Well, if you have been following my posts You now know that I have put a 77-225 in place of a 170 in a 64 Valiant convertible. The swap has been made possible by this website and the slant 6 community. With a few hiccups, it is done. the engine runs great and the power is terrific. I had to change the exhaust so I went to 2-1/4 ".

But now I have a vibration with the increase of speed above 45-50. I may have nothing to do with my installation but I now question some of my prprocedures.

The torque converter was not filled with 2 quarts of fluid when I installed it (only about 1/2 quart). Is this a problem? I have assumed that there is an exchange of fluid between the trans. and the converter and so far the trans fluid has not changed level. If necessary I can remove the starter and fill it through the drainplug. Do youu think I should do this?

Also, the flexplate(junk yard) was not indexed (I Know) but It seems the converter only one way. Is this OK? If I have to change it how, without removing the engine or trans?

Did you install the special adaptor bushing in the end of the 77 crank?
If not, the gap between the larger crankshaft pilot hole and your smaller torque converter hub is causing the vibration.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I just did a similar swap in my 63 Valiant convertible. I removed the seized up 170 and rebuilt a 63 aluminum block 225 that I found in the boneyard. I used a 1980 cylinder head. I also required exhaust mods due to the taller block but a friend brought his oxygen/acetylene torch over and we removed the exhaust and bent it to fit (system is fairly new). I had to adjust the kick down lever to reach the now taller carb. Other than that it was fairly routine.

I would think the converter should fill itself through normal operation. I haven't done the transmission service yet and this car sat for 3 years. I just lined the converter to where the crank plate bolts fit and it seems to be OK. My problem is at idle in drive. The car shudders like there is not enough stall speed. I don't think the idle speed is too high. Also, it shifts too quick under part throttle, though the bigger engine can pull it. When I turn a street corner at low speed the car stays in 3rd. I hope the fluid/filter change will help the stall speed and I'm wondering if an adjustable vacuum module is available to control part throttle shift points?

With the 3.23 gear from the 170 set-up, the larger fresh 225 engine, and the 88 lbs. off the front with the aluminum block, I can tell you - I'm not holding anyone up leaving a traffic light.

The Torque Converter will fill - I have put them in empty and added fluid while the motor was warming up.

I am remembering the flex plate only fits one way, so if all four bolts were installed, it is in there correctly.

Like Charlie said that adapter is important - The front seal will be leaking soon if it was left out also.

If the adapter is in there, the drive shaft might have got installed 180 degrees from where it was previously - might try pulling it at the u joint and rotating a half turn and reinstalling the u joint.

Thanks Guys. I Did install the adapter. It was a little loose. I had a friend working on the housing bolts and unless I fellout during stabbing process and became lost, it is in there. But things that I don't see with my oun eyes make me paranoid. The vibration is probably is something else besides the converter installation. I'll try the drive shaft rotation. Dan has mentioned something about a special convertible motormount could this be the trouble?
I have new mounts and they seem identical to the old ones.

You can't fill the convertor prior to installation. It gets filled by the pump when the engine is started.

As far as the vibration- does it occur when you rev the engine up with the transmission in neutral? If not, then its NOT related to the engine or torque convertor, but may be related to something like the driveshaft or a bad U-joint. If it does happen in neutral, then you might have a problem. With some of the v8s, there are "extenally balanced" and "internally balanced" crankshafts and if you mix flex plates and/or harmonic balancers you can cause a vibration, but I don't think that's an issue with the slant (my lack of recent slant experience is showing again...).

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A few Torqueflite facts:

First, there is no "vacuum module." That's a Ford/GM thing. With a Torqueflite, shift points and shift quality (firmness) are controlled by the linkage that runs from the carburetor throttle linkage to the transmission. If this linkage is mis-adjusted, you can burn up transmission clutches because they won't be engaged tightly enough (hydraulic clutch apply pressure is a function of throttle position). And you can get the low shift points and driveability problems you mention. A good starting point is to make sure that when the carb is at wide-open throttle, the linkage that goes to the transmission is also at its absolute maximum limit of travel. If that results in high rpm/hard shifts, then start shortening it. Just remember, high-rpm/hard shifts are much "safer" for the transmission than low-rpm/soft shifts, which are a sign that you may be cooking the 2nd gear band or (especially) the direct clutch.

Second- stall speed doesn't depend on the type of fluid in any way. It is what it is, and that's determined by the engine and torque convertor. If you have a shudder at idle, look at the ENGINE for a misfire (vacuum leak maybe) or other problem.

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Your right 440. I went into a C4/C6 warp while daydreaming at work. I just rebuilt the engine and installed it. There is no vacuum line. There is no vacuum tree. Duh! I defaulted to my Ford experience. I think you are right on about looking at the engine. I do believe my idle is above the recommended 550 rpm. I need to get a dwell/tach meter. I was reviewing the carb adjustments. I noticed the vent cap is missing over the accelerator pump hole. The pump is not adjusted properly and also I didn't follow the procedures for adjusting the idle mixture while bringing the idle down to spec.

The fluid change to get more stall was wishful thinking, I guess. Thanks.

You know, I did have to raise the kick down lever height by removing the clip and unscrewing the adjustment so that the linkage would reach the now taller carb when I changed from the 170 to 225 engine. I assume that is the linkage you are referring to. That is most likely my issue with shift points as I just turned it to reach the carb without any thought to how it would affect trans operation. I'll take your advice and check for max travel with WOT. Thanks again.

Good stuff. I need to do this rod adjustment too. after revving it in neutral I'm beginning to think that my vibration is not the torque converter but tires or alignment I have a faint miss but this may be the 40 year old wires.

I made the adjustment to the kick-down rod as 440 Magnum suggested and that did the trick. Shifts right where I think it should. Knowledge is power. Thanks for sharing.