Shift 727 into neutral or leave in third after 1/4 mile pass

Any harm to clicking it to neutral?

My valve body is a Cheetah manual fwd. pattern with LBA.

I leave mine in third but thats because it is a reverse manual valve body and I would have to push the shifter back through second and first which I wont do. It should be no problem with yours. I know when I raced my 4-speed years years ago the first thing I did after passing the finish line was push in the clutch and put it in neutral. Ron

Leave it in gear The Chebby guys will tell you to ALWAYS put into nuetral after you let off at the end of the race, which is a bunch of hooey

Division 6 race at Seattle, I watched eliminations from the finish line, only about a dozen drivers left it in gear after the finish. Whatever that means to you.

Some valve body builders say you can, some say you can't. Don't know the answer on the particular piece. I would call Turbo Action and ask them. A reverse valve body with a clean neutral and a PPP shifter allows what you are looking for. I've always favored getting the trans into neutral if it can be done safely.

Care to explain why?

I try not to post unless I have first hand knowledge but, I "believe" the valve bodies marketed as "clean neutral" Leave the front "direct drum" clutch applied when clicked in to neutral. Since the direct clutches are splined to the input shaft, there is no chance of over spinning the front drum as long as engine is running. Standard NON clean neutral valve bodies release both front "direct" and rear "forward" clutch packs in neutral which can leave front drum exposed to over spinning and possible "boom" we hear about from time to time. I run an A&A RMVB with a brake "NON-clean-N" so have no choice

Most guys that run alum rods go to neutral to
save life on the rods... if you want its no
problem... I used the engine to slow mine down
until the conv disengages.. but I had a reverse
pattern

If I am in the lane next to you, please don't.

We have a super long uphill shutdown here. I roll off the throttle and leave it in gear. Willwood wants good money for brake pads so I use the entire shutdown lol.

I agree with SportF, how many top end accidents are caused by messing up the shift to neutral?

I always use the second turnoff and apply and release the brakes a couple of times (comes from running drum brakes and preventing fade!) I try to be easy on equipment and engine braking does help me slow down.

I have reverse lockout as well so their is no chance of "Messing up the shift to neutral."

I NEED engine braking to slow my sled down!

leave it in 3rd. No reason to go to N...

At least with a TH400 you have to have a clean neutral VB or you risk over revving and exploding the direct drum I believe.

I leave mine in 3rd.
Years ago I saw a car come back in parts because the driver found reverse after the lights.

Many different reasons for my preferences, one is sticking the shifter into reverse at 117 MPH ONCE in a 1968 Hemi GTX Another is LBA reverse maual V.B.
The rod to stroke ratio on Chebbys compared to Mopars and several other reason
Saving The older aluminum rods by reducing the RPM at the end of the run was the main reasons most drag racers like to push the clutch in or stick it into nuetral I've never owned or race a aluminum rod motor Maybe some day

Going from 4th (or 5th) in a stick car is a different animal than tossing it in -N- in an auto. Let it help you slow down (unless it "free wheels")

Huh, some interesting comments and thoughts, but few of them based on fact. First, the reason some valve bodies have a "clean" neutral is because they are reverse pattern. So to be able to neutral the car and not go back through the gears, the "clean" spot is added. Has nothing to do with other things applied for drum speeds of whatever.

You find reverse in the lights?.........why don't you have a shifter with a reverse lockout.

You need engine braking to stop at your track........use that pack thing you have mounted on the deck lid.

Engine braking is uneeded wear and tear on the motor. You'd rather do that as buy brake pads, that's fine.

If possible in the car I am driving, it gets put in neutral and the motor killed at the stripe on every pass. Coast to a stop, gather the chute if used, take my gear off. Then fire motor and drive back, or wait for tow vehicle depending on type car

None of the Stockers or bracket cars I had or drove needed chutes to stop As far as that stocker it had the stock console floor shifter with a manual reverse valve body(no clean nuetral valve bodys invented back then ) I shifted it back into 2nd once the motor started to rev up and started to bounce the rear tires so I pulled it back into 2nd gear and then put it back into 3rd gear, I never did that again in that car Marv Ripes put a LBA manual reverse valve body in my old stocker 1963 M.W. push button tranny, I didn't know he had done that and it would try to grab 1st gear when putting the car into nuetral at the end of the runs I was at the March meet when that happened the first time and managed to call his shop and ask what the heck was going on, they explain the new reverse LBA V.B.theory and said to not do that I stop doing that and have ever since

some of us don't have cars anywhere near fast enough for a chute...lol

Or to take a spark plug reading.

My car probably should have had a chute on it even before it went fast enough to require one, lol.

If your car is fast enough that you NEED engine braking to stop on the track where you run. You either need better brakes or a chute............it's that simple

Good observation. If you don't have the ability to neutral the trans and kill the motor at the stripe, there is no need for you to ever screw a plug out and read it. Because after you stop the car with engine braking, the plug reading means zilch, nada, nothing. Waste of time to even look.

I considered that. Need to get a friend to pull me back to the pits as no way the mini trail will pull the car. LOL!

Carry a extra plug and switch one on the return road.

Doesn't matter about the extra plug unless you neutral the car and kill the motor. Leave it running on deccel and in gear, the plug read is junk

Trans lubing under those circumstances?

It is the same as carving up a block for oiling mods--no real gain and a great chance to screw something up pretty big time--727's do NOT lend themselves to neutral in the lights without some real risk and...the gain is just very small if any for average guy--plug readings? Oh boy...bracket racers jet very different than best HP dyno deals--you jet by a totally different set of standards than you get by reading a darn plug--you read your TIME SLIPS and weather station--it must be lean enough that she don't have enough fuel to take advantage of better air so your ET remains more consistent--plug readings are no help here oiling mods ruin MORE BLOCKS than they save--
The racer that waxes your behind on bracket night knows all of this, runs same plugs a year or two without ever taking them out and does not give two hoots about a neutral in the lights--it is usually more of a lock the wheels in the lights from my observations

Even before I had a roller equipped trans they looked just fine when inspecting. In Vegas we coast the downhill return road most the way engine off.

Clean N from Pro Trans for me....

Until there were clean neutral shifters/valve bodies for 727s, A&A said a big NO to neutraling the trans at the lights for the exact reason Monte stated.

I was told by a guy at Coan if you run A Glide you should shove it in neutral at the stripe, he said the converter will live longer. He said when decelling in gear the pump wants to suck the stator out of the converter. I cannot confirm or deny as I have yet to run a Glide, however when I do start running one I will put it in neutral because it will be less wear and tear on the aluminum rod motor.