727 Transmission forward clutch play/pressure plate ?

Hi all ,
Going through my footbrake transmission and noticed a fair bit of play in the forward clutch drum / input shaft . A bit of google shows it as common , also A&A do a thicker piston to reduce this . Is this a big issue to worry about ?
Also when i pulled it i found the pressure plate broken in 3 in the this clutch pack . Is this common ?
Transmission has been in solid use for 13 of the last 15 years street/strip . In fact was driving home , 600 miles each way , from a drag meeting when trans sheared the oil pump lugs . So for sure its provided great service . And will get new Alto red clutches/Kolenes etc .

Tex

Are you talking where the input shaft is pressed into the clutch hub?
Doug

Doug ,
when you take clutches from that drum and leave piston and bell spring in . Holding shaft the whole drum can lift . Gap between beel spring and piston is 0.113". It does use the newer style spring .
see per this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJsRtPhlwoA

This trans has done a lot of years , a couple thousand passes or more and even more street miles .

Tex

Mine was the same back and forth motion, replaced the bell spring and it was tight. They must lose tension over time. I checked it against the one I put in and it was shorter.
When I got the van the trans was bad, got so hot it welded the front plates and sheared the splines off hub, replaced hub-input it used the spring second time out is when I noticed it. I sure the heat got it

There is supposed to be a spacer ring under the wave snap ring. A lot of the 727's this ring was plastic, when the clutch burns up so does the spacer, the older ones had a metal spacer. Part 853 on the exploded view
https://transpartsonline.com/image/Diagram/pic727.jpg

ok . thanks guys .
Yes the spacer is metal and still there . New bell spring will be added to list


Tex

There are different height factory pistons. At least one for the old style spring, at least one for the new. There has been some oddball pistons as well. Mix and match and you can get play. I've never seen one that was that sloppy with the correct parts. As for the spacer rings. If you melt the plastic spacer the clutch has been burned up anyway. The metal style cracks at the weld once in a while. Set the clutch clearance correctly (.025-.030") . Then the only way the spring can flip is if the clutch burned up. This clutch is applied initially only when being shifted into 1st gear at rest. The accumulator can soften that hit. The only issue I've ever had with mine is the teeth wearing on the clutch carrier which in my case is aluminum. A little machining and a spacer easily repaired that issue for good. In fact we use stock steels and clutches in that clutch. Unless there is a underlying issue, they go forever.
Doug

Some info on different years.

440Jim .
thanks for the pic . I have the late spring , 71/72 date trans . Will measure piston .
Doug
the clutches are definately worn out . Look like stock type .

Just checked piston , it is 0.780 so new correct to suit piston will be on list too

Oh this was a B&M trans i bought in 2007 to replace cracked case trans in car after i imported it . Have upgraded valve body to Griner and front band to hard band .

Tex