Was curious to know if shift kits really hurt the life of an auto trans,and if they do what would be the likely effected parts.I have one in my professionally rebuilt TH350 but found a lot of silver colored metal in the pan upon changing the fluid and filter at about 2500 miles. The trans works perfect. Converter was new also at time of installation. Could this be normal wearing in? o No:
shift kit Shift kits are good for a transmission. They reduce clutch (clutches) slippage therefore reducing heat build-up and clutch wear. The only reason the factory didn't install them is because the buyer liked that smooth glide from gear to gear. If you have shaving in your transmission pan put a magnet to one and see if it picks it up. If not its aluminum, and thats a sign of future converter failure. Converters have alot of aluminum parts in them while the transmission (although the case is aluminum) have mostly steel and fiber type material in them. I have raced my race car with no problems (transmission) and them pulled the pan to change fluid/filter at the end of the season and found aluminum shavings (a sign the converter is coming apart) but never knew it till then. Hope this helps.
