Installation Instructions

Transpak for
Turbo Hydro 350
1968 - 1981
(see www.bmracing.com for latest product information and applications)

Part Number 30228

©2005, 2001, 1993 by B&M Racing and Performance Products
Congratulations. You have just purchased the most complete TH 350 INTRODUCTION
and versatile transmission recalibration kit available. We This kit can be installed in a few hours by carefully following
feel that the installation instructions on the following pages directions. Read all instructions first to familiarize yourself
are as complete and clear as possible. Installlation of your with the parts and procedures.
Transpak is a job that can be handled by anyone with a Work slowly and do not force any parts. Transmission
minumum of mechanical experience. It is important to components and valves are precision fit parts. Burrs and dirt
closely follow the instructions. Read each step and if you are the number one enemies of an automatic transmission.
don't understand, go back and read it again. Cleanliness is very important so a clean work area or bench
is necessary. We suggest a clean work bench top from
which oil can easily be cleaned or a large piece of cardboard.
NOTE: The Transpak is not a cure-all for ailing transmissions.
If your transmission is slipping or in poor general shape, the This kit contains all parts necessary to obtain any of two
installation of a Transpak kit may worsen these conditions. levels of performance depending on intended use:
However, on a good operating transmission in average
condition the Transpak kit will provide the kind of transmission 1. Heavy Duty: Towing, campers, motorhomes, police,
performance that you're looking for. taxi, on and off road desert vehicles and 4 wheelers.

2. Street: Dual purpose performance vehicles. Street

Before beginning, check the parts list on Page 8 of these and strip high-performance cars.
instructions to make sure you have all the necessary parts.
Also check the tool list on Page 7. A minimum of tools are Automatic transmissions operate at temperatures between
required. 150°F and 250°F. It is suggested that the vehicle be allowed
to cool for a few hours to avoid burns from hot oil and parts.
The vehicle should be off the ground for ease of installation.
This kit will not fit a TH-350C transmission. Use #30235 Jack stands, wheel ramps, or a hoist will work fine. Make
for 1980-86 TH-350C. TH-350C transmissions can be sure the vehicle is firmly supprted!! Try to raise it 1-2 feet so
identified by an electrical connector on the driver side of the you have plenty of room to work easily. Have a box or pan
transmission above the pan gasket. handy to put small parts in so they won't be lost. Also have
a drain pan to catch oil in.
Printed in the U.S.A. 9500002-16
 DISSASSEMBLY STEP 4. Remove pivot clip holding detent control valve
lever in place. (See Fig. 2) Remove the lever also and set
STEP 1. Some Turbo 350 transmissions do not have them in the tray. Remove 18 valve body attaching bolts.
drain plugs. You may want to install a B&M Pan Drain (See Fig. 3) Leave the drain pan positioned as there is still
Plug Kit #80250 at this time. Drain the oil by removing oil between the valve body and separator plate. Remove
the back oil pan bolts and work towards the front slowly. the valve body by pulling straight down and disengageing
(Note: Some vehicles will require removal of the the manual valve and link from the manual lever. (Do not
crossmember to remove the pan. Make sure you support let the manual valve fall out of the valve body.) Put the valve
the back of the transmission so you don't damage the body in the oil pan.
distributor.) Do not remove the front two pan bolts yet. If
the pan sticks to the gasket, insert a screwdriver be- STEP 5. Remove support plate bolts and support plate.
tween the pan and case and pry the pan down slightly to (See Fig. 1) Remove separator plate, gaskets and four
break it loose. Now remove the two front bolts slowly. plastic check balls. Leave the drain pan positioned as
This will lower the pan to allow the rest of the fluid to drain. there is still oil between the separator plate and the case.
Lower the pan and set it aside. Put the pan bolts in your The check balls are between the plate and the case. If the
tray. front servo assembly falls out, install it back in position
with grease to retain it. Order of assembly is: Spring,
STEP 2. Use a screwdriver to remove two screws and spring seat, pin, washer and piston. (See Fig. 7A)
remove the oil filter and filter gasket. Put them in the oil
pan. (See Fig. 1) STEP 6. Valve Body: Place the valve body on the bench
with the channel side up. (See Fig. 4) Note the roll pin
STEP 3. Observe the location of the following: (See Fig. locations. Remove the roll pin holding the 2-3 shift control
1) Manual linkage, detent spring and roller, s-link or valve sleeve in place. (To remove the roll pin, push on the
offset link, detent control valve link and lever, and support end of the sleeve until you notice the pin move slightly.
plate. Turn the valve body over and let the pin drop out of the

Detent spring
S-link or offset link
and roller
(S-link shown)

Manual
linkage

Filter

Vacuum modulator

Support Plate

Detent control valve link and lever

Figure 1
valve body. If the pin doesn't drop out, rotate the sleeve E-clip as removed. Becareful not to damage the
as you push it in. You may need to tap the valve body on sealing ring during installation.
the bench lightly if the pin doesn't fall out.Be careful not
to damage the sealing surface of the valve body if this step STEP 10. Scrape off any excess gasket material that
is necessary.) Remove the sleeve carefully. This may may be stuck to the casting surface. This is very
require a little prying with a small screwdriver. Try not to important as stray gasket material can cause leaks.
raise any burrs during removal. Next remove the 2-3 shift Wash valve body in solvent or gasoline to remove residue.
valve spring. Do not install this spring and replace it with Becareful not to lose the roll pins that hold the sleeves in
the white spring supplied with the kit. place.
Note: The small tapered end goes in first. Install the 2-
3 shift control sleeve assembly as removed. Align sleeve STEP 11. Clamp the spacer support plate in a vise and
and install the retaining roll pin. run a file across the surface tha will contact the seperator
plate. (See Fig. 6) The spacer support plate must be flat.
If your support plate is bent or excessively warped, it
should be replaced (Chevrolet Part #338905).
Detent control valve lever
STEP 12. Scrape off any excess gasket material that
Bolt C may be stuck to the case surface. This is very important
since stray gasket material can cause leaks.

STEP 13. Separator plate modification:

Pivot Clip
Heavy Duty: Use the 3/16" drill supplied with the kit
and drill one hole in the B&M plate as shown in Figure
7. Use your stock plate as a guide. Deburr the hole
with a file or sandpaper after drilling.

Street: No modifications to separator plate are nec-

essary.
Figure 2

STEP 7. Remove the roll pin holding the boost valve

sleeve in place. Remove the sleeve carefully. Again, this Manual valve and link
may require a little prying with a small screwdriver.
Remove the pressure regulator spring and discard it.
Replace it with the orange spring supplied with the kit.
Note: The small tapered end goes in first. Replace the
sleeve assembly and roll pin.

STEP 8. Remove the roll pin that holds the manual low
control plug in place. Remove the plug and the manual
low control spring. Discard the spring and install the
special sleeve supplied in its place. Install the plug and
pin as removed. (Note: If the sleeve is too long to allow the
plug to install properly, grind a small amount off the end
of the sleeve.)

STEP 9. 2-3 Accumulator:

Heavy Duty: No modification is necessary for this

application.

Street: Carefully clamp the valve body in a vise Valve body attaching bolt (18)
or c-clamp to compress the accumulator spring. (See
Fig. 5) Compress the piston just enough to remove the
E-clip. Remove the valve body from the vise and
remove the piston and spring. Discard the spring and
install the accumulator piston as removed. Install the Figure 3
 Boost valve
S-link model
sleeve
Orange spring
Stock pressure
Manual valve Offset link
regulator spring
model
Pressure
regulator valve

Roll pin

2-3 shift control

valve and sleeve

Stock 2-3 shift

valve spring
2-3 shift
valve Valve body
White 2-3 shift
valve spring

Manual low
Special
control plug
sleeve

Manual low
control spring Manual low
(discard) contol valve

Figure 4
Check ball positioning:
2-3 accumulator piston E-clip
Heavy Duty: Two 1/4" check balls, one each in
locations one and two. (See Fig.8)
Vise
Street: One 1/4" check ball in location one.

Install each checkball in place using grease to hold it

in position. Do not install remaining checkballs.
Install gasket/separator plate assembly in position
and use a pan bolt finger tight in the middle to hold the
assembly in place. (see Fig. 9)

STEP 14. Install B&M middle support plate (silver color)

in position against separator plate gasket at front of
transmission. (See Fig. 9). On top of middle support
plate (gold color). Note that the two (2) holes in the
Figure 5 middle support plate and slot in the oil transfer plate line
up with the two holes in the separator plate and plate
Install the lower valve body gasket (identified by the Z- gasket. On top of oil transfer plate install your stock
shaped slot) in position on the valve body side of the spacer support plate. (The order of the plates must be
separator. Use a small amount of grease to hold it in correct!). Install the support plate bolts finger tight. Align
place. Install the upper valve body gasket in position on separator plate bolts with transmission case bolt holes.
the transmission case side of the separator plate. Use Holding separator plate in position, tighten the seven (7)
a small amount of grease to hold it in place. support plate bolts to 100 in. lbs.
 If bolt head 'B' prevents this action; rotate range selector
inner lever out of the way. Remove bolt and grind or file
a small amount off top of bolt head 'B'. Reinstall bolt 'B'
and check again. Failure to provide detent roller engage-
ment into range selector inner lever may result in trans-
mission not shifting into park.
Intermediate
servo piston
Metal seal
ring Washer Servo
apply rod

Spring
retainer

Servo return
spring
Figure 6
For "S" link model manual valve only (See Fig. 4): Rotate
the range selector inner lever noting clearance with bolt 'A' Figure 7A
(See Fig. 9). If range selector inner lever contacts bolt 'A'
head or there is not a 1/16" clearance between the two,
mark that area of bolt head. Remove bolt & grind or file Location two
angle flat at that portion of bolt head. Reinstall bolt &
check clearance again. Failure to provide clearance may
keep transmission shifter from fully shifting or locking up
between drive & 2nd.

STEP 15. Remove center pan bolt. Guide valve body into Location one
Location four
position. Engage manual valve linkage in selector lever.
The "S" link can only be installed one way. Offset linkage
must be installed with the link in the forward position.
(See Fig. 4). Install valve body bolts finger tight. Install
detent roller spring so it engages range selector inner Front servo
lever. Tighten valve body bolts to 100 in. lbs. Make sure Location three and four Location three
Remove checkball and do not reinstall
range selector inner lever operates freely at this point with
positive indexing in each gear. "S linkage model"
manual valve only (See Fig. 4): Rotate range selector
Figure 8
inner lever all the way forward and check to see that bolt
'B' does not prevent range selector inner lever from going
into last detent slot. (See Fig. 9). Stock spacer
support plate
Heavy Duty: Drill a 3/16" hole in the B&M plate in this location, using B
your stock plate as a guide. Use a drill supplied with the kit.
Range
selector
Oil transfer inner
plate (gold) sleeve

S-link A
Middle Support
plate (silver)

Figure 7 Figure 9
STEP 16. Connect detent control lever to detent control
valve link. Position lever on valve body. Install pivot clip
(See Fig. 2). If pivot clip contacts spacer support plate and
does not fully seat into slot on detent control lever, trim pivot
clip until it just clears support plate. If detent control valve
lever contacts bolt 'C' (See Fig. 2), remove lever and file or
grind clearance. Install new oil filter and gasket supplied.
Tighten screws securely.

STEP 17. Clean pan in solvent and scrape any excess

gasket material off the pan and case surface. Install pan Gold spring
with new gasket. Install pan bolts and tighten to 13-ft. lbs.
Tighten drain plug, if so equipped.

STEP 18. Heavy Duty Only: Use an awl or small screw-

driver to dislodge the accumulator snap ring located on the
right side of the transmission case (See Fig. 10). Pry the
snap ring out with a screwdriver. There is some spring
loading underneath, so excercise care. Remove the accu-
mulator cover, o-ring and accumulator spring. Discard o- Modulator valve
ring and spring. Install new o-ring supplied with the kit in
position on the accumulator cover. Lubricate the o-ring with
automatic transmission fluid and install cover and o-ring
into case. Install snap ring making sure it is fully seated in
its groove. Figure 11
STEP 19. Check shifter adjustment. Place selector
lever in each gear position making sure detents in
transmission correspond exactly with selector lever
detents. Adjustment can be made by loosening pinch
bolt on rod or cable.

STEP 20. Detent cable: Depress accelerator pedal

fully and check that throttle is opening fully. Adjust if
necessary. Adjust detent cable so that full throttle
coincides with maximum cable position.
Pry snap ring out
with screwdriver
STEP 21. Lower vehicle. Keep the rear wheels off the
ground if possible. Add four quarts of B&M Trick Shift
or type "F" ATF. B&M Trick Shift is superior in
lubrication, heat capacity and friction material perfor-
mance. If B&M Trick Shift is not available, we suggest
using type "F" fluid until it can be replaced with B&M
Trick Shift. Place transmission in neutral, start engine
and fill to the "Add" marks. Place selector lever in all
gear positions. If the wheels are off the ground, allow
the transmission to shift through all gears. Check fluid
level and make sure it is between "Add" and "Full".

STEP 22. Lower vehicle and drive for 1-2 miles to warm
Push in with awl to
dislodge snap ring
fluid. Check level again. Do not overfill. This can
cause foaming and overheating.

Accumulator cover Heavy Duty: Part throttle shift points can be

lowered 5-6 mph by installing the gold spring in
back of the modulator valve. Remove modulator
valve. (See Fig. 11) Insert spring over end of valve
Figure 10 and install valve and modulator as removed. Re-
connect vacuum line.
 TOOLS REQUIRED FOR TURBO HYDRO 350 TRANSPAK INSTALLATION
Speed Handle or Rachet - 3/8" drive Torque Wrench 0-50 ft. lbs.

1/2" Socket - 3/8" drive Torque Wrench 0-250 in. lbs.

Large Blade Screwdriver File

Small Blade Screwdriver Vise

Small Diameter Awl Drill

TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE FOR TURBO HYDRO 350

Malfunction Probable Cause

Slips Low fluid level

Pressure regulator valve assembly improperly installed

Valve body bolts loose

Support plate bolts loose

Overheating/foaming at dipstick tube or High fluid level

breather
Cooler plugged

Cooler insufficient

Late hard shifts Vacuum line cracked or leaking

Vacuum modulator is faulty

Will not shift Valve body bolts loose

2-3 shift valve burred or sticking

Kickdown cable misadjusted

Erratic shifting Shifter misadjusted

Kickdown cable misadjusted

Low fluid level or high fluid level

Vacuum line cracked or leaking

Valve body bolts loose

#1 check ball in wrong location

Support plate gaskets reversed

Pump buzz or whine Low fluid level

Loose valve body support plate bolts

No third or reverse Middle plate, transfer plate or suppor plate improperly

installed
 J

B L

C
H

I
G

E F

PARTS LIST FOR TURBO HYDRO 350 TRANSPAK

A 1 Valve body lower gasket

B 1 Filter
C 1 Separator plate
D 1 Valve body upper gasket
E 1 Pan gasket
F 1 Gasket filter
G 1 Manual low control valve sleeve
H 1 Accumulator cover o-ring
I 1 3/16" drill bit
J 1 Pressure regulator spring
K 1 2-3 shift valve spring
L 1 Modulator valve spring (gold)
M 1 Oil transfer plate (gold)
N 1 Middle support plate (silver)

Inspect the contents of your Transpak kit carefully. If you are missing any of the parts
shown above, do not proceed. Contact your B&M dealer.