dre

I currently have a TH350 w/a dual gate shifter in my car. My motor is a 455 bored out at 30 over. I am wanting to drop a new transmission in it this fall. Should I go with the TH400 or 700 R? And what are the most reputable companies?

heatmup

Extreme Automatics 2004R. Go to the website and look around at Lonnie's packages.

dre

What do you like about the 200R? I spoke to a representative at Summit Racing and they suggested I should go with the 700R.

heatmup

Better first gear ratio so the drop to second isn't so far. Bolts right up to an Oldsmobile with no adaptor. You can use your driveshaft too. They can be made really stout with good support thanks to the Buick GN boys.

Summit rep? Really.........., don't do that.

RetroRanger

The 200r w a BOP bell housing bolts in place of a th350 w no adapters the 700 would require an adapter (no BOP bellhousing] IDK If the 700 would require a tunnel massage to fit as well.

either way your looking at a good chunk of change maybe $3k to get it done.

the th350 can be rebuilt to better take the torque and hp of the 455, and uses less hp than the th400 or 700

what are your goals? Better acceleration? Better mileage? Lower hiway rpm?

dre

Would like lower highway rpm and better acceleration.

dre

Also, Its the same transmission from when I purchased the car. I don't know if anything has been done to it or not. Motor is brand new and has zero miles on it. Really would like to cruise on the highway and have good acceleration. Not really looking to street race or anything.

heatmup

2004r is your best bet. Extreme Automatics has all the goodies you will need. When I do mine I'm gonna wire my lock-up to the bright light switch for simplicity and control.

BangScreech4-4-2

So you only get OD when the high-beams are on?

heatmup

Convertor lock-up has to be controlled in some way. I never use the high beams, hardly ever drive the car in the dark so the less invasive approach the better . Disconnect the high beam, reuse the switch.

And you can get into fourth gear without locking the convertor. Lock-up gets you a few hundred more rpm drop on the highway.

olds 307 and 403

Either 4L80E, very strong, requires many modifications to the car and a shift controller. The 2004R with parts from either EA, not sure why their billet forward drum, which is absolutely necessary, needs modification to install plus you have to ship them your old one first. CK Performance doesn't have it separate but offer this kit.https://www.ckperformance.com/View/S...D-BILLET-SERVO Along with their pump will be a deep pan away from a plenty strong enough transmission. You can buy complete transmissions from both as well.

rocketraider

I like the 200-4R for the gear spread and overdrive, but there are other things to consider.

1st is that Dual/Gate. Does anyone know if it can be adapted to the OD shift pattern?

2nd is your rear gearing. Not sure what your car is but a lot of 70s Oldsmobiles of all stripes had airplane gears- 3.08 or taller. Tall gears with OD and anything other than factory height tires might make highway acceleration slower than you'd like.

As pointed out, a T350 can easily be built to take a rowdy 455, works with the D/G and tall gears, and may be your best choice.

A 700 is best left to Chevrolets. Stock form it was a junky transmission and time you build one to live behind a 455 plus go thru all the engineering to install it, you've got a pile of money in a transmission you probably won't like.

Summit parts monkeys think Chevrolet parts are the solution to all GM A-bodies.

pettrix

2004R with lockup converter (controlled by a toggle switch) is your best option.

Stay away from the 700R4 trans.

matt69olds

My thoughts exactly.

In stock form, the 700 is a stronger trans than the 2004R. However, the 200 has far greater capacity than a 700 when modified. The problem with the700 is the input shaft that’s pressed into the aluminum input housing, that will always be the weak link. The 200 has carriers and gearsets that are easily upgraded, but at significant expense.



Occasionally, I get calls from people wanting to use a 700 behind a really stout engine, this is my usual reply!


You can throw every high dollar aftermarket part in either the 2004R, or 700 trans, it still going to be weaker than a good used junkyard 4L80 with a shift kit. If overdrive is a necessity with big power (700hp plus), just bite the bullet and go 4L80.

Pretty sure shift works offers conversions for the dual gate.

Firewalker

It also depends on driving style. If normal driving is what its likely to see, then the 200R4 should be fine and even great. But if racing it and getting on it all the time, then a 4l80e will last longer. The 700s are not as strong as people think. More on the 200R4 can be found here including who the best builders are for them.

https://www.turbobuick.com/forums/transmission-talk.12/

pettrix

Here is my overdrive trans choice for an A-Body from best to worst:

1 - 4L85e (basically a 4l80e with upgraded internals)
2 - 2004R (Stage 3 from Performance Transmissions)
3 - 700R4 (limited to power output and has bad 1st to 2nd gear ratios)

olds 307 and 403

I have agree with the choices above. GM upgraded the 4L65/70E, the electronic 700R4 to the 5 pinion planets, it still left the 3/4 clutch pack to fail towing, which it did, happened to me. I also had a GM reman 4L60E behind that went about 250K, as in Kilometers behind a mighty swirl port sbc 350, that towed a small cattle trailer occasionally. They put out about 180 hp, not the 210 advertised. It had the dreaded super weak reverse and there was a ton of clutch material in the pan. I have killed three 2004R as well, I had a converter implode at the track, kill one. I had another I set the band too tight. The other my Daughter ran low on fluid. As mentioned, the 2004R is a bolt up and bolt in. All you need to do is move the crossmember to the TH400 position and buy TH400 emergency brake cables. If you want to cut the drive shaft or buy a custom one, probably the best idea, go 4L80E. A good high strength converter, especially for the 4L80E is not cheap. I personally like the simplicity and much better gear ratios of the 2004R swap. Either overdrive option costs a lot. Even a junkyard 4L80E requires a $100+ adapter, shift kit, $130 for automatic or $185 for basic Jake's manual control or $330 for the full Transgo kit and $575 minimum for a controller, modified or custom drive shaft and probably $500 to purchase the core. Any high performance rebuilt 2004R that you look at, if it doesn't have the billet foward drum and welded on shaft as an option, go somewhere else. The more of them a shop builds, the better. Either trans escalates to 2 grand plus in a hurry.

Firewalker

More of my opinions/observations over the years, for what it's worth
I went through multiple M22 transmissions behind an L78, in a 69 Camaro. Then a stock TH400 with a stock converter went out. Next an early 70s B&M "strip/street" TH400 went out. Sent it back on warranty and was told I had too much power for the Street/Strip units, but they said would rebuild it and ship it back, if I paid extra for some funny car clutches (that's what they called them back then), the 30 something sprag, and their full manual shift reverse valve body. Now that thing was a dream, as it lit the tires up on the full power shifts, and you couldn't feel it shift if you let off the gas when shifting it while cruising. It lasted in that car til I sold it months later, and for the next guy who bought the car, and it died years later, with the third owner when a rubber trans cooler line broke.

A few years later a brand new Ford Pinto 2000cc, with a 4 speed that took a lot of abuse with speed shifts at 7000, for about 10 months and then I broke the internal shifter on it.

My thoughts on the 700 and the 2004r. The 700's input is about the same as the 200's, but the 700 has fluid channels in it's input shaft that makes it weaker than the 200s. Later versions of the 700 under a new name has a larger input shaft.

The 200s have a problem with the inputs as well, but there is a debate on what to do about it, with hardened/heat treated versus billet, and if you do go billet which or whose billet to buy.

A lot has to do with how its built and how abusive a life it will see,`