Hot Rods 200-4r or 700r4 for my ‘57 Chevy?

Taking out a 60s M20. Motor is a ‘74 350 on front motor mounts. Reading up on both, but I’m at the info saturation point and need to pick a direction.

My immediate choice is a ‘86 200 from a Monte SS at a local yard with about 80k on it for $225 or a re-built to spec 700 at a local trans shop for $650.

Any advice is very much appreciated!


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200 would fit easier in place of a th350

that 200 is low mikes but old. Would need seals and such if I were using it.

I guess it depends on cash and how much gambler you are

 

The muncie is worth enough to buy both automatics

 

Amen!!!!!

 

If you're keeping the front mounts, you will need bellhousing mounts to control engine torque.
There are kits available!

 

Unless there was a health reason, I wouldn’t trade a Muncie for both

the mount issue needs to be looked at if keeping the front mounts.
I have seen a mid plate type set up used in this situation.

 

The engine side mount kit we put in my buddy's 56 Nomad was kind of a pain, but we had the engine out. It was a bolt in, but we welded it anyway. The trans crossmember for the 700 was a weld only.

IIRC the o/d ratios are about the same, but the first gear ratios vary between the 700 and 200. Might look at that in terms of your rear end ratio. The "apparently" 3.5's from behind the power glide work ok with the 700 and the low first gear. Bit of a wide gap to 2nd, but it's a mild 350 with pretty good low end torque.

 

The T-200-4R, hands down winner.

1. It's lighter than the T-700-R4.
2. It's physically smaller.
3. It's better designed on the inside for less parasitic loss, (doesn't rob as much power).
BUT...the best thing...
4. The gear ratios are MUCH better than in the T-700-R4's.

I've had the T-700 in a 67 Chevy II, years past. The BIG...negative, the gear ratios. The one-two shift is...horrible. WAY...too much rpm drop for either good power OR mileage.
I NOW, have three T200-4R's in three different cars. Two are high end rebuilds with internal trans. brakes, and one is a more street oriented normal rebuild.

Sorry boys, the Muncie can't do a 4th gear..!

Mike

 

Thanks all!
I’ve seriously considered keeping the Muncie in spite of a knee problem, but it would need a good once-over as it’s been sitting in the car since for 40+ years. The car hasn’t been on the road since ‘84. Was thinking about the automatic conversion just for cruising in comfort.

Thanks again and keep the info coming!

 

Had a 700 in my 40 but when it failed I replaced it with a 200. I would not go back to a 700.

 

Here's the scientific evaluation that was provided to me on my automatic in my 57

 

I have a Turbo 350 automatic in my '57 with the stock front engine mounts, it was first put in with an added trans crossmember at the end of the tailshaft but that seemed like way too much possibility of side to side twist. I added a pair of those bolt-on bellhousing side mounts, which fit the stock frame really nicely. Didn't crank the side mounts down super tight, I've been told too many mounts are bad for an engine, but there's no possibility of side to side twist this way.

The issue I ran into is that I wanted to retain my original column shifter, so I bought a shifter linkage kit to hook up the Th350 to the column. It worked, but the side trans mounts had to be heavily clearanced and reshaped to clear the linkage. (also the linkage rod had to be reshaped just to line up properly, but for the low price of like $30 it was still a good starting point, and now it works ****er smooth).

I suppose if you're planning some sort of floor shifter that wouldn't matter, but to use a factory column shift, the bolt on side mounts get in the way of the linkage.

If you have to pull the whole engine out anyway, I think I'd add side mounts to the frame and a tailshaft mount on a crossmember.

 

As for the choice of trans, I have heard that there is a 200R trans that's not an overdrive, it's just a 3 speed, so if that's what you have available, I wouldn't bother with it. I've heard they're not very strong but that might be BS, I don't know. I've also been told that if you don't have the throttle valve cable adjusted just right, you can destroy a GM overdrive transmission really quickly. It's not the same as a kickdown cable.

 

There is a TH-200. That is a 3-speed.

What the OP wants is a TH-2004R. That is a 4-speed, with 4th gear being overdrive.

 

Affirmed!

 

I am for whatever keeps a man cruising in a car he loves.

 

I always use the 2004R. Better gear ratios, a lot cheaper 'cause it didn't come in a Vette so isn't as ***y. Always replace the input shaft. Factory splines are always chewed up. Put in a shift kit. Easy to rebuild with new clutches and seals. Use a BowTie Overdrives throttle cable cam and no problems with that. Get a couple governors and play with removing weight to raise shift points. Shop around they can be had surprisingly cheap. I got a couple for $12 each. I trim them as shown below and remove one spring.

Stock on right, higher shift point trimmed on left.






Remove this spring.


Braze a nail stub in the hole for the spring on the weight to keep it from jumping out on a hard shift.

 

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Spee...Engine-Side-Mount-Rear-Motor-Mounts,3278.html
would this help with mounting the trans?

definitely understand the knee issue.

 

You might want to check with the local police because I think its against the law to change a Muncie 4 speed out for an automatic....

Jus sayin'

 

Book'em Danno!

 

200 4R hands down, if I could figure out how to set the cable on my crossram I would have one in my 57 p/u. I owned a certain turbo V6 Buick with the 200 4R and it can handle some abuse, more than that Muncie can, factory rear end gears were 3.42's, those that have never had one just don't know.

 

"Murder one!"

 

I can help you with that.

 

Will respectfully disagree. I had a 57 Bel Air that had the factory 283 in it with front mounts and without side mounts, and I replaced the Turboglide with a TH350. Danchuk sells a crossmember that fits well in the 57 ch***is and will save a ton of work in the install. I ran for thousands of miles without issue with just the two front mounts and the rear crossmember. If it's that much of an issue due to especially high horsepower, I'd put a limiting strap on it to limit side to side motion. It may not be the best way for sure, but it's hard to argue with results.

 

I have several customers who broke both TH350, and TH400 cases doing what you suggest.

None of them had powerful engines.

I am happy that you had good luck, but it may have been just that, luck.

 

Fair enough. But in your experience, what was the point of failure; the twisting action due to the engine torquing to one side or the unsupported span pulling on the flange of the trans case with bumps and vibration? That is ***uming the trans case failure you're referencing occurred at the top of the bellhousing where the trans meets the block.

It has been my understanding based on prior threads and conversation that you MUST run a rear crossmember with the aluminum case Chevy trans, and that cantilevering it out into space like an Olds Hydramatic mounts is unacceptable from only a front and mid-mount. But I've also understood that running 3 mounts (a front mount, rear mounts, and rear trans crossmember) is too much. So what's the answer?

 

In my most joking tone of voice Joe...............
Put a FOMOCOPAR engine in that 57 and you won't need a horsepower limiting strap!
Sorry, my wife has been showing me stupud "F"book s#/t all morning and it must have rubbed off on me.
Carry on!

 

This is what I've read as well, which is kind of conflicting info, and several people told me to pull the engine and add side motor mounts to the frame which I really didn't want to do. That's why I have the original front mounts, an added in trans crossmember at the tailshaft which are supporting the engine and trans, and then the bolt-on bellhousing side mounts which are in place but basically just resting on the biscuits, not torqued down tight. I figure that way the center mounts would prevent engine twist forces and if you went over a m***ive bump, the weight of the engine would never break the trans case because it would have support, without hard-mounting the engine and trans in place at 5 points.

I've only got one year of driving in on the '57, so far so good, but maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe my extra side mounts to prevent twist is overkill and unnecessary, or I'm preventing twist too much (is that a thing?) and it's over-mounted. I really don't know. I don't think added side mounts are even an option for guys running 265's and early 283's.