LunaticFringe

Desperately need some info on Auto Trans as I am basically old school...my last Camaro was a 1978 with a TH400, behind a really hot Luanati 406 Stroker SBC, that was a terror on the streets of Tokyo/Yokohama.

Looking at a 1992 Camaro RS with an auto trans as a potential project car really hard. Not interested in a restoration project but a streetable street/strip car to have a little fun in.

What options do I have, if any, for a Auto Trans that can handle 550 hp on a standing start and not grenade on me. Also am I going to have computer issues or is this going to be as straight forward as ditching the TH350 in my last Camaro and replacing it with a TH400?

Sorry for the newbie questions but haven't dealt with the computer controlled vehicles with automatic transmissions in them. I would appreciate all the "spiritual enrichment" I could get on this...

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

http://www.monstertransmission.com/H...on_c_4044.html
The wiring on the 700r4 is for tcc lockup and can be controlled bye a switch instead of the ecm. The CSS will need to be retained as well as the vss buffer/wiring to retain the speedometer.
http://static.summitracing.com/globa...tci-376600.pdf

cosmick

I agree about using a built 700R-4, but I'm not familiar with that one. PerformaBuilt is a forum sponsor and chimes in here often, but my own good experience with one that survived low 10s in a full-weight Camaro on drag radials was a Bowtie Overdrives level 2. I got it used, never hurt it, and added over 100k miles to it.

naf

iTrader: (7)

pro-built automatics

http://www.700r4l60e.com/

LunaticFringe

Thanks Fellas for the info. Still on the fence about getting this car. Its gonna be a lot of work right out the starting gate cosmetically. I still gotta figure out all this electronic stuff they put on them and how to make it all come together. Its definitely going to be a work in progress....

cosmick

So what is the 550 HP number based on? That number is a bit low for a turbo LSx, a bit high for a non-turbo LSx, way too high for a 383, slightly high for a mild 454, or a turbo TPI 350,
How you plan to reach 550 horses will determine the extent of figuring out the electronics.
If 550 is just the beginning, then a 4L80E is the best automatic.

naf

iTrader: (7)

and at 550 from a standing start, the weakest link is behind the trans.

cosmick

The weakest link should be traction, then a pure stock 700R-4, then the 28-spline 7.625" rear axle assembly, then the U-joints, then the driveshaft itself, but none of these is good for 550.

LunaticFringe

550 was just a ball park figure with a 454 or bigger engine. Might end up settling for something a little milder.

No doubt about that aspect of it!

I cant argue with you on that priority of very real challenges. Thats about the same order I had them in too! Those high HP and Torque figures are nice to talk about but pretty worthless if you cant keep things together long enough to put it to the pavement where it counts the most.

Been out of hot rodding a while and stumbled across a potential foundation to work with at a pretty cheap price on a 92 Camaro RS and I am debating if I wanna do this or wait a little later down the road and maybe find something a little easier to work with when money is even more plentiful than it is now. As the car sits now, its very mechanically sound condition wise, just screeming for new paint and a bit of interior work.

cosmick

What would be a little easier to work with?
Are you hoping for one with better paint, or are you thinking of a first or second gen Camaro?
The third gen has a few advantages over the classics, like being lighter, and being able to tuck 18x10.5s under the front, for better handling.
Big block swaps are actually easier into fourth-gens, and lots of them are sold cheap as rolling shells once the LT1 or LS1 and trans have been removed. Especially T56 versions. Plus those can tuck 17x11s under the front.
But if you want a dragstrip-only result, it isn't difficult to get your big block Chev into an '80s Mustang.

LunaticFringe

1st Gens are pretty pricey for one with straight sheet metal. 2nd Gen nice but aweful heavy, played that game before. I do like their simplicity though - no computer to deal with, that made things very straight forward. But that can be a blessing as much as its sometimes a complication. I like the 3rd Gens lines. I like the 3rd Gens lighter weight...about 350-400 lbs less than my old 78! Thats a huge advantage for street/strip aspirations. I like the open engine bay making things very accessible. The price is right, 1000.00 fun dollars makes it really tempting. Its a hard top, runs great, no rust, but dang that paint is rough and quiet the eye sore and the interior is pretty ragged out. Its got a lot of possibilities, I just think it might be a little longer of a process for this Phoenix to rise from the ashes.

I cant be seen in a Ford...unless its pre 74, good luck finding one of those for less than a mint. Although a sticker on the back of mid 80's-90's Pony that reads "Made by Ford - Powered by Chevy" could be more fun than the law probably allows!!!

In the 92 RS...Replacing the engine wasnt a huge challenge, replacing the rear end wasnt all that hard a problem to solve although it adds to the cost for something a little beefier....that 700R4 was a bit of a worry though. Its plenty fine for a restore project behind the factory installed LO3 but I want something a little more fun than just classic looks. This RS looks like it might be what I am looking for...

cosmick

That '92 case is fine for a full-house build, and with all the best upgrades installed, it's fine for 600 ft-lbs. Go read this, it's much the same:https://theblock.com/news/new-4l75e-...-great-results

LunaticFringe

Hoping to close the deal on this RS this afternoon. The only issue thats not cosmetic is the Steering column needs to be replaced to pass inspection, new bulb for the third brake light. Here its only a safety inspection, not a smog test. Only other functional issue is the truck/hatch latch isnt releasing the back lid.

cosmick

Finding another '90-'92 column may be mre difficult than rebuilding your own yourself

skinny z

You could remove the computer. That's what I did with my 86.

As for the 700 holding up, it depends on where you draw the line. 450 ft/lbs seems easy enough as I've learned through this build thread.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tran...700-700r4.html

It's the next level that takes the rest of the hard parts. 600 ft/lbs is a target for the higher end of the TH700. It will arguably handle more.

LunaticFringe

Thats my biggest concern at the moment. We found several today, none were 90-92! Still looking...

The clown who previously owned this car until it was impounded apparently broke the steering column not sure why...there are two sets of keys to it in the front seat! Gonna go into a holding pattern on this project until that bridge is crossed.

cosmick

I assume you know this, but a '90-'92 Firebird column would also work. You need to pull the airbag assembly, with the battery disconnected so it doesn't go off, then you can pull the steering wheel off after. The '91 RS I had, it had a 'bird wheel with a Camaro airbag, or vice versa, I forget which, but it sort of fit, it wasn't too ugly, I don't recommnd it. I suspect you could also use any '93-'02 Camaro steering wheel.
Removing the airbag is federally illegal, but once you get an airbag column, you are not stuck with the Firebird steering wheel if the donor was a 'bird.
I've never removed the airbag myself, but I've seen several bag-less steering wheels in the Pick-N-Pull yards, in un-crashed third gens.
If you post up what you'd pay for a column, maybe you could get someone to ship you one?
Here they run $36 plus a $5 core for a column, plus you'd need to add shipping, then include some more for their labor and getting it shipped. Maybe $100 in total?

LunaticFringe

If my Mechanic cant scrounge one up I will likely do that and would gladly pay what ever it takes!!!

cosmick

I once borrowed a friend's '96 Z28, it's column was floppy. They had been pulling on the top of it to change position on long trips. That one had to be replaced. If that's your thing, I understand. But I've seen people claim the column was bad when it was just the plastic outer trim. If that's what you have, then it is possible to replace it without much disassembly.

LunaticFringe

Im no mechanic by any stretch of the imagination....but this steering column looks like a train wreck from hell! I am pretty sure its more than cosmetic and that "All the Kings horses and all the Kings men cant put Humpty Dumpty back together again". Looks like they used a jack hammer and lit off a pound of thermite on it for good measure! Seriously!!! If my mechanic wasnt so confindent he could score one, it would have been a deal breaker for me. At this point I am more concerned about that now, than I am about how to deal with the 700R4 and the power levels I am shooting for.