rebuilding a th350

[slickscustoms]

so on christmas eve my trucks transmission puked on me. it statred blowing fluid out it somewhere. where it looked like it was leaking when idleing was from the pan but would it "blow" fluid from the pan? my main question is has anybody rebuilt there own trans in there home shop? im sure alot of people have and its something ive always wanted to do. do you have to have the special tools or can you get by with using basic tools and common sense? any ifo or tips on the rebuild will be appreciated! thanks!

[pdxblazer]

search how to rebuild a turbo 350 and all the info you need will show up.

[blazinzuk]

I am no expert but there are a couple special tools that make it nicer. I have seen guys rebuild th 350 on a trailer with only basic hand tools.

Get a book read it and rebuild it. th 350s are very simple good first trans to rebuild.

[Grumpy_old_fart]

and lose the wavy steel in the front of the case. that alone will give you an absolutely positively firm shift from 1-2.

[slickscustoms]

thanks for the replies. theres no doubt the trans specific tools would make it easier i was wounderin if it could be done with out them. i can be pretty creative so i'll try it and see how it goes. thanks!

[blazinzuk]

One thing I have used in the past to get some of the tricky seals on and make sure I don't nick them is, I have no idea what you call it but the plastic sheets they use with an overhead projector. Just wrap that around and slide the seal down, no chances of nicks

[gmcz7198]

I rebuilt mine in the garage. No big deal, pretty simple. Wasn't my first tranny rebuild though. The only special tools that really make it nice are the ones to get the pistons out.

[chevmech1969]

here is a decent write up. not perfect but decent. itll give you a glimpse into what your getting into. http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/th35...ch-145361.html

[BadAssEddie]

I just rebuilt my 700R4 out of my Jimmy, it was decently straight forward. I would highly recomend buying the ATSG manual and Haynes GM Automatic transmission manual, it would have been near impossible without them! I needed 1 special tool to get a spring retainer out of the case but the ATSG gives alternative methods to special tools when available.

I would stress that the most important things in rebuilding an automatic transmission are cleanliness and organization. Pay attention to the little things as they are what will determine success or failure. Be thorough and research alot before hand so you will be familiar with the mechanics, thermodynamics, and general operation of your transmission beforehand.

A few quick pointers would be to leave the valve body alone (unless you plan on incorporating a shift improver kit into your rebuild), air test all your clutch packs for leaks (this can save much time and frustration), and seat your torque converter ALL THE WAY! I have seen two freshly rebuild transmissions destroyed because of not having the torque converter seated fully.

Good luck! Like others have said the TH-350 is probably one of the best transmissions to start out on.

[sjracer]

^^^good advice^^^. it's been years since i had a th350 apart, they're easy and if i remember right you only really need to make/buy one specialty tool. its for the piston spring at the very bottom of the case.
air testing is key. but, also if i remember correctly your gonna have to pull the valve body to do this. just make sure to notate the position of the shift balls that are in there, and to re-install them/keep them in place use a dab of vasaline in the spot where the ball goes and that will keep it from falling out. the vasaline will dissolve as soon as the atf hits it.

[Hosalabad]

I would also recommend the Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 Handbook