I have a question for the masses. My dad wants to pull the tranny out of his 57 chevy that has what I believe is a numbers matching 65 corvette motor and FI set up (yr might be wrong). he wants to run a 700R4. I worry about the TV cable. anyone run a 700R4 or 200R behind a SBC with a factory FI set up. He loves FI cars (this is his 3rd) but wants to be able to drive it and the powerglide is not allowing that right now. RPMs are to high.. I know the option is to redo the rearend gears but thought I would check on this option first. not sure how to set up the TV cable, anyone have success with this.
What about using a 4L60E style tranny, might been a better compatibilty thing with the FI setup and computer stuff. Then no TV cable issues from what little I know...
Is it that simple to just toss the cable with that change to the valve body? I am building a 327 with weber carbs, and wanted the linkage as simple as possible. Have read about the TCI conversion, but have not heard feedback on actual use.
With the TCI valve body you still need the tv cable (don't toss it!) but you don't have to worry about fine tuning the adjustment because it doesn't allow too low of pressure, which is how everybody burns up their 700s a month after they installed it. It'll cost you 300 bucks plus putting it in the tranny so you can be sloppy about adjusting the cable...
I've never come across a carb or injection setup that won't run a TV cable. You'll need to fab a bracket of sorts. I hope this helps.
4L60E is a good choice however requires a stand alone ECU from TCI. Done a few 4L80E upgrades same drill, them 'puter trans's need a 'puter. Cable adjustment is not a impossible job, but head must be out of the dark side, if not possible find a tech who knows. Too much engine throttle and trans throttle valve (cable) adjustment lagging behind is the bad thing, low pressue in the trans is result and forward clutch gets torched. Heard so many stories about 700 being shit, used one in my Chevy cube truck with a 520 rat motor that was real strong, didn't even use a extra cooler just ran lines to radiator, many trips @ 26k GVW pulling 26' Pace enclosed full of trans stuff, even over Mt.Eagle once or twice. NEVER a failure, then I went to a 400 w/Gearvendors, trouble, and not with the GV.
That's going to be a pain... But have him call Jim Jackson at Jim's transmissions. He's a Tri-Five Chevy guy... and can do him right. Or... go with a TH350 backed by a Gear Vendors overdrive... that would be a nice set up. Sam
Fourspeedwagon is right....constant pressure valve body keeps cable. Here is a reasonable web page about making a linkage. The chordal length (the length that the cable is pulled) is important....therefore, the radius of the arc and the number of degrees of swing are important http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/700R4p7.html
call lokar about a bracket. I got one from them for the Ramjet in my Willys. Also call Larry's Electric tn Ruma, Ill., 618 282 2852. He has a great set up for controlling the lockup converter. Price was 70 dollars when I did mine. And have somebody who knows what they are doing to adjust the TVI cable.
Putting that TV cable isn't going to be as easy as falling off a log but it won't be that bad. It's some geometry and careful measuring, mixed up with some ingenuity and basic understanding of how and why it works. Two days of research tops, one day gathering, ordering parts, one & 1/2 days in the shop. That's taking your time. Then your pops can enjoy his car, well worth it.
If the geometry (and thus the pull) is correct, there is no reason that the cable has to be on the throttle bellcrank. On a few cars, at the customer request, to preserve a more vintage look, I have made brackets to attack the cable to the throttle pedal arm. This might not work here, but it is worth checking into. Think outside the box.
What gears are in the car? You are going to need to be a little careful with your overall gear ratio in high gear. If you overdrive it too much, you are going to hurt the vacuum signal and that F.I. unit could go pig rich and wash the cylinders. Tim
For a overdrive transmission 3.55 or 3.73 rear gears are best....My guess you 57 has 3.08 or close rear gears...I would just use a 350 turbo.....my 2 cents
I made the linkage for the 700R in my '40 Chevy using Sumners sketches on the Purplesage link. Never any troubles. Charlie
On the topic of the 4L60E, with a computer: It still requires a throttle position sensor, so in other words, a like cable, or a bracket to get THAT onto the bellcrank.
It sounds like the car has 4.11 gears. Change the chunk. Go to something like 3.08 or 3.23. Then the 2 speed might become a detriment and he could swap in a t350. All of this is less work than the 700.
Chopped 51 gave you the geometry diagram you need to follow. I'll add my best trick, use the valve body internal pressure switch to trigger lock up, when the switch sees line pressure from the fourth gear circuit it closes, makes ground and locks up converter. Then, splice a toggle switch on the 12V feed to the trans. Leave it on and trans shifts into fourth and locks up automatically. Switch it off and run in fourth gear. Works great, best of both worlds.Run a good trans cooler with a 700. Anybody with Rochester FI on a car is OK by me, bitchin set up.
Less work than fabricating a cable bracket, and a tab for the throttle bellcrank? You can't be serious.
HELLO !!! First he has to acquire a good 700 with TC and then install it which means moving the crossmember iirc and shorten the driveshaft plus do something with the shift linkage and the speedo drive. Then all he has to do is what you mentioned. Yes, changing the chunk is easier than all that. Then if the 2sp is holding the car back a t350 bolts directly in place of the powerglide although he will still need a kickdown cable set up.
Agreed, we have run a lokar tv cable double nutted through the firewall and attached the the thottle linkage. What you need is an inch and an eighth to inch and a quarter total cable travel from idle to wide open throttle, and at wide open throttle the tv cable should be as tight as it can possibly be. If you have these two parameters you are good to go.
Turbo 350 won't help with drivability. Sounds like the gearing may be ok with overdrive. Keep points are rpm too high with 1:1 and boones wants info or first hand knowledge of retro fitting a TV cable.
The TH350 is not a direct bolt in for the Powerglide in this car. The TH350 will have the same shift linkage issues to solve as the 700R4. If it is a factory-style cast Iron Powerglide, it does NOT currently have a crossmember under the tail shaft, at all, so he would have to put one in for a TH350, a 200R4 or a 700R4, or any other more modern transmission. The tri-5 Chevy V8 cars have their engine and transmission assembly supported by two mounts on the front of the engine, and two mounts on each side of the bellhousing. There is no transmission crossmember to move. There is no TH350 with bellhousing side-mounts. 700R4's are a dime-a-dozen. I buy them for $100-$300, all of the time. He does not need to shorten his driveshaft. He has to take it to someone else to shorten it. 700R4's can be had with cable speedometer drives, ones without can easily and inexpensively be retrofit. Let's keep this to the OP's topic at-hand.
I run a 700R4 . I think people make too big of a deal about the TV cable. Read the setup procedure for the cable and you'll find it is simple. On the FI I would go to Bowtie Overdrives and see what they offer for a throttle quadrant to ensure correct idle to full throttle positioning of the cable. Good luck.
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