Good Powerglide Build Book?

[lake_harley]

I plan to rebuild and modify a Powerglide for the FED I have been collecting parts for and am about to start building. I have 2 core Powerglides and with the 12 7/8" input shaft they have that tells me they are both the preferred 1.76 ratio units. The HP of the engine will be under 300 HP (just a fun FED for local bracket racing) and I don't plan a trans brake thinking that foot-braking the car will be less stressful (less shock) for the driveline parts.

With that said, I'd be interested in a recommendation of a good book on rebuilding a Powerglide in general, that would also offer suggestions on modifications needed to live at various HP levels.

Thanks.

Lynn

[denverflatheader]

Lynn - books are valuable way to gain smarts.  I used a blue Motor Manual for rebuilding my first trans in 1976.  Today, I'd look at a video first and then buy the book to rebuild a pg.  PGs are very easy trans to take apart and put together requiring basic tools and a small spring compressor that you can make yourself with a 3/8" bolt/nut and 2 flat pieces of metal.

There are couple well known tricks to help a stock pg shift faster and improve the stock pump.  Your could use them for your 300hp build.  I looked and found these two very recent videos, they're very well done by a fellow racer and he does excellent job showing how easy it is to take apart pg, modify it to improve the pump and shift high gear faster, and then put back together.  He does well in briefly explaining the "whys."   Alan     

Racing Powerglide Disassembly - YouTube

Complete Powerglide Build - YouTube

[uglytruck]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557883556?pf_rd_r=R7FFCHVAG713X4HAYMZQ&pf_rd_p=1ab92b69-98d7-4842-a89b-ad387c54783f&pd_rd_r=cf455a8a-0a7c-4e51-942e-b51eb01df2e8&pd_rd_w=GFuv8&pd_rd_wg=DsUAi&ref_=pd_gw_unk    It's a very good book.

[lake_harley]

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions. I did a short view of both videos and expect that I'll learn a lot through them. Also, the book is one that I saw during some searches but having it recommended here suggests it is indeed a helpful book. Sometime buying a book is just a shot in the dark.

Thanks. I'll do my "homework", get the book, and get busy. 

Lynn

[msundstrom]

The Carl Munroe book is a great book. It goes from stock rebuild to race modifications. Great tool

[JEFF/21C]

I bought carl munroe's book years ago, and still use it as reference

[wideopen231]

Carl Monroe x3

[lake_harley]

I'll be ordering the Munroe book next week. Would have already ordered it, but the race parts warehouse I deal with was waiting for a couple other items I need to arrive from a supplier so I decided to just wait to get everything with just one shipping charge.

I have 2 Powerglide cores and intend to use one to build and gut the other to use for mock-up with an alignment bar going through it during chassis construction.

I did watch the two videos and thought they were quite good and will certainly be helpful. Watching them certainly lowered to fear factor of  automatic transmissions being something of a black art. Powerglide actually seems quite simple.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Lynn

[JEFF/21C]

They are one of the easiest to work on. I've hooked them to everything from honda's to blown sbc's even direct drive for dirt oval racing take your time check twice and everything will be fine. the convertor is the important part it has to match the power taik to a tech when you are ready to buy

[masracingtd1167]

Great family business at T.S.R. They can help you with any of your transmission needs ! I highly recommend them !

[lake_harley]

Along with other parts I'll need as I get going on my FED build, I've been looking for a shifter for a Powerglide. The Frameworks shifter gets good comments but I understand they're not plentiful like Hurst Quarter Stick units and others. Any other shifters nice and compact and slim like the Frameworks shifter that might be good add to my "wanted" list? Since I mentioned the Hurst Quarter Stick, how do they work out are they a bit bulky width-wise?

I do have a question about the Frameworks shifter and that is what function does the aluminum button/knob on the side serve. Is it pulled out or pushed in to provide a lock-out to go past neutral and into reverse? Looks like the gating would allow for a simple forward push to go from 1 to 2.

Lynn

[Rat]

Hi Lynn, The Frameworks shifter is a nice compact piece, we have one in our car. The buttons are neutral/reverse lockouts.

[denverflatheader]

More info on that Frameworks shifter, the aluminum knob for reverse lockout is spring loaded and it's a pull operation, around 3/8 inch to clear lockout.  This spring loaded knob requires 2 hands to operate shifter.  If you are planning to install a foot brake, very good.  If you plan to install a hand brake, not so good (unless you use a protree trans brake).  The Frameworks shifter allows either a front or rear cable exit, depends on whether you are pulling or pushing the shift lever on the pg case.  And yes, 1st to 2nd shift is one fast simple push of the shift lever.     

Aerospace Components makes a very compact pg race shifter, and it's one-handed operation (it's pricey $700+).  If you have machining talent, you should consider making a pg shifter, two racers (one flathead with pg and one twin-engine with pg) in our Racing Club made their own tube style shifter.  A third racer in our Club had the Neil & Parks tube shifter in their Jr. Fuel car.  Simple to operate, compact and lightweight.  Alan

[fuel749]

The Quarter Pro shifter is a nice piece and reasonably priced for the basic shifter, no solenoid or line lock button.  Looks good, works good and compact.

[Don Munyon]

If you are considering making your own shifter the tube style that I made for my dragster has worked flawlessly. It’s fairly simple, mounted on the eight and three-quarter rear end and connected with just a little bit of linkage, no cables. It’s operated with one hand and I can disengage the reverse lockout with my thumb. Actually it is a shifter, anti-rotation plate and coupling cover in one.