I ve got an 87 305 tpi that seemed to be slugish.. Ive read alot of threads from members with 305 tpi motors that want more performance. Well I just rebuilt my 700r4 trans with a $130 overhaul kit from monster trans and a 2200 stall converter I bought from a member for $70. Anyway its a bone stock tpi with 140k on it, before the rebuild the car would spin the tires off the line good and chirp second here and there, NOW i step on the throttle at 35mph and the car is sideways for a good 15' , itll lay two strips of rubber for 35' off the line. The trans has made the car perform so much stronger its unreal. Keep in mind the trans didnt originally slip or have any probs (except early shifting from mis adjusted tv cable) so if you dont want to switch to a 350 or put money into your 305 try the transmission upgrades first, Ive always been one to put money into the motor, ignition, and fuel systems first but nothing(not even a 305 to 355 swap in my old 85 ta) has made me feel like ive got more bang for the buck as this overhaul.

 

hmm... Thats tempting!Whats all involved in this rebuild kit?

 

this is the link to the kit I bought, but I got a used 2200 converter from the tgo classifieds too. I forgot to mention I switched the 1-2 and 2-3 shift springs to heavy duty (cost $12 at local parts store).so for $250 my car feels like its a totally different ride than it was. http://racetransmissions.com/store/p...roducts_id/402

 

thanks for the link,but I've never attempted rebuilding a tranny.Plenty of engines though.

 

I'll bet the converter had the biggest role to play, if you old trans wasn't actually slipping. I swaped out a converter on my Malibu a couple years ago because, like you, I just wasn't feeling like my car was hauling off the line like I would expect it to. Yes, it was fast and I could spin the tires off the line just fine, but I've got a lot more motor than a stock 305 TPI under the hood- just seemed to take too much pedal to make it happen. I went a couple hundred RPMs higher stall than the previous converter, as you did, but it was also a quality converter I swapped in. The difference was jaw-dropping. Traction anywhere in 1st gear was suddenly non-existent and the 1-2 shift was now full-spin, not just a hard chirp. It wasn't exactly slow with the old converter, it's just that the new one was SO much better.

Keep in mind I didn't TOUCH the tranny- it was a converter change ONLY. I was reminded at that moment the difference a good converter can make.

I think my old converter might have had a problem with it, but nothing you could tell just driving around normally or even somewhat aggressivelly. It just felt.... not very sharp. The new converter, by comparison, feels razor sharp with every throttle stab, even though the RPMs are obviously somewhat higher due to the greater stall speed. And at WOT it's just an animal.

I'm sure the rebuild internal to the trans helped the shifts quite a bit. I know what a 700R4 with a "two mississippi" shift is like! Just don't short-change what a good converter can do. If the trans wasn't slipping to begin with, the shift firmness is the only difference you'll feel from internal trans upgrades.

Anyway, you done good work, have fun with it.