solve the transmission mystery
 

ok heres one for you guys, ive got a 518 in my 93 and im puttin down atleast 550 lbs or torque if not closer to the 600 side, so i start my truck up yeterday and i heard i very faint ticking sound, didnt think to much of it untill i drove to work and noticed it getting louder, when i got to work my buddy and i crawled underneath of it and thought the lever on the old school lift pump had broke, so to not cause any further damage i backed it into a parking spot and shut it off mean while this ticking noice has turned into something very distinct and almost like a bad nocking sound, so we started it up one more time to feel the lift pump to see if it was vibrating and it wasnt, hmmm now we r confused (nocking sound getting worse) so we turned the key off and when we did it made a god awful noice and heard the starter(so we thought) continue to free spin for a few seconds, go to start the truck again, nothing the starter just spins. so we pull the inspection cover off the tranni and bump the starter over, oddly the flexpatel and convter spin, mean while slight metal shavings r trickling out, so we pull the starter off and check the teeth on it those as well as the flexplate were fine w good wear patterns, now we r super lost, so i stick a screw driver in the starter opening and could very easily turn the flexplate and converter what did i break??? im slightly confused about how these flex plates and converters are on these, i know alot about a 727 gas tranni, and the teeth are welded on to the converter on those and the flex plate bolts to the back of the crank as to the converter, does this work the same or is it more like a gm style gasser which the flex plate is much thicker and bolts to the crank as well as the converter? mean while what do you all think ive broke, my dad says flex plate( as he breaks them in his race car allot, but im wondering if its not something more serious as an input shaft??? your thoughts???

you broke the flex plate. busted the center out of it. that or you broke the input shaft to the tranny, which isnt the case because you can spin the converter by hand. its the flex plate. most of the time you get lucky and just replace the flex plate. if you are now leaking tranny fluid REALLY REALLY check out the front seal and pump area on the transmission when you go and pull everything apart. you could have eaten the pump bushing. i would go ahead and replace that and the seal anyways better safe than sorry.

i have a 2nd gen flex plate if you want it. send me a PM

my tranni wasnt all that as it was so i am gunna pull it out and rebuild it, w billet drum, billet input shaft a billet tripple disc converter, a valve body and racing clutches, and a billet flex plate this time, do it once do it right

you dont need or prolly want racing clutches FYI

Not go to put a triple disc convertor in it very easy either. Without a different engine adpater.