hello, i'm very new to this and i don't have that much experience working with transmissions, i have been reading a lot lately on the subject of which transmission i should choose to put in my 84 camaro, i plan on putting a 350-4bbl, and have read that i would have trouble using overdrive on the 700r4, what exact problem would i be encountaring when installing the transmission. and what modifications actually need to be done to be able tu use the overdrive since i do plan on driving it on the highway. And what exactly is it that you guys mean when you are talking about lock-up, do you mean like locking in a specific gear or overdrive?

Any advice or other idea's would be plenty of help.

 

O yeah another question is, if true, how much tougher are the 87+ 700r4, than the earlier ones, will they take more abuse than earlier ones or are they pretty much the same?

 

When a 700r4 goes into overdrive, the torque converter has to be locked up. It also improves fuel economy since there's no slippage in the converter when it's locked up. This is accomplished by an electric solenoid that's controlled by the ecm. If you've disabled the factory ecm in your car, or it's going in a street rod for example, you have to buy an aftermarket 700r4 lockup kit, which measures the amount of engine vacuum to determine when to lockup the converter. Also, if you decide to replace the factory Quadrajet carb with a Holley, Edelbrock, etc., you have to buy an adapter bracket to hook up the TV cable for the tranny. The TV cable controls the shift points and line pressure inside the trans, and it's crucial to have it set right. The easiest way to smoke a 700r4 is to have this misadjusted. The 87-up 700r4's aren't necessarily tons stronger than the older ones, but they did get upgraded parts, such as a 10 vane pump vs. 7 vane, and a 30 spline input vs. 27 spline. This plus refinements in their general design and operation make the newer ones a better, more durable unit. In fact, some shops that build performance 700r4's don't even use the earlier ones at all.

 

thanks a lot!, that really helped me in understanding what i would need to get the transmission to work.