Re: 1971 AMC Hornet SST 2 door, assistance please

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 1 Apr 2005 mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Al good points Tom. One thing to point out is that if you move up to a later model trans you don't have the kickdown cable to fuss with. They just use manifold vacumm.

A good point! It's a lot easier to maintain. The little air-cooled
job (M42? I can never remember its designation) is fairly
primitive, I wouldn't choose it for a new project or anything,
just that if you have one, there's no need to run screaming.

I would MUCH rather have a liquid-cooled trans, believe me. And a
Torqueflite, too :-)






> Mark Price
> mpriceATwestco.net
> Morgantown, WV
> 69 AMC rambler, 4.0L, EFI, 5 speed
> 65 Ambassador Conv, 327 AUTO, Basketcase
> 01 S-10 CREWCRAP 4X4
>
>
>
> ---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
> From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: mail-From-mprice-westco.net@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Date:  Fri, 1 Apr 2005 11:10:56 -0800 (PST)
>
> > On Fri, 1 Apr 2005 farna@xxxxxxx wrote:
> >
> > > I forgot about that Andrew! But there is a slight problem. The
> > > M35/37 air cooled trans was only used behind 199 and smaller sixes
> > > in big cars, 232 in the light weight postal Jeeps and early
> > > Hornet/Gremlin. They weren't used behind the V-8 at all.
> >
> > I have a 1970 232, bolted to a 1965 air-cooled M42.
> >
> > > The air
> > > cooled bell is very different from the radiator cooled models.
> >
> > Are you sure about this?
> >
> > > There may be bosses that can be drilled out for converting the
> > > M35 to radiator cooling. I know there are external pressure test
> > > points.
> >
> > I had my transmission Brain Surgeon (Bill Burrage at B & E Trans,
> > San Francisco) look at this when I had my current unit rebuilt
> > back in 1989, he didn't think it was a good idea. It would affect
> > pressures inside.
> >
> > The air-cooled transmissions are FINE. Racing or hauling is
> > probably a bad idea. They are light-duty but that is not the same
> > as "junk".
> >
> > It is CRITICAL to keep the throttle-position cable adjusted right,
> > ALL OF THE TIME. It directly determines pressure on some band or
> > clutch. It's not simply "kickdown" though it does that also. This
> > the Brain Surgeon told me and said it's why people badmouth this
> > trans -- they don't know to keep it adjusted right.
> >
> > I get annual or biannual "tuneups", costs $100 or less, worth
> > every dime.
> >
> > Mine is starting to seep at the seals now, 16 years after last
> > rebuild.  Works fine still. Believe me, I use the hell out of this
> > car, for a while commuting to Irvine from LA (2500 mi/mo),
> > southwest desert driving, over 100 degrees, 200K miles of use on
> > it in a Classic wagon. 300K on the car.
> >
> > I wish people would stop worrying things that don't need worryin' :-)

>