Ok so im taking a ASE prep course, transmissions. Right now i dont know very much at all on the subject so please excuse me. I have a few general questions.

I need a transmission to rebuild for class. A 700r4 since right now i have a weak 200c.

What do i look for to assure the transmission is rebuilable?

How much should i be willing to pay for a tranny that needs rebuild from a yard?

Do i need one from an f-body due to the Torque arm mount?

What other things do i need to know to assure i get a good one? I hear 87+ trans are the choice for a doner.

 

A complete inspection is tough to do. Look at the fluid, drop the pan and check for large debris. Also look for cracked case and stripped bolt holes. $50-$75 is all I will pay for a core. The tail housing for the f-body can be swapped easily if it is not on the trans you have. Mid 87 and up units with aux valve body are preferred cores. Do not buy a vette core. They are not case with the bosses for the trans mount.

 

you will need to find a tail housing at some point becuase the 200c doesnot have a removable tail housing.so if you can find one that already has the needed tail housing then you would have that out of the way. the '87 and up units do have the heavier duty sprags and updated pumps.

 

I agree that a core is worth about $50-75. Without complete disassembly you can never be 100% sure that the core is good. I've had them apart only to find corroded servo or accumulator bores that relegate the case to the scrap pile. You could also have damaged planetaries, etc. and not know it until it's all apart.

Try to get an F-body 700R4 if you can. They aren't hard to find. If all you're doing is a stock rebuild try to get an '87 up core. The newer the better. Improvements were made every year until GM discontinued the trans in favor of the 4L60E.