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Old 02-16-2005, 03:40 PM   #1
UncleJake
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'81 firebird tranny help

I have an 81 firebird handed down from my parents that needs some help and this site has taught me alot so I'm gonna ask for a diagnosis from the knowledgeable people of the forum. OK, here's the story. While my parents stopped driving the car because of suspension problems they kept it locked up and parked at what is now our old house. When the house was rented out to my brother, he pushed it up the driveway a little bit with a truck while it was in park to have more room. Now on to today when the car is mine. It is hard to even put it in drive, and it wont move at all when it's in any gear. How big of a problem is it? Should I drop the tranny out to get it totally rebuilt or maybe just find a replacement.
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Old 02-17-2005, 08:16 AM   #2
MrPbody
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Re: '81 firebird tranny help

First things first. Take the trans out and take it to a reputable transmission shop (not a general repair shop, unless they're known for transmissions). Pay the "tear down" fee to get it diagnosed. Chances are, the parking pall is broken, and the internal linkage is not working properly.
There's no such thing as a "patch job" on an automatic (at least one you plan to keep). A "bench" rebuild (you took it out, and will be putting it back in) should cost in the $500 range for the TH350, uness there's significant damage to "hard" parts (drums, shafts, etc.).
You didn't say which engine was in the 'bird, so I can't tell you if you have TH250 or TH350. There's a remote chance of it being TH200 (if 301 Pontiac V8). If it says "METRIC" on the pan, it's a TH200, and you should dispose of that one and get a TH350. Success rate of rebuilding TH200 is low, even for the best transmission guys. TH250 is a "light duty" version of TH350, and has a band adjusting "lug" on the top side, not present on TH350. For 6 cylinder or daily driving, TH250 is adequate. For any performance applications, TH350 is minimum.
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