700R4 transmission

[isaltz]

hi, im new to this site, hope im n the right place. have any of you used a 700R4 in a tbucket, if yes, did u like it, not like it, are they good transmissions? i have a small block chevy, was going to use a turbo 350 but watching the $ and i found a 700R4 at a real good price, any suggestions. if anyone has any comments, you can email me at pakridersofla@aol.com i may not get to see them on here when im at work. thanks

[Harley Alcox]

I've been running one for well over 200,000 in my bucket and although they may not be perfect they will work well if you do your homework on final drive ratios, oil coolers, and tv cable/carb linkage. I'm running a decent 400 sbc and yes I do beat on the old 700 once and while yes it can be broken but you have to work at it. Set it up right with good servos, plates, band, tight front pump, good convertor, and a big inline oil filter. Then go play in the streets, you'll love low gear. Harley

[isaltz]

thanks harley, at the moment, it is behind the 350 engine i was gonna use, it is running now, i was gonna try to use it as is without rebuilding it first. I will defantly check into the filters and other things you told me about, thanks again for your reply!

[Lee in KC]

In hind-sight, I wish I had gone with an overdrive tranny. I thought about the 700R4, but it was going to cost twice as much as the TH350 I went with. If I ever have a reason to blow the T apart again, I will be seriously considering going to a 700R4.

[Orville Duncan]

Lee hit it right on the nose, I looked at it the same way, price between the two. An overdrive trans sure would be nice, but the TH350 I have works good for now.

[Big Bill]

I put a 700r4 in my T touring in1995 and have put one in every GM powered vehicle that I have built since. They are stronger than a 350TH, have a lower (3.07) 1st gear and a 30% overdrive. The two most critical things to get right is the throttle pressure cable adjustment and the proper amount of cooling. I run external filters but that is just insurance. In 18 years of abusing them I have never had a problem. They were designed for use in vans, trucks, and Corvettes so they had to be fairly tough. The only ones that I have seen fail had the throttle pressure set wrong and that can kill one in a few hundred miles. Also you want to run a lock up convertor and wire it so it locks up in OD. If your trans is constantly shifting between 3rd & 4th/OD you need to make some changes or you will also burn it up. Also a 700 won't shift into OD under full throttle. I suggest a 3.50 rear gear as a minimum and prefer a 3.70 to a 4.10 (9 inch ford ratios) the overdrive makes all of those streetable and yet gives great performance. Just my opinion.

[isaltz]

thanks guys, i really appreciate all the help! sounds like im heading in the right direction, im hoping the trans im getting is in good working condition, it is currently behind a 350sb in a pick up truck, im basicly getting the trans for free so if i have to have it rebuilt i guess im still ahead of the game, thanks again

[Rolla Hessel]

I have been running the 700R for quite a few years now. Burnt up three before we set it up correctly though. Two important things to remember to do!! Make sure you have a GOOD tranny cooler that gets plenty of air flow. I am running one with a fan on it, after I learned the hard way. Secondly make sure you have your kickdown adjusted properly!! If not you will create additonal tranny heat and burn it up. Once nice thing about the &00R is you can definitely run tallers gearsand still have a good RPM range at 65-70 on the highway. Good luck!