Picked up a Th200 (not a 200r4) thinking originally that it was a Th350 trans. I know this is essentially a weaker version of the 350 transmission. This will be going behind a 283 with an edelbrock 500 carb. 2 questions- This has a TV cable not a kickdown cable correct? Will a shift kit from a th350 work in this trans? (I have one on the shelf already) Thanks guys!
Turbo 350 shift kit will not work. 200 is as much like a 350 as a 350 is to a 400.... Case length is essentially the same.... But there are 3 different case lengths of 350's. So no.... Not the same. 200's came out behind the 3.8 turbo motor in the Buick GN so they can handle your 283..... If it is built right. IIRC the GN trans had more clutch plates and better planets than the normal 200. Sent from my LG-H343 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Is it a TH250? That is just like a TH350, but missing the intermediate clutch and has a band instead. The TH200 has a one piece case, there is no bolt on extension housing. The TH250 and TH350 have an extension housing (tail housing) that is held on with 4 bolts The TH200 is a rather light duty transmission, GM had trouble with them when they put them in cars with little V8 engines, in the 70s. They work good behind a 4 cylinder engine. It does indeed use a TV cable, there is no vacuum modulator. I think you'll find that the transmission in the GN was a 200-4R, not a TH200.
Nothing inside is like TH350, so you can't use a 350 shift kit. If you like playing with transmissions, it could be fun...but good luck finding parts!
I wouldn't mind putting it in the car and running it until something else comes along. As long as the measurements are the same, I think i'll throw it in as is and see if it'll move under it's own power.
Good luck! I have a b&m shift kit for it if interested. Let me know. Sent from my ASUS PadFone X mini using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yeah it's complete. was supposedly saved from a running driving car and has just been sitting under a bench since
Last one I worked on was an OT V6 engine swap I did over 30 years ago. I seem to recall the TV cable setup and adjustment was rather tricky, but that was the only real issue I had with it. I did overhaul the transmission before trying to use it.
The T-200 can be rebuilt to handle over 1000hp. A friend of mine (Scott McClay Engineering) does them all the time. He has one behind an 1100hp Super Stock Hemi that runs in the NHRA. Mike
I think the OP is looking to spend zero money on this....a quick look at your friend's web page shows Prices starting at $2000 but it is good to know you can still get parts for them.
Exactly. This trans is in the running since it's sitting on my garage floor. If the consensus is that with the addition of a possible shift kit, that it'll live behind a mild 283, I'll give it a shot.
I treat all used automatic transmissions as cores...that is, I assume they all need to be rebuilt. But if you aren't into rebuilding them yourself, then you would probably be better off giving it a try, get the car going, and save up for something better for when it quits working.
That's the plan. I just don't feel that this trans being both a factory oddball and weak in new form is going to be worth a low level rebuild. I'll toss it in and if it drags the car around for a summer or so great. In the meantime I'll pick up and rebuild either a 350 or 200r4 for it's replacement
I never worked on them but was a Pontiac/GMC service manager in the early '60's when they were used. I do remember them as not being GM's finest hour product. The Trans certainly kept my trans man busy though. Two problems come to mind, they seemed to have a habit of losing the speedometer drive gear which caused the complete transmissions to be torn apart since the tail shaft was part of the main case. The second one was when they machined the bellhousing flange slightly at an angle which caused side load on the flex plate and cracked them. I remember that we found that on 4 cylinder applications for a short time. And the real prize mistake GM made was to put them behind that miserable 350 diesel. The torque of the diesel would tear them apart like shredded wheat. So, although I never got my hands inside one, I would opt for a better trans if I needed one. A properly built TH 350 will deliver many years of good service with normal maintenance. If it were me, free or not, I would pass. But, lifted at the right angle and dropped, they will smash large amounts of walnut shells all day!
might have meant 70s or 80s. In the 80s it was big business at trans shops to replace them with 350s.
The TH200 is a "metric" trans and it usually says "metric" right on the bottom of the pan. The TH250 has the band adjustment screw/bolt by the cooling line ports, and the one piece case/extension housing as "giveaways" to them not being a TH350.. It's true the Stock and Super Stock racers are using the TH200, due to their lighter overall weight and the internal rotational weight, but it takes a lot of $$$ to make them last. The TH250 is basically a throw away trans swapped out for a TH350 when they go out. If you want to use one behind a small CID engine, without a lot of power/torque, you should be fine. A lot of TH250's get passed off as TH350's, so you have to know what to look for in order not to get burned. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Okay so I have big fingers and a small keyword on my tablet. It was 1980 thru 1982 at the Pontiac dealership and then I was able to go back home to a Ford dealer. But those 3 years certainly opened my eyes to how GM corporate screws dealers and customers. People used to think I made up the stuff I saw and dealt with until a book entitled "Comeback, The fall and rise of the American automobile industry". A great read if still in print. And whether it be 1842 or 2016, I still feel the same about TH 200 trans. Squirrel has the right attitude about transmissions, buy all transmissions as cores unless you are completely sure of it's history.
If I were to get a shift kit I would go with the Trans Go brand there is a lot of good info in these kits and are designed to fix there short coming.
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