76 Laguna progress
+8
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Re: 76 Laguna progress
Actually it was very smooth. No indication of a problem at all. The car just had an irritating exhaust noise due to a split muffler and an intermittent clinking noise that I attributed to a loose dust cover.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
Wow with the Crack and missing bolts you would think it would, BUT good thing you wanted to upgrade motors or who know how much Longer it would have lasted
___________________________________________
1977 Chevelle SE x2
One Mild original
one Wild NON original
Anthony
Limey SE- Management
- Street Cred : 97
Re: 76 Laguna progress
I have a buddy that rebuilds these things. He has plenty of cores so it isn't a problem getting a new transmission. He upgrades at least one of the clutch packs with an extra clutch and whatever shift quality I want for a VERY reasonable price.
The part that sucks for me is that the original trans had a dual pattern bellhousing. It just takes away part of the uniqueness of this generation of vehicle.
The part that sucks for me is that the original trans had a dual pattern bellhousing. It just takes away part of the uniqueness of this generation of vehicle.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
Very Nice thats a good friend to have, Maybe he has a dual pattern for you ??
___________________________________________
1977 Chevelle SE x2
One Mild original
one Wild NON original
Anthony
Limey SE- Management
- Street Cred : 97
Re: 76 Laguna progress
He might, but unlikely that I would get one. He is a little bit of a hoarder for weird stuff like that. He might surprise me though, because unlike the typical hoarder, he will sell whatever you see that isn't already committed to someone for the right price.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
Man I hope so Red would be cool to be at least be what was in there Or can yours even be fixed or too far of a break
___________________________________________
1977 Chevelle SE x2
One Mild original
one Wild NON original
Anthony
Limey SE- Management
- Street Cred : 97
Re: 76 Laguna progress
If it broke anywhere else but the dowel pin hole, I would consider having someone weld it up. TH350's are just too common to worry about fixing a bellhousing.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
If you can't keep the dual pattern then why not swap a 700r4? It's a really easy swap.
MaliCrusier / Mitch- G3GM Member
- Street Cred : 1
Re: 76 Laguna progress
I already have a 2200/2500 stall convertor for the th350, and I also have a pair of 2004r transmissions that I am going to upgrade the internals on. Even easier and I like the gear ratio spread better.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
bigredlaguna wrote:I already have a 2200/2500 stall convertor for the th350, and I also have a pair of 2004r transmissions that I am going to upgrade the internals on. Even easier and I like the gear ratio spread better.
The 200 4-R is the way to go. I did this swap on my 76 Laguna back in the early 90's when I had no idea what I was doing. Even then it bolted right in with minor mods to make everything hook up properly. If i remember correctly I had to massage the cooling lines a bit to get them connected and had to grind out the holes a little larger on the mounting bracket for the shift cable and had to move the crossmember back a few inches. Otherwise you can use your existing driveshaft without and mods which is a big plus. The most important thing is getting the TV cable adjusted properly so the trans doesn't burn up. But when these are built properly they can withstand 500+ horsepower. About to do this swap for my 75 Laguna and then hopefully do the Power Tour next year.
g3chevy / Mr Pontiac- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 33
Re: 76 Laguna progress
X2 on all of that. I love mine. The biggest issue was grinding a new detent plate for the shifter for 7 positions instead of 6.
thatfnthing- Donating Member
- Street Cred : 65
Re: 76 Laguna progress
I finally got a transmission back from my friend. The original was on it"s last leg. The forward clutch pack was roached.
Also found some wear on the detent that may explain why my factory ratchet shifter wouldn't work properly.
The detent to the far left is supposed to be straight across and the points on the rest are supposed to be sharper. He didn't have a spare one from a th350 for me to photograph, but he did have one from a th400 that illustrates the difference pretty good.
Also found some wear on the detent that may explain why my factory ratchet shifter wouldn't work properly.
The detent to the far left is supposed to be straight across and the points on the rest are supposed to be sharper. He didn't have a spare one from a th350 for me to photograph, but he did have one from a th400 that illustrates the difference pretty good.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
I have yet to hear back from the machinist about the condition of the original engine, but after unloading it, his tear down guy came back after just 10 minutes and said it would need a new crank at the least. This was due to him being able to pull the harmonic balancer off by hand. I neglected to take a pic of the flex plate, but on my way out he showed me that it was cracked almost all the way around the bolt pattern. I did take a pic of the top of the head. I don't know if this block will be viable.
The forward passenger side oil return hole was completely blocked
The forward passenger side oil return hole was completely blocked
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
man i have never seen a trans damaged like this without making all kinds of noise. And also a cracked flexplate plus a bad crank on top makes me think you just dodged a major bullit. Hope you get it back on the Road soon.
Last edited by Hs1973 on Mon Jun 01, 2020 11:09 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : typo)
Hs1973- G3GM Enthusiast
- Street Cred : 14
Re: 76 Laguna progress
Wow HS1973 is right you dodged a very big Bullet with Laguna motor printed on it .... Hope everything can be saved for you sir
___________________________________________
1977 Chevelle SE x2
One Mild original
one Wild NON original
Anthony
Limey SE- Management
- Street Cred : 97
Re: 76 Laguna progress
Im guessing po did not do much in oilchange, at least not on a regular basis. Its funny though that some of these chevy motors can actually be running Real good. And hen you take them apart some day everything just disintigrades and falls apart. I saw a 350 one time that was running ok, and when we took the valvecover off it was so caked you could not see the valvetrain.
Hs1973- G3GM Enthusiast
- Street Cred : 14
Re: 76 Laguna progress
This car was first purchased by a mature female. I don't know if it was the last car she ever bought, but she kept until she passed away. Her daughter acquired the car from her estate and during her ownership, the car was changed from its original blue/white to the color it currently is. If you buy in to the stereotype of a female car owner, well-- it's no surprise the engine ended up as coked as it is.
It might be just a symptom of the time this car was built also. Oil technology, mass production tolerances, fuel distribution issues inherent with carburetion were all stacked against this engine. This is what I am going with.
It might be just a symptom of the time this car was built also. Oil technology, mass production tolerances, fuel distribution issues inherent with carburetion were all stacked against this engine. This is what I am going with.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
I spoke with the machinist yesterday, and he said the engine would clean up at .030 overbore. I asked what the bill was for the inspection, and he said 200 would cover it. I was expecting an overcharge for cleaning, but oh well.
So I get there this morning, and he tells me the engine sat in the tank for 4 if not 5 days, and there is still spots of crud stuck to the parts. He also figures the crank is still good and it was the harmonic balancer that was worn out. I look the parts over and decide to turn back the heads and intake because I don't ever see myself building a stock 400. This whole time, I am looking around the shop for my block that he hasn't shown me yet. I finally ask where my block is, and he's like "it's in the boring machine". His guy just took it upon himself to go ahead and bore it .030, because he figured whether I build it or sell it, the engine was going to need this anyway. The light finally came on for me that this was the real reason for the bill.
So now I have a good foundation for a future build. I'll get some pics up in a bit.
So I get there this morning, and he tells me the engine sat in the tank for 4 if not 5 days, and there is still spots of crud stuck to the parts. He also figures the crank is still good and it was the harmonic balancer that was worn out. I look the parts over and decide to turn back the heads and intake because I don't ever see myself building a stock 400. This whole time, I am looking around the shop for my block that he hasn't shown me yet. I finally ask where my block is, and he's like "it's in the boring machine". His guy just took it upon himself to go ahead and bore it .030, because he figured whether I build it or sell it, the engine was going to need this anyway. The light finally came on for me that this was the real reason for the bill.
So now I have a good foundation for a future build. I'll get some pics up in a bit.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
Re: 76 Laguna progress
For now the 400 is bagged and resting in the garage until I am ready to either build it or sell it.
bigredlaguna- G3GM Senior Member
- Street Cred : 53
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