hi everyone,
i'm considering putting a shift kit in my 85 Grand National, and i'm not sure....they guy at the transmission place said that they can cause problems, cuz its hard on the tranny, and you can't really convert back to stock if u want to. However, i hear of the rock hard shifts, and cherping tires that a shift kit makes....... anyone know more than i do about these things??? if so.. please feel free to put in ur 2 cents!
Most shift kits can be put back to stock, since most involve just modification to the spacer plate and pressure regulator valve. It's not that hard to reverse them out. There are some really extreme ones that drill holes in the valve body (not the spacer plate) that I'd stay away from.
A good shift kit firms up the shift at WOT and doesn't hit the trans really hard on part throttle shifts. Take a look at the Art Carr kit, the B&M TransPack or any of the kits available from the 200-4R specialists out there (Century Transmission, Level 10, Huesek, Toelle, etc.) and most have shift kits that are proven.
I had my trans done by Ron's Custom in Kenilworth. No problems with the shifts. They're firm but they don't bang the transmission at all. It just shifts quickly, very nice and when I'm "on it" the cars runs through the gears very smoothly.
So, I agree with Ken. A good shift kit is not going to ruin the transmission. But, it might expose some faults with one that is marginal.
Good Luck
Actually, the theory is that a shift kit will help a tranny in good condition live LONGER due to less slippage. But as said earlier, may hurt a tranny that is already on its way out. My advice is to go to a different tranny guy who knows something about the Turbo Regals.
My 84 had a transmission that was beginning to have the 1-2 slide. You know where it becomes one long gear. Uping TV cable pressure helped some. Knowing that the tranny was probably not going to make it for long, my dad and main support of my love/hate relationship with these cars, thought we *might* want to see what a shift kit would do. Put in a Art Carr transmission shift kit. No other changes. In the process we discovered several not so tight torgue readings and walked away with a 1-2 shift that would snap your neck back and bark the tires with half throttle. I would not have then nor now called this a "refined" shift kit but the transmission did out last the 240thousand mile engine!
Shawn
87 GN
84 GN
OK, running 84gn with rebuilt trans. Trans goodies, hardened stator and 10vane pump with transcat shift kit. Did this trans myself and found it was "fairly" easy to do. The transcat allows complete reversability back to stock but why would you. This reprograms the trans on shift points and keeps weel spin to a minimal in 2nd and 3rd, dont get me wrong(if desired) you can roast your rubbers going from 1-2 and get a solid chirp into 3rd. The shift kit took @1hr to install, trans rebuild @4hrs. FYI dont install under heavy duty use, use street performance, as the kit does both mods. @42.00 at your local hot rod shop. Note, had used the B&M kit, lots of wheel spin, great show but hard to hook up. just my experience tho, others have had good luck with that kit too. good luck