Engine and Transmission Tech

1-granny-dozer, do you copy ? Soo, soon as you release the brakes, you grab second ?

Looks like it to me. Redline right under the redlight. THAT ought to be a wild ride.

JB

Good thing it is an auto. Can you imagine all the paddling you'd have to do? What are the ratios on the 5 speed?

S'pose, if'n ur in ta "paddlin", LOL. Can you say... Wheelie Bars ? "Real Men Use A Stick".

Should make a real interesting ride in combination with the blown 340. Tell you what. I betcha it'll outrun the MGB-Roadmaster.

JB

A650E

5 Speed Automatic Transmission

Applications:

* 1998-2005 Lexus GS 300 (2nd Generation)
* 1998-2000 Lexus GS 400
* 1998-2000 Lexus LS 400
* 2001-2005 Lexus GS 430
* 2001-2005 Lexus IS 300 (1st Generation)
* 2001-2003 Lexus LS 430
* 2001-2005 Lexus SC 430

Gear Ratios: 1st 3.357 2nd 2.180 3rd 1.424 4th 1.000 5th 0.753 Rev 3.266

Max Power Rating: 325 wheel horse power.

Still waiting on that 8 speed, so I have gone ahead with modifications to the bell of the 5 speed. With some minor trimming of one bump and removal of the pan, the whole transmission fit nicely between centers in my old LeBlond lathe, well actually between the collet chuck and a live center in the tailstock. This wouldn't work with most domestic transmissions but this one had no wobble in the shafts and the park pawl locks up solidly so I decided to give it a try. I cut a counterbore 1/2" deep and 13-1/2" in diameter to accommodate the larger flex plate and ring gear of the 340 (and/or BOPR) and then cut a 1/8" deep by 14-1/2" step on the outside to register concentric and square with the input shaft. So now all I need is a plate with a like sized bore centered on the 340's crank (or BOPR) and the matching bolt and pilot pin pattern. Chances are pretty good it can simply bolt to the bellhousing.

JB

Jim,

You are a very brave, but sick puppy. That's got to be a scary amount of mass spinning about. Did you at least drain out the tranny fluid?? And all the floppy bits held together with masking tape. Oy! :)

What rpm did you do the cutting at?

MR

45 rpm. And the scariest part? Lifting the handle to turn it on the first time.

JB

Ya could've at least got out the 200MPH tape. :)

Ive done some crazy turning before, but thats got to be the best!!!!,
Personally, I think I would have unbolted the bellhousing and either mounted it on External jaws or made a custom spigot to mount it from,
But thats because I only have a Colchester/Clausing Student Gap Bed

Can you say..."rotary table" ? Novel approach. I've seen alot This is a first ! Any balls fall out, trans or elsewhere ? Did it, at least, upshift to second ? Was the "govnor" nervous ? roverman.

The Guvnor was a wee bit nervous, indeed. But nothing fell out other than a small bit of oil and all went well. However, on further inspection back on the bench it was learned that originally the torque converter had not seated fully so my 1/2" clearance cut was shallow by about 3/8". That works out OK though because I'll use a 3/8" ring to match the converter to the flex plate and a 5/8" ring to match the bell to the engine and all should be well. After additional measurements to be absolutely certain of course.

On the 8 speed, we are now checking to see if a LS460 8 speed is the same as an IS-F 8 speed, apparently there was some confusion as to which one the yard has. More on that later. For that adapter I may go with thicker ring sections and may eliminate the bellhousing machining operation entirely by using the first plate as a pattern. Yet more measuring of course.

JB

Jim, considered using a B.O.P., B.H. , stick or auto ?(less work at the motor).

Art, I'd like to make something that works with the entire line of transmissions, which would mean everything from the 4 speed through the 8 speed. Since the 8 speed uses an integral bellhousing that means no bellhousing swap. Also, the flexplate is not an easy bolt-on affair as the Lexus 6 bolt converter has a bolt circle that sits well inside the GM bolt pattern, with 3 bolts hitting the thin point of the spider and 2 hitting open areas. Simplest way to deal with that is with a ring or plate to match them up and that means a plate is required between the bell and the engine. A 1" thick plate there will give adequate flexplate clearance and good thread depth, in fact I could perhaps get by with 7/8". That makes the flexplate adapter about 3/4" thick which also gives good thread depth, and both pieces can be aluminum to reduce weight. Cost of materials is an issue, as a chunk of 1" plate nearly 20" square doesn't come cheap, but the flexplate ring can be cut from the drop cut out of the center of the bellhousing adapter, which helps.

Has anyone had experience cutting aluminum with a plasma cutter? Especially aluminum plate. I just wonder how well that works, although ultimately I expect I'll enlist the aid of my good friend Ken Steidle who owns a waterjet machine. That way we can pretty much produce them on demand without running minimum quantities.

This will be my third commercial offering of a transmission/engine adapter and other than materials it is surprisingly similar to the others, which I had manufactured and stocked by Advance Adapters in California after I developed the prototypes. They still carry that line which mated a GM auto to an International Harvester V8.

JB

Here's some information for Jim Nichols. While researching I came across this technical paper on the 4 speed transmissions with details about the control scheme etc. Definitely worth a look.

JB

[www.autoshop101.com]

Thanks, Jim. I'm working 6-7 days a week,12 hours a day at the Pulp and Paper Mill, so haven't had a lot of time. Barely time to eat and sleep.Much apreciated!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2010 10:42PM by mgb260.

Whoops, Double post.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2010 10:41PM by mgb260.

Jim, I go by Pull a Part almost every day in Columbia. If you find something there that you want me to checkout let me know.

Tom, It's a long shot but if you happen to run across a Lexus IS-F ask them what they want for the transmission. (If they happen to want anything under a grand for it and it's in good shape, put a deposit on it.) I could also use a bellhousing and a driveshaft from a Lexus 5 speed automatic (Transmission is an A650E but others should be interchangeable). One last item is a transmission control module for a 5 speed automatic. That one may be a problem as a separate control module may be hard to find, but one that is used on a FWD 5 speed may work.

I made some progress on the adapter and have some photos:







I drilled and tapped the converter coupler for both the 10" and the 11" - 7/16" flexplate pattern and included another set of holes on the 10" pattern at 3/8" size just for flexibility. Clearances are very tight and it fits like a glove. Lexus threw a wrench into the works by using 9mm bolts but I'll get that worked out. Weight of the converter coupler is a scant 5 lbs so it will have only a small effect on engine response.

Anyway this part is now on hold until I can take the engine off the stand and put it on a cradle so I can check the bellhousing adapter against the block, and that has to wait for a couple of other pieces to be finished, so all I'll be able to do on this for awhile is find the bolts, re-install the pan, and work on the controls.

JB