tci automotive trans ....

[keith]

does anyone know about the 727 transmissions from tci automotive? summit racing has them and they're a bit cheaper than the b&m's

anyone try one? or know anyone who has?

thanks

[Carlwalski]

Sorry to see no one has replied mate, I would go TCI ANYDAY over B&M after all the stories and test's I wouldn't take a #%&! on B&M.

What I have heard about the trans is there top notch stuff, I will be getting a Pro-super kit to rebuild my TF-727. A lot of guys use there products and quite a few lads use the trans.

Of course check around and do you home work I'm merly putting in a good word for TCI  

[Autophile]

Hey keith,

I'm using a TCI (Street Fighter?) 727 trans in my 440 Cuda, and it has been AWESOME! I've had it in my car for about 10+ years now, and it is still running strong.

Some specs:

My car - 71 Cuda, 3000 stall, 394 rwhp SuperFlow dyno'd.
Trans - unmodified from TCI, reverse manual valve body, freewheel first gear.

I would recommend this trans without hesitation. I went through about 4 tranny's before this one, and I am very impressed with the strength of this tranny. Also, I'd recommend getting a freewheel first gear too. It is so much fun to drop the car into first from 50 mph and race goonies from a roll. I have beat the crap out of this thing, and it takes it all in stride.

The best deal in street Mopar tranny's, hands down.

[DodgeFreak]

What do you mean free wheel first gear just wondering how that works

[Carlwalski]

Yeah same here, how does it work?  

[moparbowhunter]

ditto  

[Carlwalski]

If I had to guess it kind of sounds like a "loose" 2nd gear type thing where 1st and 2nd are almost 1 whole gear  
Or it simply means 1st gear has no lockout and you have some kind of extra duty bands etc to handle the stress of dropping it down at high loads  

[Autophile]

When a trans has freewheel first gear (or freewheel second gear, or both), it means that the trans will not apply engine braking when you decelerate in that gear. It's analogous to a bicycle (like a 10-speed) that has no brakes on the crank. When you pedal forward, the bike moves forward. As you are riding along, you can stop pedaling on the crank and coast, even pedal backward if you want, all the while still moving forward. Well, freewheel gears on a automatic tranny are the same way. When you want to drive, you will put it in 1st gear and give it gas. The car will move forward as normal. But, let's say you are in first gear and going along about 20 mph. You then let off the gas, and what normally happens is the car will slow down because of engine braking. If you have freewheel gears, then if you let off the gas in 1st at 20 mph, the car will still coast along at the same speed (on a flat road), the engine will go back to idle, and you will not feel any engine braking.

What this means is, with freewheel first gear, first gear acts like a diode, where you only feel the response in the car in acceleration, not deceleration. Going along at 20 mph in first, I can give the car gas, and the car will not respond to my input until I reach engine rpms that will be equal to or greater than the rpms for first gear at that speed.

The net result of this is, I can put the car in first gear at any speed (100 mph if desired) with no ill effects, because there will be no engine braking. What I like to do is, if somebody wants to race from a roll, I will just put the car in first gear, let the car idle in first gear while we are coasting at 30-40-50 mph, then when we are ready, I just mash the gas. The rpms will suddenly jump from idle to whatever rpms will catch in first gear at that speed (5000 rpm? etc), get a good leap ahead of the other guy when the rpms engage me to accelerate, then shift once I reach redline. By the time the other guy sees what happened, I am a good three cars ahead! Hehe. It is always so funny when the other guy is buzzing his car at 5000 rpm waiting for us to go from a roll, and my car is just idling along, then I stomp it and leave him.

Anyway, some guys like to do both 1st and 2nd gears like this, but I like to have SOME engine braking ability for daily driving. Or course, 3rd gear will (or rather should) always have engine braking.

It's a lot of fun guys. It's all in the tranny, too. I'm no trans guy though, so I can't say what does it mechanically inside the trans. But give it a try! It's one of the most enjoyable aspects in driving my Cuda.

Jason

[DodgeFreak]

Humm sounds like fun i might have to try one out someday err some year when i get the money...

[moparbowhunter]

since my Cuda is a auto trans i think ill have to look into one  

[Carlwalski]

Sounds good, but not for my Challenger.
I to will look at getting one when I get myself another Mopar (Cuda, Coronet or Charger)  


What if, your redline is say, 6,000rpm in first and your doing the speed to match the rpm, then when you floor it you've run out of gear so your basically like the guy next to you loading up full? Does that make sense? LMAO!  

I guess the obvious answer is shift into second, or is this freewheeling trans only good at city speeds anything higher you'll have to do it in second gear, like put a freewheeling thing in 2nd for use on the highway  

[keith]

thanks guys, thought everyone was just ignoring me. hehehe.

i've decided to grab one from summit when i get the money saved up. thanks for all the input, i'm going with tci then!

[Autophile]

What if, your redline is say, 6,000rpm in first and your doing the speed to match the rpm, then when you floor it you've run out of gear so your basically like the guy next to you loading up full? Does that make sense? LMAO!  

I guess the obvious answer is shift into second, or is this freewheeling trans only good at city speeds anything higher you'll have to do it in second gear, like put a freewheeling thing in 2nd for use on the highway  

If you are already going at a speed that is above your redline for that gear, then when you hit the gas in that gear, you'll just hit the rev limiter (I use MSD 6AL, 7000 rpm chip), and you'll have to shift right away. Still, it really gives the car a good launch once you shift into second like that, although while writing this out, it sounds like it really beats up the tranny  . I've done that many times actually, which is why I am so impressed with how strong this TCI trans is.

Yeah, I guess if you want to do high speed roll-ons, then you'd like to maybe look into a second gear freewheel.  

[Carlwalski]

Thanks for the input bud, well described and jotted down.

I'm pretty keen on getting one, one day for a street drag car. Not in a #'s matching trans but a can of whoop ass  

What are they actually called? Like what do you ask for at an auto shop? "Hi, do you stock freewheeling trans kits?"  

[Autophile]

Hey NZ 440RT, happy to help. It usually takes me a bit to explain what a freewheel gear is like. I hope I got my thoughts out clearly.

I don't know what it's called in the trans world, but I think if you requested to "have the engine braking removed" from that gear, maybe a tranny shop might know what you meant. I think it is actually a simple thing like removing a check ball somewhere, but I could be wrong.