat some Wheaties.
Lube up: Lokar dipstick and salvage transcooler
<pics soon>
Lokar Lock-Right(sp?) dipstick with top-hat seal. Bling with function. Quick release fitting for easy removal, firewall mountable, and impervious to leaks. Nuff said.
The transcooler origination is unknown. It had 1/2" lines, which I flared with -8AN b-nuts, adapted down to -6AN Russell braided hose, then adapted down again to -5AN fittings to 5/16" fuel line, which was designed to mate to the TH400 fluid ports. Another item I want to improve on soon.
Making it shift: B&M Pro Ratchet
Awesome improvement over the Megashifter, which works best with a forward pattern. Reverse lock-out, stupid-simple shifting (although I foul it up occasionally).
Overall, I'm happy. I need 3.73 gears to make it a 1/4 mile car, or else I'll look silly at TX2K9
I'll get back to this if anyone has any questions.
