I have a 1967 olds cutlass with a newer 350. I lost 2nd gear in my 200 4r transmission the rear end gear is in the mid 200 range. A good friend said those tall gears are hard on the transmission because of the torque it takes to get the heavy car moviing, is this true, i was under the impression low gears would be harden on trans, opions appreciated.

 

Is your 200 a performance built transmission or a stock tranny?

Steve

 

stock but i do not the the history, kind of a package deal.

 

From what i understand the 200 can be a good tranny if built correctly. There are different 200's. Some are pretty strong from the factory but even then wont stand up to much power. Most came in mid size cars. As far as your rear gear ratio I dont know how much that would affect it, maybe someone else here can chime in on that. Im about to pull the plug and buy a very well build 200 from CK Performance. His have alot of in house made billit parts, he is supposedly the best, but the total package from him is about 3000. Tranny, convertor, and hook up package.
Regardless sounds like you need trans work. Shop around see if theres anyone in your area that understands these trannys and knows how to build them. CK Performance also sells parts, as in his billit parts.

 

First, GM built a lot of G-body cars with 2.14:1 gears and 200-4R transmissions, so your friend is incorrect. Besides, the highest stress would be in first gear, just getting the car moving.

The 200-4R in stock form is marginal at best. Get one built properly. Of course, the whole point of the OD is to let you run a higher numerical rear for better acceleration without excessive highway RPMs.

 

thank you for replies. I guess my friend had a point that it took a lot of torque to get the car moving with a low numerical gear and with the amount of power i was playing around with took the torque from first gear and surpassed the amount the old trans was willing to take. I still plan on replacing my 242 gear ratio for a 355 unit and having the 2004r rebuilt with better than stock parts that should do untill my goal of finishing my 455 f block finally can be completed thanks for your support.