i am putting a th350 in my cutlass with a 455. i just want a fun, reliable driver. i am looking for input on brands like summit, tci, tsi, hughes, etc. i cannot find any legitimate reviews. to my knowledge, there are no trans. builders in my area that do any more than stock rebuilds and require a core. 2 local shops told me flat out that they were not even interested in doing a stock rebuild (too old). i would really like some input on summit's transmissions. summit, and tci both claim to handle well over 450hp. is this true? if it is, it is plenty for my needs.

 

I'm surprised to hear that. I would keep calling around and let the go to he^^. Most shops can do a TH350 in a day or two and can give you a pretty accurate quote over the phone.

 

I have a mild build 455 with almost 500hp and a th 350 build from rossracingengines.com with a custom made 2500-2800 converter and it cost me under 1000us incl.converter and no core.(as you can see i live in sweden) Really nice firm shifts and it feels like i can burn rubber all day long Talk with Tony i think he can hook you up.

 

What kind of shop would turn away easy money like that cause its "too old?!" I walked my 10 year old stepdaughter thru building one, they are one of the easiest trans to build. Drop the pan, if you don't see a bunch of debris in the pan put a shift kit in (I prefer the B&M Transpak, the Transgo is basically the same, just a little more throttle sensitive to the shift firmness) include a magnet in the pan to catch any extra junk floating around and enjoy.

 

i don't have a core to rebuild. one of the shops told me i was wasting money trying to use a th350 with a 455. they said i would just "make junk". i live close enough to drive to summit (akron). the TCI units have information available. Summit's units are cheaper and i was wondering how much "cheaper". of course summit is gonna try to sell their units so their info is probably a little biased.

 

I have heard great things about Monster transmissions. My buddy bought one and raves about it. $875 for 400hp, $1149 for 550hp.

http://monstertrans.com/store/

 

i was looking at monster as well. i has been looking to buy a Transmission Specialties th350 rated for 600hp. i watched it for 6 months and was hesitant to pull the trigger on an unfamiliar product. then last week, i saw the price jump 300$. i dont need nor do i have 600hp. anyway. consequently, i am looking again. i'd like to stay under $1000.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-700301/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TCI-311100/

 

I would keep calling around if I were u....I called some shops when I was looking and it was tough to find someone who had a core to rebuild for me (cuz I had a powerglide). Found a guy who had 2 BOP th350's waiting to be rebuilt. He did a stage 1 transgo rebuild, gave it a new pan, and a 2500 converter for $700usd. Took him about a week. Shifts perfectly, lay's down second all day long, I'm only pushing about 375hp, though.

 

Why not just get a TH400 core and upgrade it yourself ??
Then you can throw a gear vendors unit on there for OD and it's bulletproof.

They have rebuild video's and you just need to dual feed the clutches and do minor other updates.
It's seriously something you can do on your own and save some coin.

Some tips from Jakeshoe
http://www.jakesperformance.com/TH400_Rebuild_Tech.html

 

I have personally repaired a TCI TH350, they are basically stock transmissions with a machined direct piston (5 clutches instead of 4) dual feed 3rd gear (done with omitting a seal in the drum instead of the transfer plate that the shift kits include) and typical valve body upgrades. I don't think the Streetfighter series included the hardened sprag race. This was about 10 yrs ago so maybe they have changed their build process. If the Summit trans is built the same way you will be fine. The TH350 is a durable trans. I built one for friend with used parts and the common valve body upgrades, his car runs low 12, mid 11s on the bottle

 

that's the thing, if i knew enough about A/T to rebuild one, i would be much better at picking one off the shelf. i dont have the right tools/shop nor do i have any anybody to consult if i run into problems. i have lots of help in the engine department. i have 20 years of experience with air-cooled VWs (all with manual transmissions). detroit iron is a completely different machine. As for the th400, i don't want to cut my driveshaft. the local shops are useless. from what i found, the summit unit has no provision for a kick down. i think i am going with the TCI streetfighter. thank you all for your input. this site is a wealth of info.

 

Also, keep in mind, it takes less horsepower to turn that TH350 than it does a 400.

 

i called summit back yesterday and got a different person on the phone. he told me the Summit unit does not have provisions for a kickdown cable but WILL kick down automatically. the info i received the day before was conflicting.

 

I know quite a few performance transmission builders that frequent various GM forums.
This isn't one of them unfortunately because it's still too small.

But I can pass this along if you would like to possibly try it yourself.
I'm building a 200-4R with the assistance of a rebuild DVD and performance manual from CK performance.

Now that I've ripped one apart, putting it back together isn't really that hard.
It's just the performance upgrades that you need help with. I have a book to help me
troubleshoot any issues if they arise after the build is complete too. God help me. LOL
On a TH400, it's already much stronger so there's not many.

As for specialty tools, all you need is snap ring pliers, a torque wrench set, and some lock ring pliers.
So far that's all I've needed. Most of the specialty tools you can get by without using some ingenuity.
Check out my homemade rebuild stand. I got lucky, my homemade car stands worked PERFECTLY for this.
That block in the bottom is to push the yoke up to meet the parking pawl dead on for the start of the build.
I couldn't have gotten much luckier then that. LOL
TransMountforRebuild640x480.jpg