i have an 1984 pontiac firebird with a 2.8l and a 700r4 with o/d, i was wonder what the life span was on these transmissions and how good r they. plz let me know. thanx

 

The later the transmission was built the stronger it is. I've heard that the earlier 700 r4's had some issues if they were driven real hard, or had a lot of power going to them. They redesigned them at some time. Can't quite remember the year, think it was around 87. After that they are a pretty strong transmission. Mine has a hell of a lot miles on it and I can honestly say I've driven it hard. Still runs great, but mines an 89 so I can't say i've seen first hand how the older ones hold up. I do know they have way better gear ratio's than the older GM three speeds (TH350 and TH400) so from a performance standpoint a bullet proof 700 will be better than a bulletproof 350 and way better than a bulletproof 400. I'd stick with the 700 if I were you, unless you're going to really abuse it and if that's the case I'd swap in a later model 700 or bulletproof the one you've got.

 

thanks

 

No problem. I just know what i've read and my own personal experiances with my 89, but I couldn't be happier with it. Looks a lot better with a Hurst Dual Gate 2 on it though.