hi, this forum is very expansive as you all know. ive looked at quite a few posts and havent found a clear answer. what is the best albeit least expensive rebuilt kit. and what is a fair price for a rebuild. what is the best shift kit. i want an overall increase in tranny efficiency, life and performance.. thank you all for your answers.

You should talk to ProBuiltAutomatics he rebuilds transmissions he will tell you

ok cool. i just searched for that name and there were no results. can you give me better direction

My bad for got the space here it is Pro Built Automatics tell him and he will answer your questions good luck. Or you could visit his website http://www.700r4l60e.com/

hey, thanks for the info. i looked at the info on the site and i sent an email through the site. i noticed that the rebuild kits run about 500 and up. coupled with the cost to actually have it done. i dont have the tools or expertise to do it myself. it would put me well over 1000 bucks. i found a tranny that may be perfect for me at goodfellas transmissions, for 695. which is a great price i think. could you tell me if this is a good deal? http://www.goodfellastransmission.com/700R4Hitman.html

thx,

erik

i actually googled average tranny rebuild cost, and alot of people are saying 2k. dont wanna pay that much for an OLD tranny. when i get a new one for much less.

Yea thats what i did too found one on craiglist for $800 and it was a TCI with 2500 stall

TCI makes a full manual valve body and a slap shifter that together run around $500. I put this in my car and it made my shifts wayyy harder. The chirp into second became ridiculous. Plus it lets you choose when to shift. The installation shouldn't be too expensive or you could even do it yourself, but it's a PITA.

ok, i just ran into all the controversy surrounding goodfellas transmissions. im steering clear. howerver i have found a th350 by tci at jegs for upwards of 700. is a th350 better or essentially the same as a 700r4

With transmission are you looking for firmer shifts, handle more HP or is it old with high mileage and needs rebuild? Most people upgrade them to handle more HP or replace to do better at drag strip. What are you looking to do with car, any engine upgrade plans?

I believe that the 88 and older automatic 700's had some weak parts/issues that Chevy fixed in 89. Stock 700's are good to about 300-350 HP until they break down. Check this out. http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/tr...imitation.html (Stock 700r4 Horsepower Limitation)

If you keep LB9, 700 should be ok with a shift kit. You can also replace some cheaper parts to fix stock issues for your year car. I do not know what these are specifically but Dana at ProBuilt is very knowledgable. http://www.700r4l60e.com/

Some people don't like 700's because they have to spend $$ for it to handle increased engine HP. Also 700's have a high first gear with a steep drop into second. This results in a large engine RPM drop when shifting from 1st to 2nd and hurt accelerations, especially for drag racing. TH350's are popular since drop isn't as big (see below). People figure its better to get alternate transmission that fixes some of these concerns. 700's are good in that they have overdrive (good for highway cruising, mpg) and the large first gear allows for great acceleration from stop. They can be built to withstand a lot of power. TH350 does not have overdrive.

Here is a comparison of some different transmissions and gear ratios courtesy of the book "John Lingenfelter on modifying small-block chevy engines":

Ratio from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
700R-4 3.06, 1.63, 1.00, -
200R-4 2.74, 1.57, 1.00, 0.67
4L80-E 2.48, 1.48, 1.00, 0.75
TH400 2.48, 1.48, 1.00, -
TH350 2.52, 1.52, 1.00, -
Powerglide 1.76/1.82, -, 1.00, -

Depends on how you want car to behave and how much money to spend. I'm not sure what HP level these other transmission can handle stock.

well, as of right now, with the engine and tranny in my camaro. its 305 with a carb. the tranny doesnt slip.yet. my main concern is that its 25 years old. a 25 year old tranny with 165k on it. 20 of which i put on. and i drove it hard. so maybe all it needs is a rebuild. but i can buy a tranny and a half for what it costs to rebuild. so thats why i am looking for trannys. i will be changing the engine out with a 350 with no more that 350 hp and 350-400 tq. i think that will burn the tranny up pretty bad. so i was thinking. a rebuild with a shift kit will be more than good for those numbers. but i was reasearching and the average rebuild kit costs 500 bucks and a rebuild can cost 2000 bucks. 2500 can buy a new tranny. thats without the shift kit.

I agree, that much future power will toast tranny. A full rebuild kit from ProBuilt for a 700 that will handle 650HP is around $550 I believe. Not sure what a shop would charge to install. Some people do install themselves, not sure if that is something you want to do. I wonder what HP levels stock the other transmission can handle. Maybe if they can do 400hp stock, you can get a good used one. Otherwise you are probably paying $2,000 for a new one, no matter what type.

Also, stock 10 bolt rear ends aren't tough. They are usually good to around 300 hp (although high torque is what does them in). You can upgrade stock 10 bolt to handle 400 hp with aluminum girdle, tougher splines, torsion pin, etc. That will cost around $1,000 for parts vs $2,200 for a brand new rear end that can handle more HP. I'm looking to build a strong 350 in the future and not sure which way to go with transmission and rear end. Upgraded stock rear end would not work with 383 so that hurts your upgrade path if you ever want to go 383. With everything, seems to be how much money you want to spend and what deals you can find.

after i put in that engine, thats it, im not goin for a supercar. i just want a fresh engine with more power. 350hp and tq is plenty for me. dont want to make a monster.

i was considering getting a th350 for a few reasons. it bolts right up. my camaro is not my daily driver. and it will never be. im putting antique plates on it and it will go to shows and generally be for joy riding and cruising nothing major. so im not concerned with the th350 not having overdrive. a new th350 that will handle 400 hp and tq is much cheaper than a 700 and i dont need it to be rebuilt. with all that in mind. does it make more sense to just get the th350? i found one for about 800 from jegs i think. http://www.jegs.com/p/B-M/B-M-Street...48046/10002/-1

for what i plan on doing, that tranny is ideal, and affordable.

i was also considering swapping out my stock rear end and putting in a rear end from a 4th gen.

I went with a B & M Stage 1 for my tranny. Good and sound so far.

That TH400 on Jegs looks like a remanufactured unit. Wonder what kind of warranty is comes with? Also says it can handle lots of power. I would get recommended maximum power figures from them. Manufacturer should have it. $1,000 shipped is not a bad deal. I'd say go for it. I found this article online about automatic transmissions. Here is what it says about 700's. The very last sentance is interesting.
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles..._ford_aod.html

TH700-R4/4L60E
Based on the internals of a TH350, the 700-R4 and its updated version-the 4L60E-was Chevrolet's bread-and-butter four-speed automatic for the last 20 years and came in everything from passenger cars to light trucks.
Manufactured: 1982 to 2005
OE rating: 350 hp(approximate)
Strengths: Strong aftermarket support; there were millions made; 700-R4s don't need computer control; can be rebuilt to 4L65E specs.
Weaknesses: Chevrolet bolt pattern only (BOP adapter kits are available); big rpm drop between First and Second gears; sun-reaction shell tends to break at input shaft splines.
Build it with: Five-pinion planetary gearset; The Beast sun shell; hardened oil pump rings and new vanes; steel sleeve support on input shaft; Bowler's Tru-Shift throttle correction kit and lock-up module.
Can be built to handle: 700 to 1,000 hp depending whom you ask
Notes: The '87-and-later 700s are stronger transmissions with an improved pump design and an auxiliary valvebody for better line pressure control. The 700 was renamed 4L60 in 1992. Electronic control appeared in 1993. Bolt-on bellhousing case design debuted in 1998. PATC sells a new planetary gearset that changes the gear ratios to 2.84, 1.55, 1.00, and 0.64:1.