whats going on everybody. well.... im building my 64 chevy impala kustom and im wondering what overdrive trans options i have. im planing on making it my 75% daily driver so im looking in to saving some gas, since i have to drive on the freeway to get to work. right now im running a powerglide trans with the stock rear end. i dont want to spend a bunch on a trans aswell. and im trying not to change out my rear gears aswell. Any ideas??? is there a "slave" type add on trans that goes behind the trans i can add??? or something like that... or should i try to rip out a trans out of the junk yard, and if so what car/truck do i take it out of Thanks for helping my dumbass out..
Yep, Go with a muncie wide ratio 4 spd and a 3.08 rear gear. First gear will still be good for about 55 mph, and fourth will feel like an overdrive. This yielded 18-20mpg w/a 360ci SBC.
I say go with a 700R4 you get four gears and it bolts right up if i remeber right you have to modify the tranny crossmember and shorten the driveshaft. can find them in pretty much anything from a caprice to firebirds to station wagons.
Or ,if you can find one, use the Borg Warner 3 speed/O.D. combo that was offered in '64. Of course you have to change everything over to stick. The "add ons" that you'd like tend to be very pricey.
If you want to keep it a slush box, go 200-4R. Buick grand nationals came with 'em, so you know they're not slouches. Better OD ratio than the 700. But it is the same length as the PG, meaning you can keep your driveshaft. You will have to make or modify the crossmember. and you will need to nab a new slip yoke. Plus they still litter the junkyard. Look in any G-body with a V8. Most housings are dual boilt pattern, Chevy and B.O.P. but check to make sure before picking up a core. Good luck bud, Joe
As chevy400 said, check out gear venders, especially if the glide is still good, and if you got the moola. Cool thing is it can be transferred to your next car pretty easily.
That leaves out the Gear Vendors. They're $2K +, aren't they? And it rules out switching the gears and everything else to make it a manual, and THEN spending the $$$ for a Muncie. You're best bets are a 200-4r or a 700r4. Either can be found cheap if you look and take your time. I just bought a recently rebuilt 700r4 and a rebuilt Holley 750 for $150 off Craigslist. Just need a converter. We are putting it in my wifes '58 for the same reasons you listed. I agree that the 200-4r would be ideal. The overdrive is a little better ratio.
the 200r4 is your deal, cheap , avail and strong.leave your rear gear alone till you drive it . I bet you never want to change it.
As mentioned, either of the R4s are good choices. If you are running a non-computer engine you will have to buy a wiring kit to be able to lock up the converter.
Thanks for all the replys. yeah, im guessing finding an old 2004r or a 700r4 would be the best bet. i need to look around and see if i can find one. you guys know what cars these come out of?? or an easy way to identify them??? i may take a look at my local Pick-a-Part Junk yard and see what i can come up with. Thanks Again
Stay away from the 700R4s from earlier than 1987-88 They don't have the 2 piece valve bodies, the later ones have a secondary valve body towards the rear, also they went from a 7 vane pump to a 10 vane. In 1991 (?) they went electronic. They're getting hard to find around me, so the prices go up. I don't have a pic to show you the innards, maybe someone can help here with that?
I have the 200r4 in my chevy with a 350 and it runs on the highway about 2200rpms at 70mph. I have 4.10 gears in the back and 26" tall tires, sometimes around town Ill put it into D insted of OD cause it shifts at too low of an rpm. I would think about getting some bigger gears in the rear end so it wont feel like its lugging all the time, but overall I think you'll like it.
I snagged a 2004r from a s-10 4.3. I read a mag a while back they talked about it. The bell housing is the same size as the 350 turbo. As well as the length. S-10's are every were.
Chevy offered a four speed manual trans where third was 1:1 and fourth was .70 overdrive in mid 80's pickups. It's a new process trans a LOT like a Mopar A833 O/D. Not positive but I think the designation was NP-440.
I have a 700R4 from a '93 Roadmaster in my '54 truck. There are a few things to keep in mind: 1. You're going to need to connect a TV cable to control the transmission. I used one from BowtieOverdrives.com. While pricey, they offer a quality part and even better tech support. One of thier techs talked me through the whole process while I was setting it up. 2. You're going to need a wiring kit for the converter lock-up. Cheap and easy. Bowtie Overdrives offers a kit for this too. 3. Try to get the stock torque converter when you get your trans. They're a little more expensive than your usual TH350 converter. 4. 700R4 is 3" longer than a TH350/Powerglide. Your driveshaft will need to be shortened ($180 for mine with a new yoke & u-joints). 5. Between all these costs, I had about $400 into the swap beyond the cost of transmission. Hope this helps, Ed
soo much info for me.. Thanks. im guessing if i spend a few bucks now id drive my car alot more when im done since i wont feel like im going to the gas station eveyday. i got to print out this thread.
my '87 caprice came with a 200-4r but one day reverse decided to not work anymore. i got another 200-4r from a junkyard for 200 dollars. idk whats been said already cause im too lazy to read. the 200-4r is the same as a th350, just with an overdrive gear added. it will fit any gm smallblock. most junkyards i've been to have heaps of old transmissions to choose from. the shape of the pan is the easiest way to identify. 200-4r's angle inward at the back of the pan, and the front 3 sides are squared. i know they were available on all GM B-Bodies throughout the 1980's (caprice, impala, delta 88, lesabre, parisienne). the biggest pain about the 200-4r is that the tailpiece is not removable, making it quite a bit more difficult to get to the speedo gear (you have to go through the pan), which you'll most likely need to change.
Cool, I want one of these 4 speeds for my chevy truck, Here's some more info I found on these NP/440 tranny's I guess it is basically the same as an A833 reconfigured for overdrive. http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2005/03/01/hmn_feature17.html "Adapter housings are available that will allow you to use the A-833 in any 1955 to 1998 small-block Chevy, 1984 to 1998 V-6 rear-wheel drive, or 1955 to 1975 straight-six. You can also adapt this transmission to fit 1964 to 1993 small-block Fords, or the 1958 to 1971 FE blocks. Engine adapters are also available for automatic-equipped Mopars and for the early 1954 to 1959 Hemi and poly engines as well" "A-833 specialists Passon Performance" Dan
I have a Turbo 350 that is starting to slip. It already has a Genie Shifter bolted on top and I dont have any of the install kit. I want to switch over to the 700R4. Do the shifters mount up the same, or will I need to buy an adapter kit? Or do they just bolt up so differently that Im screwed on this shifter?
I'm running a Mopar A833 O/D behind my Hemi and I like it a lot. Nearly identical gear ratios as the 700r4.
I believe the 64 Impala with Powerglide came with 3.36 rear gears. A 200-4R is the same length (no driveshaft shortening required) but would require relocation of the trans mount, and installation of a good throttle body control kit (this cant be overemphasized - Bowtie Overdrives has all the right parts - go to their website and read it thoroughly). The gear spacing is better than the 700-R4 which has a steep (3.08) first gear and the 200-4R's overdrive ratio of 33% tops any other OD option. Art Carr swears you will pick up 6 mpg with a 200-4R and drop your cruising RPM about 1000. If you get a boneyard trans the best year is 89 - all the problems had been worked out at Chevy by then. Don't let the trans get turned on its side so any debris in the pan wont get up into the trans. Drop the pan, check for debris and burned fluid. If nothing leaps out at you like chunks of brass from busted bushings (like mine did) or stinky fluid from worn out clutches, replace the filter, gasket and fluid. My buddy's went in without needing a rebuild like mine. He also opted for the override torque converter lockup switch he wired under the dash panel.
S10's with a 4.3 have TH700-4R's. I would use a TH200-4R and get it rebuilt. Make sure you get your TV cable setup correctly!
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