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Proven Powerglide Build Thread

20K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  flowney 
#1 ·
Do we have a PG builders in house that would care to share the secrets of making one live?

I would like to make a PG sticky similar to Frank's build up of the C6!
 
#7 · (Edited)
Contact Steve Oldani aka transman on several forums. He has a regular job and sells trans and parts as a side biz. Mine has a. JW bell, case and tail but all BTE internals.
The gears are all made in house at BTE. Good stuff
Price is now down to $725 shipped!!!!
http://oldanimotorsports.20megsfree.com/
Or
http://oldanimotorsports.20megsfree.com/custom3.html
His web page
Offers great service after the sale too
Many of us on this board and the other bbf board have bought from him.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I am gonna need 2 sets David. I have 2 69 Chevelle glides I picked up for a steal I am gonna have the stock bell cut off and use an Ultra-Bell. I did some research and this is my plan of action;

Stock case cut for Ultra-Bell

Machining case for roller bearing on output shaft

Billet roller bearing governor eliminatro kit

1.80 straight cut planetary set

Stock forward drum with new bushing

Billet forward clutch apply piston for 8 Alto Reds

Steel clutch hub for the 8 clutch pack

Higher pressure springs for direct

Billet reverse apply pistons with deep spring pockets for 6 Red Altos

Higher pressure reverse springs

Upgraded reverse spring retainer for the stiffer springs

Kevlar stock width band

High strength band adjusting screw kit

Billet dual ring servo with billet servo cover and high pressure servo spring

Coan High volume pump for TH imput converter

Coan 300M ringless imput shaft with TH splines

Coan Protree 5 transbrake valvebody

I have only a very limited time researching them but seems this combo should be good to ~1200hp in ~3000# vehicle from what I have been told if you can avoid hard tire shake.

I am putting my C6 back together and that will more than likely be the trans that goes into the truck to begin the season but will at some point swap in the glide to see if the truck likes it better or not.
 
#8 ·
You have some good parts listed, but some are really not needed at this level. Too much overkill for anything short of 2K hp. My comments added on each item.

I am gonna need 2 sets David. I have 2 69 Chevelle glides I picked up for a steal I am gonna have the stock bell cut off and use an Ultra-Bell. I did some research and this is my plan of action;

Stock case cut for Ultra-Bell

ok

Machining case for roller bearing on output shaft
not needed, no faster than a stock bushing, been there done that

Billet roller bearing governor eliminatro kit
not needed

1.80 straight cut planetary set
for sure!

Stock forward drum with new bushing
will be fine

Billet forward clutch apply piston for 8 Alto Reds
no need you can machine a stock piston sohe drum will hold 7 thin clutches

Steel clutch hub for the 8 clutch pack
a must

Higher pressure springs for direct
no need

Billet reverse apply pistons with deep spring pockets for 6 Red Altos
no need, you are not doing anything in reverse other than backing up or for the transbrake, if the pump is making proper pressure theT-brake will hold fien at your power level

Higher pressure reverse springs
no need

Upgraded reverse spring retainer for the stiffer springs
no need

Kevlar stock width band
good

High strength band adjusting screw kit
good

Billet dual ring servo with billet servo cover and high pressure servo spring
good, make sure to get servo that uses metal rings vs rubber o-rings or teflon rings, reason is stock case will often have score marks in the servo bore that will eat rubber or teflon

Coan High volume pump for TH imput converter
ok, but take a look at the stock pumps you have. If there is no wear in the pump crescent slap in a new set of pump gears an do the free pump mods described in Carl Munroe's book "Powerglide Handbook". These are the same simple mods done to any rebuilt oe pump from Coan, etc.

Coan 300M ringless imput shaft with TH splines
Ok, I have a Trans Spec NASA shaft in mine, single ring.

Coan Protree 5 transbrake valvebody
Pick the one of your choice. All oem base cast iron VB's will be really similar. BTE has a new one that I use. It's cast iron, but an all new casting that deletes any unused passages.

I have only a very limited time researching them but seems this combo should be good to ~1200hp in ~3000# vehicle from what I have been told if you can avoid hard tire shake.

I am putting my C6 back together and that will more than likely be the trans that goes into the truck to begin the season but will at some point swap in the glide to see if the truck likes it better or not.
A list of what is in mine is in the next post.
 
#9 · (Edited)
A list of the part in my glide. It's a about 1100 hp and makes big torque at 920 ft lbs peak. I have also hit it with a 300 shot on the line. Weighed car 2 weeks ago at Bowling Green. 2955 lbs w driver. 2 years so far and the trans is still perfect. All the parts except the trans case, bell, tail and input shaft (already had) came from Steve Oldani aka transman.

1. 1.80 straight cut planetary.

2. Transbrake, BTE Pro brake. Part # 228260

3. Complete rebuilt kit with thin clutches and Kevlar band. Kit needs all bushings as this is a new build.

4. Dual ring servo, prefer metal rings, Teflon is 2nd choice. No rubber O ring type.

5. Aluminum servo cover.

6. New servo spring

7. clutch hub, steel. used 7 clutches in a stock drum with machined stock piston
all stock reverse piston setup with good clutches

8. aluminum deep pan

9. HD Band adjustment screw

10. 2 pc shift lever and shaft

11. JW Ultra case, bell and tail shaft

12. Trans Specialties NASA input shaft w rings, turbo spline

13. Stock pump with new gears and simple fluid flow mods.

14. TCI locking dipstick

Any other parts are stock
 
#12 ·
I am making every effort I can to get it to 3050 with me in it for next season. Even at the current weight (300+) Steve Oldani said I would be a good candidate for a glide, and should help being a small tire deal with the starting line. My truck was leaving good but the converter went out and really wonder if it wasn't bad from the beginning and it was under stalled anyways so that may change. I started looking into the glides before I tore my trans down and realized their was nothing wrong with it other than a broken pump gear from chunks of aluminum from the sprag coming apart. So now the converter for the C6 will be getting fixed under warranty so I am gonna put together these glides and will be able to make a mid-season swap to see if it is better or not.

Thanks David! This is turning into quite an informative thread, a few of the parts I was planning on buying new were because the cost new vs. the cost to machine some of the stock parts was so close it seemed to make sense to just buy new. I do have a sponsorship deal with a machine shop for machining trans parts SOOOO I could have them done for free (now that you mentioned it).
 
#13 ·
Unless your pump is modified, I wouldn't run a ring-less shaft. Stock cases are good up to about 1200hp, maybe higher. Would definitely use a turbo spline input. 1.76 stock gear sets are pretty good on their own for lower weight or powered cars.

That's about the extent of my transmission expertise.
 
#14 ·
Thanks guys, I think we have a decent build on a Glide to handle ~1200hp. Seems that it would only take a few mods to build a pro-mod glide from this point one big thing being the case and the other being the rear planetary. I have been told the stock 1.76 planetary is the strongest of the OE ratios and can handle power up to ~850hp.

Definitely see how these can get really expensive though.
 
#16 ·
I had 2 friends both break their PG cases this year at the track, both make around the 800 FWHP mark. But, both breaks were in the bell housing area of a stock GM pattern bell. They have since stepped up to the Reid cases and man, they are NICE! I will be buying one with the BBF bell for mine. Nice to not need a blanket or external shield especially if you have a tight trans tunnel.
 
#17 ·
If you can swing it the aftermarket cases are very nice.

Stock glide cases seems to be the luck of the draw. I've seen them hold up fine in 1K hp cars and seen them break in 400 hp cars. Variations in the casting thickness. I broke one in my sbf 69 mustang, replaced it and ran the next one for years until I sold the car.

They will break at the bell, but the majority of the time it seems like they break at the rear near where the reverse piston is in the case. Case is thin back there. Some are obviously too thin.
 
#22 ·
I do not currently have one on the truck, but it would be pretty simple to add one. I have an engine plate with limiters on both sides of the block and and OE trans bushing.
 
#24 ·
Just my opinion.
A powerglide is lighter than a C-6 with much lighter internal rotating parts.

It's stronger than a C-4. Besides the strength, the powerglide has a much more surface area on the internal clutch plates.

Powerglide has more aftermarket support. Every single piece inside and out is available from the aftermarket. If you wish, you can build a complete unit without a single GM part number. You can also take a stock unit, add a few hundred dollars in aftermarket parts and it's good for a a lot of power. The sky is the limit on how bulletproof you want to build it.

Simple, with less parts less to break. It takes longer to pull it and install than it does to freshen it up.

The single shift on a pass makes it easier to be consistent. Also, the higher gear ratio of first gear vs a 3 speeds first gear calms the car down a little on launch and can help when track conditions are bad.

Torque converter selection IS crucial though. With the correct converter I've never seen one that was slower than a 3 speed, most were quicker, with a few showing no change it the 3 speed combo was optimized.
 
#25 ·
X2 Dave,great answer. I'm a Ford guy from the word go,but if you want consistency AND durability,go w/good aftermaket parts in a Glide. imo,a C4 behind a high powered BBF is as bout as useless as a BBF main girdle.:)
 
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