hi guys, i have a 87 camaro ive been working on for some time now, i would like a stick car but just dont wanna cut my floor pans and what not, a friend was telling me i could put a manual valve body in my 700r4 and that i would have to manual shift thru the gears, so i would get a semi auto. is this true, or is there something like this that someone can tell me about? i dont real car about a clutch i just love to shift, and just 1st to second isnt enough control for me


thanks for any help

 

I think TCI has a manual valve body for the 700R4. Look up JEGS or Summit.
Bill

 

thank you very much ill check them out, is my freind right in his description of what it will do, the tranny will no longer shift on its own?

also will it be ok for a regular street car, how will down shifting work at a stop, would i just slip it into neutral like i would do on a regular manual car? if anyone can tell me anything about this please do, it seems realy cool but i dont know much about it or if theres a special way to drive it.

 

you have to shift up every gear and down every gear with a manual valve body .
I've got the TCI streetfighter trans which has a shift kit in it so in drive it shifts itself but if I put it in 1st I can shift myself .It shifts real hard too .
If you want it to shift when you want it to at lower rpm's you can change the weights in the trans governor . Although this will change the shift points when it is in drive also .A manual V B can get old quick on a DD .
just my 2 cents

 

Some manual valve bodies might offer automatic shifting if left in D. If not then the gear you put it in will be the gear the tranny will be in. Very easy to forget and start off in third gear and burn out the clutches.

As mentioned above, the idea of manually shifting an automatic transmission wears off quickly when driving on the street. It's not the same as having a manual transmission. A manual valve body is intended to be a race only item.

I doubt if the 700R4 valve body will be reverse pattern.
A forward shift pattern is PRND21
Reverse shift pattern is PRN123

That way it's only one shift from neutral to first gear. Once in high gear, you can't put it back into neutral without downshifting.

I use a manual valve body with a transbrake in my race car but I only have 2 forward gears. Low and high. The transbrake only works in low.

 

this isnt a daily driver, i like to say its like a downgraded prostreet car, its built to have nothing but the basics, and built to look prostreet just doesnt have the suspension of what a normal prostreet would have, ive been pretty much teaching myself as i go, ive done everything from build my own motor, to build my own cowl hood and custom inteior(not done yet.

its starting to sound like it would be easier to put a manual tranny in it, i was told a 5 speed wouldnt hold up to my built 350, and i dont like 6 speeds, is there another option for my car? or a way to make a 5 speed handle my 350, its not crazy, i havent dynoed it but when i ordered my parts and what not, the guy that helped me pick them out said i should be hitting someone in the range of 300hp. i would rather not spend 2000 on a new transmission and still have to buy all the other stuff for it, i would rather build one myself or upgrade one.

also can someone give me a real nice detailed walk through of what i would need to do to install a manual in the car, like i said i have been learning all this as i go along so i realy need something that breaks it all done and pictures would be nice, or if you know of a good book, i looked at the article on this site and its to vague for me and i think deals with a later camaro as well. ive done realy well this far, but it seems when it comes to trannys for a 3rd gen the choices are that simple

 

just a thought would a th350 or 400 give me the shifting im looking for, i rember then only having 3 gears, 1, 2, and drive, would that give me control for the most part of the shifting?

how hard is it to switch between a 700r4 and a 350, i know about the issues with the torque arm mount, but that can be solved with a kit, and i read as long as you have the 9" tailstock the driveshaft still works, do you have to change anything? well other than the shifter

 

as for swapping to a manual trans or a T350/T400, do a search, it's been covered many times. There are several aftermarket 5 speeds available that will handle the power you have, no problems. No, the factory 5-speed(T5) won't handle very much, which is why GM never put it behind a 350. As for not liking a 6-speed, that's makes no sense, as although it is heavier than most 5 speeds, it functions no different.

A manual valvebody in an auto trans is not reccomend for street use. If not operated correctly it will easily cause the annialation of clutch packs, and as most 700r manual vb kits use continuous full line pressure, they are also excessively hard on the pump, planetaries and other hard parts no matter how they're driven.

 

sorry wrong account, my brother and i both just joined.

 

i just think the 6 speed is to many gears for my personal preferance, up till last year i had never driven anything more than a 4 spd, 5 is actually a bit more than i want but i was willing to do it for the ease and cheapness of the swap.

i think i may do a th350, i have done searches, but all i find is pretty much the same stuff, the driveshaft and the mount. im still learning about all this stuff, do i need to change the flywheel and torque convertor when i put a 350 in instead of the 700? is their other parts i have to change, i know i need a new shifter, but whatelse? i have done searches but it all seems to be the same questions, ive gone thru a few pages of the search.

 

"Transogo" offers a shift kits that converts your 700r4 to a full manual or if left in d a regular auto....
decent pricing as well.
LUKE
look on summit or jegs

 

It's not really a 6 speed. It's a 4 speed with 2 OD gears. You shouldn't be using any OD gear on the dragstrip. It's a small and weak gear.