sorry if this is in the wrong section but here goes

i have a bit of a problem with the crossmember on my camaro it a 5l v8
i know very litle about its background
it apparently has race cams , holly 4b carb and a elderbrook inlet manifold also 4 branch exhaust manifolds followed by a twin full stainless exhaust

the gear box is a quick shift type auotmatic and i believe a 3 speed ? which only changes gear off the rev counter {9000 revs ish }

now im not sure what of the above is standard and whats from the factory

the main problem i have is on pressing ones foot to the floor it changed gear at very high revs second to third there was a big bang underneath the car

on investigation the crossmember that hods the gear box in place has bent quite bad and twisted also split causing the gear box to jump up and down and also its lost reverse gear

i have access to a ramp at the weekend so im taking the cross member off to strenthen it, but is this a normal thing to happen or is it a result of modifacations possible increase in power

also there is a big long bar the seams to be attached to the rear axle running up to the gearbox the gear box end doesnt apear to be fixed anymore ??

 

It's not uncommon for a trans mount (the rubber mount between the trans and crossmember) to split apart. That long arm you saw is the torque arm, and it keeps the rear axle from wrapping around in circles from the lifting force at the pinion. But if the mount is separated at the trans, the torque arm will lift the tail of the trans and smack it hard into the tunnel (your big-bang theory).
Without a picture, it's hard to say if you have a stock or modified crossmember, or whether or not yours really is twisted.

 

thanks for the quick answer
atleast that give me some ideas as to whats happening under there

i will post some pics of the underneath once its up on the ramp

some of the other points i made in the first post about the carb inlet ect are they factory fit or aftermarket

sorry about all the question im just getting a feeel of the car and parts fitted

thanks again

 

Sounds like there's been a bit of work done to your car.
Only one cam in the engine. The car didn't come stock with a Holley, but a good one to have anyway (they're so good, I have two of them). Edelbrock manifold is aftermarket as well. What do you mean by "4 branch"? Or are you just referring to typical 4-into-1 style aftermarket headers?
A stock automatic trans would have been a 700R4 4 speed overdrive. It would be good to find out what trans you have, you can tell by the shape of the pan. You could have a 700R4 that's been built for race with the overdrive removed, a turbo 350, or even a turbo 400. What about how it shifts, will it upshift only after you lift the gas pedal? The T400 uses an electric switch either at the gas pedal or on the carb linkage to control shift points. The other two use a cable, each for their own reasons.
And 9,000 rpm's? Wow! Or are you converting to metric?

 

For sure, I'd need to see some pics or have a little more explanation. Camaro69 gave all the stock equipment names and etc. this is assuming its and 82-92. Can you verify that by VIN, that way we'd know exactly what components should have been in there? The RPM's you say are definitely not inline with anything normal. The 700R4 even modded slightly should shift from 1-2 @2000ish rpms (cruising) 2-3 @2300ish and 3-4 around 43mph....again while cruising, not heavy acceleration. If that torque arm is not connected, get that squared away or you'll end up denting a floor pan or ruining an oil seal in the trans. It sounds like the tailshaft housing has either cracked its torque arm mounting holes....or if its aftermarket, it may have the incorrect housing. (my new 4l60 had this happen, luckily hughes sent out the correct one overnight since it was thier mistake) Also, the stock crossmember can look tweaked once its out of the car, I thought mine was bent, but upon lining it back up, it was fine. Best of luck, let us know what you find.

 

I only assumed it was an 82-92 because this is in the 3rd gen section.

 

now i building up a good picture cheers guys

the gearbox doesnt change gear untill it goes quite a way past the 7 on the rev counter {stock one in the dash} there is no numbers past the seven so im presuming this is more than 7000 revs ?

the car was doing 50mph at 7000 revs in first gear and it would not change until i put my foot down further and the rev counter needle went past the 7 then it lunged in to second gear and done roughly the same into third but at a higher speed

unless the rev counter is not working that seems very high revs to change gear unless im reading the rev counter wrong

i will have to get you guys some photos of the underneath once its up in the air to give you more of an idea of whats been done

 

sorry it is an 83 just had a look and there is a cable going to the carb from the gear box but it is disconnected and it doesnt seem to do anything {cable maybe seized }

 

Assuming you have the same type of trans that the car came with, you would have the 700R4. Running it with the TV cable disconnected would explain why it's shifting the way it is. But that cable also controls internal fluid pressure, so you could burn up the trans by having the cable off or out of adjustment. Get a TV cable hooked up and working properly as soon as possible.
Here's how to ID a 700R4: http://www.hotrodders.com/articles/T...ification.html
Here's some helpful info on the TV cable hookup: http://www.transmissioncenter.net/700r4.htm
EDIT: about the tach...do you have an aftermarket or tune-up tach that you can hook up to double check the one in the dash? 3rd gen tachs have been known to lie, sometimes by a lot. I believe it's more with the 90-92 models as opposed to the older ones. My 91 read double of true rpm, and as I researched, I found that a lot of them are way off. Plus, the 305 can't rev anywhere near where you're taking it, unless your engine has been reworked to the eyebrows. Oy Guv'na!

 

hi guys

thanks for all your help so far

its been a few days but we had the camaro up on the ramp today

its revealled a few things

the tv cable is connected and working she is now changing gear at about 2500 revs so thanks for your help with that part

now the torque arm has a clamshell bracket on it but that is bolted to some badly made bracket that is welded to the trans cross member

ive welded it up for now but please see the pics i will upload in a mo it looks like there is a torque arm retaining bracket missing

what do you think photos below

http://aol.photobox.co.uk/album/127340945