'89 Stepside "Way Cool Jr."

[Dubs]

So, I'm at a decision point. Do I rebuild the 700R4, or do I swap the NV3500? No, I don't need a 4L80 or NV4500 - I'm easy on transmissions.

When I first started driving the truck, I had the TV cable a bit loose. It would hang, then hammer into second gear, and it would shift up to third almost immediately. I changed the transmission filter, cleaned the pan, and the fluid looked and smelled good. I topped the fluid off, tweaked the TV cable bracket, and tightened the adjustment a bit. It shifts beautifully, but freewheels when I give it more than 1/2 throttle. I drained a bit of fluid the other day so I could put in some Type F, and it came out black. I stopped there.

And now I'm paralyzed with indecision.

At this point I don't think adding Type F will crutch the current transmission. A week ago I bought a spare 700R4 so I could rebuild it while limping the current transmission, but now I'm thinking I should swap in the spare and rebuild my original transmission.

The original transmission had a stock-looking torque converter and no signs of a rebuild. The truck has about 130k on it.

The junkyard truck I pulled the spare from had over 200k and an aftermarket torque converter. I'm pretty sure someone's been in it. It also had a hole punched in the pan and the truck had no body damage, so I figure there's about a 70% chance the transmission is why it was in the yard.

Either way, I'll need to rebuild a transmission. I'm looking at about $400 in parts - a $40 rebuild kit, a $70 high-energy friction pack, $240 worth of Sonnax upgrade parts, and a $40 for oil pressure and vacuum switches to eliminate the computer control of the torque converter clutch.

My other option is to do the NV3500 swap I've been considering. I have everything except the shift boot. No TV cable to adjust, no more money to spend, and I prefer manual transmissions. However, I'm not a fan of having a manual when I have to hook up my trailer. That said, I'll probably only be using the trailer about once a month.

Finally, I don't have an open spot in the shop right now. As soon as I got the truck running I pulled it out and put the Beetle TDI in. Just a few bolts more and I'll have that leaky turbocharger out. That little pig is going to cost me about $400, but hopefully I can turn it pretty quick and release some funds.

What would you do?

You bring up a good question. I have a NV3500 in mine that has about 240k on it. Seals are leaking but other than that it seems to be shifting fine. I would base your decision on traffic in your area. For me, I'm eventually going to put a 4L60E in. I live in the Tampa area and depending on what time I'm out in traffic depends on how long I'm stuck at a light or slow moving traffic. It seems to me that when I'm in slow moving traffic, the pace is always between gears. So I'm constantly shifting between 2nd and 3rd a 100yds at a time. Plus I'm fat and lazy and get tired of constantly shifting.

 

[Erik the Awful]

It's been a while since I updated, and I haven't made much progress. The transmission situation really frustrated me, and I'd already pulled the Beetle into the shop, so I let the truck sit while I finally decided on the NV3500 swap.

I had to replace the turbo cartridge in the Beetle TDI. It was leaking so much oil into the intake tract that I was seriously afraid of the engine running away. If you're unfamiliar with that phenomenon, hit up YouTube and search "runaway diesel". I've seen a 6-71 Detroit run away once with a mis-assembled governor, and luckily the technician was able to choke it down before it blew. The last time I deployed we had a 4-71 run away and throw the blower right off the block. The Beetle's turbo assembly is on the backside of the block, and relatively easy to get to while laying on your back, but there's a ton of fiddly bits that don't like being accessed and don't positively fit together. German engineering at its worst. I got it back together yesterday and today I'm planning on getting it out of the shop for a test drive. Then I can get back onto WCJr.

Meanwhile... I tried swapping over to running the ignition from the Sniper on just the HEI's mag pickup. I didn't wire it right and need to do a little more reading on how I'm supposed to wire it. I also discovered Holley makes a $35 wiring adapter for it. I think next payday I might submit a Summit order. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hly-558-304

I swapped the original distributor back in and it won't start. I still need to troubleshoot it.

I also spotted a puddle under the truck. Now that I fixed the power steering pump, the power steering gearbox is leaking. I may buy a Pull-A-Part box until I can afford a Redhead. If the Beetle runs well enough, I'll sell it and the Redhead gearbox will come sooner. Anybody interested in a relatively clean '06 Beetle TDI on a rebuilt title?

 

[Tim W]

Your truck is coming along nicely. I too went through the transmission dilemma. I ended up getting a nicely built 4L60E.

As far as the sniper goes, I went ahead and got the holley distributor, ignition box and the coil. The sniper controls my timing. Its all plug and play with no adaptors needed. The sniper did stumble for a few 100 miles while it "learned". It had some crazy erratic idling and would idle super high. Your best bet is to just go on a long straight drive once the truck is "dependable". The sniper is about 80% self tuning then youll need to do the rest

 

[Erik the Awful]

Thanks, Tim. I'm purposely avoiding the electronic transmissions because I don't want to spend $400+ on a controller. If this truck were already earning its keep I'd consider a 4L80e swap. As far as the ignition, if Holley makes a $35 connector that directly wires the Sniper to the factory distributor, I'll go that route rather than spend a couple hundred on their ignition system. I'm a firm believer that on a 6,000 rpm motor, once you get above the HEI's 40,000 volts, upgrading your ignition system delivers diminishing returns. I can get that with a coil swap - again, once the truck starts earning its keep.

That said, "Good news!" I got the Beetle out and put it up on the face space's market places.

I went to put WCJr in the shop and it wouldn't go into reverse.

"Oh, crap. Is the transmission already fully toasted?"

Out of curiosity I checked the transmission fluid level. Two weeks ago when it quit pulling it read full on the dipstick. This time? Bone dry. WTH? I added a quart of Type F and it went into gear just fine. It was still doing the weird 'fighting itself' thing, but after I got it in the shop I spotted a single tire burn in the grass...

...wait a second... If it's one-wheel peeling while fighting itself, then it's not a transmission issue, but rather a brake or differential issue. The transmission outputs through a single driveshaft, and if it's leaving a burn mark in the grass, the power's getting delivered. The left wheel is peeling instead of the right, so it's likely not a front brake problem. Either the right rear brake is locking up, or the right side of the rear axle is binding. My money is on me adjusting the rear brakes too tight. Also, when the rear wheel cylinders were leaking, I sprayed down the shoes with brake cleaner, but didn't replace them. Cheapskate.

 

[Dubs]

Thanks, Tim. I'm purposely avoiding the electronic transmissions because I don't want to spend $400+ on a controller. If this truck were already earning its keep I'd consider a 4L80e swap. As far as the ignition, if Holley makes a $35 connector that directly wires the Sniper to the factory distributor, I'll go that route rather than spend a couple hundred on their ignition system. I'm a firm believer that on a 6,000 rpm motor, once you get above the HEI's 40,000 volts, upgrading your ignition system delivers diminishing returns. I can get that with a coil swap - again, once the truck starts earning its keep.

That said, "Good news!" I got the Beetle out and put it up on the face space's market places.

I went to put WCJr in the shop and it wouldn't go into reverse.

"Oh, crap. Is the transmission already fully toasted?"

Out of curiosity I checked the transmission fluid level. Two weeks ago when it quit pulling it read full on the dipstick. This time? Bone dry. WTH? I added a quart of Type F and it went into gear just fine. It was still doing the weird 'fighting itself' thing, but after I got it in the shop I spotted a single tire burn in the grass...

...wait a second... If it's one-wheel peeling while fighting itself, then it's not a transmission issue, but rather a brake or differential issue. The transmission outputs through a single driveshaft, and if it's leaving a burn mark in the grass, the power's getting delivered. The left wheel is peeling instead of the right, so it's likely not a front brake problem. Either the right rear brake is locking up, or the right side of the rear axle is binding. My money is on me adjusting the rear brakes too tight. Also, when the rear wheel cylinders were leaking, I sprayed down the shoes with brake cleaner, but didn't replace them. Cheapskate.

Or you have a self made trans brake!!!!

 

[Erik the Awful]

I mowed the front yard first thing this morning, then turned my attention to the truck. The rear shoes and drums were a gooey mess. I'd sprayed a full can of brake cleaner in the rear brakes and scrubbed everything pretty good when I replaced the wheel cylinders, but there was enough residue in the nooks and crannies to gum it all back up. In reverse it was enough to cause the brakes to self-activate. I dropped the drums into my parts washer and scrubbed until they were spotless. A while back I was out of brake cleaner, and in a pinch I used rubbing alcohol. I've taken to using it more and more, and I used it to clean the shoes and brake assemblies. It's about 1/4 the price of brake cleaner and lasts ten times longer. It got the brake hardware clean and removed all gooeyness from the shoes. (EDIT: No, I still didn't replace the shoes. They have a full 3/8" of material!) I turned the star wheels in about half a turn and reassembled. The left drum was hitting before fully seated, and I realized the bottom lip was interfering with the drum - I still haven't replaced the backing plate after the wheel fell off. I'm waiting until I need to go into the pumpkin to do that. Some hammering and prying and I got the drum to fit right.

I took it for a test drive, and the binding is gone. The transmission still freewheeled when giving it more than half throttle, and when I got back I checked the fluid again. It still wasn't showing on the dipstick. I added another quart of Type F and drove it again. Same thing. I checked the fluid again, and it's at the cold mark now. I think I'll add another half a quart when I get a chance to buy more.

The truck was still idling, and I was parked crooked in the driveway, so I went to straighten it out so my daughter can park next to it. I spotted a trail of fluid, lightly green in color. I parked the truck and grabbed the Sniper display. 238*. Steam's coming from under the hood. Imagine a picture here. I took one, but I'm at my limit on pics.

The radiator, one of the few original parts remaining, has given up. I'm wondering what it takes to put a later Suburban radiator in it, and also wondering if I can find another big Volvo electric fan setup like I have on my Jaguar. When I get it replaced I'll be pretty close to having the '89 Chevy Stepside of Theseus.

 

[Dubs]

I mowed the front yard first thing this morning, then turned my attention to the truck. The rear shoes and drums were a gooey mess. I'd sprayed a full can of brake cleaner in the rear brakes and scrubbed everything pretty good when I replaced the wheel cylinders, but there was enough residue in the nooks and crannies to gum it all back up. In reverse it was enough to cause the brakes to self-activate. I dropped the drums into my parts washer and scrubbed until they were spotless. A while back I was out of brake cleaner, and in a pinch I used rubbing alcohol. I've taken to using it more and more, and I used it to clean the shoes and brake assemblies. It's about 1/4 the price of brake cleaner and lasts ten times longer. It got the brake hardware clean and removed all gooeyness from the shoes. I turned the star wheels in about half a turn and reassembled. The left drum was hitting before fully seated, and I realized the bottom lip was interfering with the drum - I still haven't replaced the backing plate after the wheel fell off. I'm waiting until I need to go into the pumpkin to do that. Some hammering and prying and I got the drum to fit right.

I took it for a test drive, and the binding is gone. The transmission still freewheeled when giving it more than half throttle, and when I got back I checked the fluid again. It still wasn't showing on the dipstick. I added another quart of Type F and drove it again. Same thing. I checked the fluid again, and it's at the cold mark now. I think I'll add another half a quart when I get a chance to buy more.

The truck was still idling, and I was parked crooked in the driveway, so I went to straighten it out so my daughter can park next to it. I spotted a trail of fluid, lightly green in color. I parked the truck and grabbed the Sniper display. 238*. Steam's coming from under the hood. Imagine a picture here. I took one, but I'm at my limit on pics.

The radiator, one of the few original parts remaining, has given up. I'm wondering what it takes to put a later Suburban radiator in it, and also wondering if I can find another big Volvo electric fan setup like I have on my Jaguar. When I get it replaced I'll be pretty close to having the '89 Chevy Stepside of Theseus.

Bigger radiator is super simple. I bought an aluminum one from the local speed shop for a 454ss. Grab the radiator top brackets out of a 3/4, or 1 ton next parts run. Or you can get them online for $20 I think

 

[Thatlowchevy]

If you need a 700r4 I have one in Perry. Just pulled it out of my ‘72 Chevy but it was originally from a 91. Complete from torque converter to dipstick


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[Erik the Awful]

Thanks for the offer. I have a junkyard-fresh 700R4 sitting on my cart, but I think I'd rather make an NV3500 swap.

 

[Thatlowchevy]

Well if you ever need one I’ve got it! Worked great I just went LS


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