A518 mods and maint.

[rowdyram]

Mostly just the shift kit and VB mods. The intermediate band strut and anchor can also be done.

 

[lucemsequimur]

https://youtu.be/qEr8rbN8JiQ

This is how I have mine shifting now. That's a 1-2 shift, I don't have any good videos of how the other shifts behave, but the 1-2 shift is the hardest on mine. I'm using a Fairbanks 10518 kit, have the accumulator piston blocked, and the overdrive accumulator blocked as well. Interestingly my OD shifts aren't neck breaking or hard, but very quick. Line pressure is 100psi at idle and 190psi at WOT. 1-2 checkball and the reverse checkball are both removed, so it very enthusiastically goes into reverse now. 1-2 shifts chirp the tires audibly on smooth road. I have a billet front servo and billet steel rear servo, both made by superior, with a sonnax billet front servo cover. 6 raybestos red frictions in a 47RE front drum, 4 RR frictions in the rear clutch, carbon fiber front band, thrust washer kit to fix input shaft play, 9 raybestos GPZ OD direct frictions and 5 OD brake GPZ frictions. All Kolene steels. New OD direct snapring. Fresh bearings, shim kit. New governor solenoid and sensor. Strong front band strut and "power wedge". Spent around $1000 for the parts, since I had the OEM rear servo crack on me and shred the rear band and drum. Would've been $850 otherwise.

But yeah that's my transmission, and what I spent my spring break working on. I rebuilt it because I originally knew I didn't have much life left on the front band, but then the reverse went out due to that rear servo... So yeah I definitely needed to then. Everybody told me I was gonna mess it up because I'm 17. But I have 800 miles on it so far and it's running better than it was at the beginning of those 800 miles. Rowdyram knows his stuff though, I can tell. These transmissions are actually really well designed and can be built up to handle a ton, and share pretty much all the tricks and mods you see people doing to the old 727s.

 

[Lethalweapon100]

Meanwhile, im just proud that I changed my own fluid and filter.

 

[lucemsequimur]

I will add that I have a tad bit of overlap on the 2-3 shift at light throttle, but it's not bad. If I knew what to do to correct it, I would, but I'm not terribly concerned about it. It doesn't always do it, and when it does it's not bad. But I can notice it. That's really the only issue though. I've heard thats a fairly common occurence on modified 727/518s. At WOT the 2-3 shift kicks ass.

Also, any knowledge on doing a transbrake mod to the valve body? I know it's pretty extensive, but I'd really rather not have to buy a transbrake valve body.

 

[lucemsequimur]

Meanwhile, im just proud that I changed my own fluid and filter.

Hey, that's something to be proud about. Lol. That's what I started out with, and it turned into all this. I hadn't touched a transmission in my life before this.

 

[Lethalweapon100]

Hey, that's something to be proud about. Lol. That's what I started out with, and it turned into all this. I hadn't touched a transmission in my life before this.

I'd like to rebuild my trans some day, on my own. Of course, on my own terms, not when it explodes.

 

[lucemsequimur]

I'd like to rebuild my trans some day, on my own. Of course, on my own terms, not when it explodes.

Well that's originally how it was gonna be for me, but cast aluminum is evil. Ha. I was gonna do a rebuild regardless.