wondering if you can help me out....

i just had my 700-r rebuilt and i want to paint it nice before i put it in just to have a cleaner underside. what color would look best?


gun metal gray (stock looking color)

black

color of the car


i don't want it to look tacky, just want to look clean....

 

Either black or the color of your car would probably look nice. Then if you don't already, you could put mirrors under there at car shows.

 

I'd say metallic gray or black...your car color would be overkill on the underside IMO...

BTW: I am painting my T5 bellhousing RED and the T5 itself metallic gray. I have some RED suspension components, so I thought RED would also be a nice touch on the trans.

 

Heh, my tranny guy says you shouldn't paint transmissions because it holds in a lot of heat.

 

yes and no..........it all depends, i certainly wouldn't powder coat it. the main point he's trying to make is it won't allow the metal to breath which is a true point. however, i do have a much larger trans pan for extra fluid and a good trans cooler to compensate. i wouldn't see why it hurts since it seems to be done by so many others.


but, it's an interesting point to bring up; you never know.

 

Most new/rebuilt performance trannys are painted before they ship them out. Jet, B&M, TransGo, ProBuilt Automatics, etc...

I wouldn't go overboard, though. Just a nice cover coat for looks and some durability

 

If you got alot of time polish it. I saw a hotrod w/ a polished 700 in it and it looked nice, if your engine is polished or chromed out than it would follow suit I guess.

 

I use a flat black (very thin coat) so as to not have any problems with heat,

 

Seems like it would be fairly easy to polish as the cast surface is quite smooth to begin with. That might be overkill, however

 

This is a very true statement, and if you question it at all, go to your local GM dealership, pop the hood on any of their new car/trucks and you'll find they even quite painting the blocks for the same reason. But still, most aftermarket companies sell their trannies painted and alot of the local rebuild shops squirt on some color after the rebuild also, so I guess it's a matter of preferance. I got a tranny temp gauge, but did'nt have the right pan to to tap the sending unit into so it was basically there for looks last year, but most guys w/ 8" convertors that cruise around town once in awhile say theirs tranny temps get around 180-220 degrees. They say anything over 150 cuts the tranny life in half.

 

They also don't paint driveshafts, rearends, or most suspension components. I don't think its for durability reasons though, its more out of cheapness. I wouldn't chromeplate a tranny, but I seriously doubt paint would have a measurable effect.

 

I tend to agree with LT1guy, that GM not painting components is driven more by economics than durability.

Also, I think the painted- nonpainted heat thing is really a non-issue. A painted unit would have no impact on the durability of any performance or economy installation verses a nonpainted unit. So go ahead and paint it up. I rather prefer a dull aluminum color.

 

i just cleaned mine up really well and it looks great. with the por-15 underneath the contrast is nice.

 

I think it depends on what engine your popping the hood to will determine if its painted or not. I know for a fact that the Cast Iron 3800 V6 engines and the Cast Iron 4.8/5.3/6.0 GenIII engines are painted black. The Aluminum 4200 and the Aluminum 5.7 (LS1) are not painted. GM Transmissions are NOT painted, unless you get a reman Allison 5-speed Auto, they are painted black. All the differentials I have seen, including the aluminum housings found on the newer S/T (Envoy, Trailblazer, Bravada) are painted black. Just what I noticed though.

 

I got my rebuilt one from Jasper and it was painted grey...Sooo...I plan to hit it with red and get a chrome pan....

Kandied...body color or black. Black could be a single stage and take less coats.

 

go with the gunmetal grey it will give a really clean stock look, i have said before i love your car color but i think the tranny would be overkill just my.02

 

i was considering body color when this was started..........however, like i said i just cleaned up the castings real well and put her in. looks very good!

i was going to clear coat it but i have yet to find a good clear coat that stands up. since i don't "try" to drive in bad weather it should be good to go.

thanks for the opinions everyone!