Logan.epperson

I have both but idk which to use for my camaro build. 1988 camaro Rs.
I'm swapping from v6 to a 5.7L 350, but I know literally almost nothing about transmissions. So what would be the better choice? And why?

Also, if anyone feels like going the extra mile tell me what the difference is between the 2, or the best possible transmission for the spot im in

ht4100

iTrader: (2)

700R4, gearing and overdrive.

RedLeader289

iTrader: (2)

I have a TH350 and love it, but having overdrive would be nice every now and again. You won't notice much difference puttering around town, but if you do a lot of hwy miles then I'd suggest the 700

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

Its 3 gears vs 4. The turbo 350 will take more abuse IMO but the overdrive 700r4 can also if built right and it will sure save you in gas. Id say go 700r4 for a car that is driven a lot. Ive ran both these trannies and both have pros and cons.

DeathStarr89

iTrader: (1)

What are you going to be doing with the car?


If it's a street car then a 700R4 is fine, TH350 if it's going to spend it's days at the track.

yaj15

iTrader: (3)

If you are going to do strictly racing, I'd go with the TH350.

That being said the 700r4 can be built to take a lot of power and the first two gears are lower in the 700r4 than the TH350 - although the gear ratio spread is wide compaired o the 700r4.

If you are going to spend much time on the street, you'll miss the 700r4's overdrive and lockup converter.

Logan.epperson

Well I have a B&M ratchet shifter I'm hoping to put in once I buy the shift kit for it. I'd never heard of a ratchet shifter until my dad showed me one he bought a while ago, now I'm in love with the concept. The car is going to be my daily driver though, but I'm going to buy a set of racing tires for when I do take it to the track, and I do hope to get a fair amount of track time

One more think that idk if it will make a difference, the 700r4 is noticeably older and I haven't actually ran it on a engine yet so idk if it'll even still be functional. The Th350 is newer and came out of a chevy caprice and was suppose to have run less than 2 months ago. Should I just install my th350 and keep the 700r4 as a spare?

cosmick

The 700R-4 is a cheaper, easier bolt-in, everything you need is common, used, regular GM production. But in your place I'd try to sell both and go with a TH400. Sure a TH350 can be custom built to be as strong as a stock TH400, but still lacks any center support inside. And both the TH350 and the TH400 use the exact same torque converters, which is less cost than a 700R-4 if you want any stall higher than about 1800.

Restrorob

iTrader: (7)

IIRC, The Caprice had a short tail shaft..... That would require a longer drive shaft being made, I'm installing a long (9") tail shaft TH350 out of a truck and stock shaft will work fine......

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

I had a stock foxbody shaft cut down, and used some conversion ujoints. Cost about $100. (for my short tail TH350)

Given the choice, I'd rather use a 9" TH350.

-- Joe

tpi88camaro

iTrader: (7)

I would go with the 700r4. That's what these cars came with so it's a direct bolt in. If/when you rebuild the 700, build it to handle the engine you have in front of it and the kind of abuse you intend to put it through. If you don't cut any corners on the build and have a reputable shop do it for you, you won't regret it. The gearing between 1st and 2nd is not the greatest, but the trade-off is overdrive for highway cruising and way better gas mileage than the other two mentioned.

AlkyIROC

Choice really depends on what you want to use it for.

The 700R4 is a great street transmission. The low first gear allows better off the line acceleration when combined with highway gears in the diff. With the OD and the highway gears in the diff, it should get good fuel mileage on the highway by lowering the cruising rpm. OD also isn't a strong gear if too much power is applied through it. The gear spread between first and second is too far apart for a good performance transmission. At WOT, the rpms drop below the powerband as it shifts to second gear. A closer ratio will keep the rpms in the powerband range after a WOT shift.

The TH350 was around for many years and millions of them were installed in GM cars and trucks and they had no problems in city and highway driving so don't think that you always need to have an OD gear in a transmission. OD just helps fuel mileage at highways speeds. The gear ratios are good in the TH350 for all around use but since it has no OD, if you have deep gears in the diff, fuel mileage will suffer.

If you accept a third choice, the 200-4R is a better transmission. It has gear ratios similar to the TH350 plus has an OD gear.

The TH400 is a strong transmission with good gear ratios and the 4L80E is just an electronic version of it with an OD gear.

Atilla the Fun

The 700R-4 / 4L60 1-2 spread is not the problem everyone thinks. How much the RPM actually drops depends far more on the torque converter. You can get a 2800 stall that only lets the RPM drop from 6000 to 4400, or on the other hand you can get a 3400 stall that'll let the RPM drop from 6000 to 3800. You can specify such things now. Not only the stall, but also the shift extension, as some term it. And you can combine whatever stall, or launch RPM you like, with whatever RPM drop you like.
So the problem is all in people's misunderstandings, not the trans itself.