With a Clutchflite, there is no cushioning/slip effect of the torque converter. There is also none of the 'pause' you get when you shift a manual gearbox by letting off the gas and de-clutching the engine. So, the power is applied full-on and gear shifts are made abruptly....especially at full throttle.

The best description I've heard was when I bought a 727-based CF from a guy in Chicago, late 90's. He had run it in a 440 powered drag car, and said "When you hit 2nd gear, it's like God reached down and smacked you in the ass...!"

Who does that!!! Flat on the floor shifting is what I'm talkin about!!!

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Yep, planetary transmission... just like Dangerous Dave M and his Wagon with the Lenco...off the clutch on launch and just keep pulling levers until you cross
the line, then the front tires can be on the pavement... except Dave used a Big Block clutch...LOL

Neat to see a non-727 Clutchflite for a change, we could use that in our field...especially if it could be mated to a truck slant bell, and would be much cheaper than the Lenco,
and probably not much more than getting a 4 speed modified for rip-shifting.

Next up we'll have to see if the parts combo will handle the hammering of a hi-po engine and high rpm Hpak clutch dumps...

Sounds like the input shaft would eliminate this for most people. Will the 904 internals hold up to a clutch dump?? Just asking.

I spoke to liberty about 3 years back about face plate my 833 gears and it was about $650 for all the work needed to make it a "race" transmission. I didn't think that was all that bad.

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Good question on the internals holding up...they certainly hold up behind lots of 408" small blocks, albeit without the clutch.

As with any component, I find there are (usually) a few guys who can make the parts live and a bunch of guys who trash them. It has to do with how you use/abuse them. I have driven brake pads over 100,000 miles that still had lots of life, and I know people who can't get 25K out of them.

As for me...I doubt I'll ever know as I don't plan to do a lot of high RPM clutch dumping! My personal focus is on longetivity and getting the shift points just the way I like them. There's a lot of 'oohing and ahhing' over manual valve bodies but in reality they are the easy way out...making a valve body/trans work automatically, well, is another whole level of difficulty.

Cost...if you remove the clutch/bell parts from the equation and then also remove the 904 parts.....I'd say the clutchflite-only parts would be $2K. That would cover the cost of the shaft and raw materials needed to make the front transmission pieces. It does not inlcude free labor, running around, and all the machine time needed to make the front transmission parts. It also assumes the shaft drawing and other engineering costs have been paid for on the first shaft.

Amen about the usage of equipment and lifetime...

We do it because we love it and it's a challenge, not because it is easy or cheap. Slant on!

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Terry Hendricks in Parsons Kansas has been working on a slant 6 powered Daytona since at least 1998, don't know if it will ever get done but it has a 727 clutchflite transmission. Greg you did a really good job of putting this thing together in a relatively short time, maybe you need to go up and visit Terry.

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If you didn't drive it there, it's not a street car.

Thanks. That's the funny thing about clutchflites...they're not that uncommon. I've come across a number of people who have one on a shelf or in a car - but no one with one in a running car. I myself have (7) 727 CF's in my shop gathering dust.

Were the 727's all custom too? Or was someone make kits to convert them over?

Did you say you have 7 of them!!!

Once you cut the bell off did you weld your adapter plate on? It looks like some recessed bolts but I don't see what they would bolt too.

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

They were made in two basic forms - kits you could DIY and as complete transmissions by the likes of B&M, Fairbanks, and others. Of course, every company claims they invented them first.

The two popular ones were the 727 and TH400. There are also some Ford versions but rare. Back in the late 90's I was buying them (727) up and just stuck them on a shelf. The Fairbanks version is probably the best design but the B&M is a little more compact and pleasing to the eye.

The bell is cut off then the adapter is bolted on. There is no way to weld it on as it needs to be removable to assemble the trans. The pump bolts are used to hold it in place, much like today's UltraBell-equipped transmissions. I get nervous about it...but it seems to work.

Here's an excerpt from Petersen's 1971 publication on transmissions. I have a lot of pics and paper on clutchflites, lol!

As an update...I did some valve body experimenting and also some pump 'adjusting' and now the trans is very close to being 'on the money'. The shift timing, up and down, is good and the shifts themselves are fast and solid. I also have the kickdown - full throttle and part throttle - working well and that makes it fun to drive.

One thing for sure.....when it kicks down from 3-2 or 2-1, it hits way harder than a converter-equipped car. It's the kind of shift you can feel in the dashboard.

If we had a Hall of Fame that transmission belongs there!