Build Thread The Hoopty Build

There a a few companies that make AOD's to easily handle that kind of HP. Lentech being one and Dirty Dog Racing as the other. My friend runs a Dirty Dog trans in his car and it runs mid 9's with no issues and I believe it is warrantied for 1000 HP use. I have used Lentech in the past with excellent results as well. Keeping an overdrive is nice if you plan on any sustained highway use.

I thought Lentechs were standards...
 
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There a a few companies that make AOD's to easily handle that kind of HP. Lentech being one and Dirty Dog Racing as the other. My friend runs a Dirty Dog trans in his car and it runs mid 9's with no issues and I believe it is warrantied for 1000 HP use. I have used Lentech in the past with excellent results as well. Keeping an overdrive is nice if you plan on any sustained highway use.

An overdrive would be sweet. I read that article on YB about Randy Seward driving his 8 second LX from New Mexico to Florida, won two different events with an 8.90 average and then drove it back home. I can only hope to have balls that big someday :eek:

Oh, and he averaged 17-18 MPG and even managed to run 87 octane. Turbo FTMFW.
 
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Lentechs are the way to go for a auto with an overdrive. Alternatively, a lot of guys talk, though I've never seen it done, about a T400 with a gear vendor's overdrive. If you're going to make INSANE power levels one day, the TH400 seems to be the way to go. But those Lentechs are good to 1000 or more and they come with a "lifetime" warranty. If I wanted to keep the car streetable, and still be able to haul the mail with an auto, I'd have a locking convertor. That would bring the RPMs down for the highway, but still let you move out of the hole well. Also, with the numerically high 1st gear ratio in the AODs, coupled with the fact that turbos love load, I'd think you could get away with numerically lower gears out back, which would make the car even more streetable. This may be the way I go with mine.
 
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Lentechs are the way to go for a auto with an overdrive. Alternatively, a lot of guys talk, though I've never seen it done, about a T400 with a gear vendor's overdrive. If you're going to make INSANE power levels one day, the TH400 seems to be the way to go. But those Lentechs are good to 1000 or more and they come with a "lifetime" warranty. If I wanted to keep the car streetable, and still be able to haul the mail with an auto, I'd have a locking convertor. That would bring the RPMs down for the highway, but still let you move out of the hole well. Also, with the numerically high 1st gear ratio in the AODs, coupled with the fact that turbos love load, I'd think you could get away with numerically lower gears out back, which would make the car even more streetable. This may be the way I go with mine.

I'm officially clueless when it comes to automatics. Unfortunately, the limiting factor here will be the budget. I'll look into the lentech, but I'm, guessing the are $$$ to hold that much power.Warranties are always helpful, too.

Step one is getting rid of the old trans. I've got the 3550/lakewood bell listed for $1100 locally and I'm surprised at the lack of interest.
 
I'm officially clueless when it comes to automatics. Unfortunately, the limiting factor here will be the budget. I'll look into the lentech, but I'm, guessing the are $$$ to hold that much power.Warranties are always helpful, too.

Step one is getting rid of the old trans. I've got the 3550/lakewood bell listed for $1100 locally and I'm surprised at the lack of interest.

I'm not surprised at that if you posted it on westside. Not too many fox guys there, did you put it on Houston Craigslist? Man I searched it for months and kept missing them by an hour.
 
I'm not surprised at that if you posted it on westside. Not too many fox guys there, did you put it on Houston Craigslist? Man I searched it for months and kept missing them by an hour.

No, I put it on WSM so I could talk to people online without fielding 10,000 calls. I can't depend on my GF to do anything while I'm gone either. I should be home in a week (fingers crossed) and I'll get a little more proactive about it.

There are a lot of fox guys on there, but the mod motors seem to post more...
 
No, I put it on WSM so I could talk to people online without fielding 10,000 calls. I can't depend on my GF to do anything while I'm gone either. I should be home in a week (fingers crossed) and I'll get a little more proactive about it.

There are a lot of fox guys on there, but the mod motors seem to post more...

Oh, ok. Throw it up on CL right before you get home, It'll be gone in a few days, max. I had to drive to Shreveport, LA for mine because what few showed up in H town got snatched up before I could drive up there. Hell, I'd buy it for my son's car If I had the money in my pocket...
 
I just gave mandrelbends.com 346 of my hard earned dollars. In return, they're going to send me a 2.5" mild steel ultimate builder kit, some V-band clamps, a T6 flange, and a couple of other little things. RacEoHolic330 - you were right, shipping was nasty. I did find an online coupon and saved $19 though.

Also got some *used* equal length shorties ($75 shipped) headed my way. Folks, we have another turbo build :banana:


***Edit - Still no word on coming home. I'm about to start climbing the walls. We are just sitting - doing absolutely nothing. But they won't run me into the dock to let me off. I have been very patient and understanding all things considered, but that is running out very quickly. VERY quickly...
 
I just gave mandrelbends.com 346 of my hard earned dollars. In return, they're going to send me a 2.5" mild steel ultimate builder kit, some V-band clamps, a T6 flange, and a couple of other little things. RacEoHolic330 - you were right, shipping was nasty. I did find an online coupon and saved $19 though.

Also got some *used* equal length shorties ($75 shipped) headed my way. Folks, we have another turbo build :banana:


***Edit - Still no word on coming home. I'm about to start climbing the walls. We are just sitting - doing absolutely nothing. But they won't run me into the dock to let me off. I have been very patient and understanding all things considered, but that is running out very quickly. VERY quickly...

What are you gonna do to cut the mandrel bends? You are comfortable enough w/ your welding to handle 16 ga. mild steel? Not easy you know? I'm just saying it's pretty much like going straight to college from grade school if the only thing you've migged before was thicker stuff.
 
What are you gonna do to cut the mandrel bends? You are comfortable enough w/ your welding to handle 16 ga. mild steel? Not easy you know? I'm just saying it's pretty much like going straight to college from grade school if the only thing you've migged before was thicker stuff.

Well, I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll now have to drag my whole project to my buddies shop and rent a stall for $100 a month. He's got a nice industrial band saw, chop saw, sawzall, hand saw, hole saw, etc, etc. I'm comfortable enough with my MIG welding to build a scale model of the Eiffel tower, but it's the TIG that I want to get to know. He's got a pretty much brand new Lincoln with all the bells and whistles and it never gets used because he doesn't have the time/patience to sit down and learn it. Assuming I get off the boat in the next week (or two) and haven't completely flipped my lid, there's plenty of scrap tubing laying around over there for me to get a handle on it in the month that I'll be off.

Oh, and I found a used CSR water pump that triggered the impulse buying synapse in my brain today. It's in gonna be in the mail headed to Houston soon too. :nonono: This is really getting bad. I'm so bored out here I literally have nothing better to do but waste money on deals that I feel like I can't live without. That and watch this and 2 other forums like a hawk. Sad, right? We're either working at the speed of light or on standby for weeeeeeeeks.