Shifty business! (The Good Kind)

I found a transmission at M&R! I let Max know that he didn't need to rush on pulling the transmission for me as I had the shop full up with vehicles in for service, which actually worked out well for both of us because he had work lined up also. A few days later I get the call from Max, "The transmission is out and ready for ya bud". It just so happened to be a rainy, sloppy, muddy day, off to M&R I sped to pay for and collect our possible "saving grace" of a transmission. Nothing was going to slow me down now.

I arrived at M&R and pulled in by their shop, hoping that they had hauled the transmission up front and all I had to do was drop my tailgate and load it up. Nope... Nathan led me out and down the muddy aisle to as close to the donor vehicle as I could get. I backed up  next to a few junkers so I was even closer and almost got stuck... Nathan and I grabbed the transmission and managed to get it loaded up without either of us slipping or tripping in the muddy mess.

I promptly paid the man and shut the tailgate. My first mistake.... I was so excited to have the transmission, I completely forgot to stick the dipstick tube back in the transmission, second mistake was that I didn't secure the transmission so it wouldn't slide around, third and final mistake, I also didn't secure the torque converter in the bell-housing so it wouldn't slip off of the input shaft. I'll drive slowly. It'll be fine... One person in front of me deciding to turn at the last moment later and "shooop-bang!" The transmission slides the length of my pickup box slams into the front of the bed, shooting off the torque converter and spilling about 3 quarts of fluid all over the bed of my truck and everything else I happen to have back there. It's a truck, though, no harm done in treating it like a truck, just as long as our transmission is fine. A quick check and we're all good!

Back at the shop, I unload and start swapping over the torque converter from our old transmission so we're guaranteed bolt up and fitment with our 5.4 flywheel. Repeat the steps from blog #8 and the new transmission is in. Pull the pan to service, and lo and behold! The insides are like new! Now I'm really getting excited! New filter, bolt the pan back on and fill with new fluid; time to fire it up and check the level. Fluid level is good now to check for gears. Reverse? We have reverse! Neutral is where it's supposed to be, no surprise there. Now all the way down into first.... Instant engagement!!! Second, nice firm shift! The rest of the gears all the same! I'm vibrating with excitement  this time! I jack it up, rip the jack-stands out from under the van, back on the ground and out the door! Test drive time!!!

I'll just let the video speak for itself.