Bill Gingerich wrote:
>
> O'Reilly has a master rebuild kit that I can get for
> $255. <...> OK, so now the question: Is rebuilding
> and automatic something that a slightly above average
> DIY grease monkey can do at home?
Most seem to consider rebuilding an automatic to be "black magic" that
should be left to the pros.
I disagree.
My experience was with a Chevy Turbo 350 in my old 4x4, but rebuilding
it was easier than rebuilding an engine.
Basically, it amounted to taking it apart (there's lots of parts) and
putting it back together with new parts. Take things apart and lay them
out in order as you go so you'll know the order and orientation of
things as you reassemble it.
The special tools I needed was a series of clutch pack compressors - I
made them with a few bucks worth of angle iron, a few bolts, and some
threaded rod. The rest consisted of compressing the clutch pack,
removing the snap ring, releasing the clutch pack, removing the parts,
and repeating for the next pack. Reassembly was the reverse, only I
installed new seals and clutch disks in the packs as I went.
I would imagine that doing the Ford transmission would be similar, but
use the bands instead of the clutch packs.
It really was easy. Rebuilding an automatic was even easier than
rebuilding a manual transmission (I've done a couple of them). The
automatic's clearances were less critical, but it had more parts that
had to be put back in the proper order
Tim Mullen
Chantilly, VA
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