Hey guys I need your opinion on which company makes the best 700r4. Right now I have a stock 88 iroc with an L98 and 700r4. So far the only up grades that I have done have been 1 5/8 hooker headers, high flow cat, 3 inch exhaust. When I graduate school in about a year I plan to put on high flow intake runners, intake manifold, edlebrock tpi heads, and a zz9 camshaft from tpis. This should be a nice combination for the street as I don't take the car to the track all that much.

I have a bowtie overdrives level 2 transmission and 2200rpm converter now and I want to get rid of it. I don't like the customer service. I have adjusted the t/v cabe to the correct spects and the shifts points are still off. I had a professional shop install the trans according to bowtieoverdrives instructions so I know that everything is up to specification.

Should I get the tranny from tci, B&M, hughes performance, art carr, probuilt? What trans company would you recommend.

 

Cant say much more

 

I was going to be a smart-a$$ and say Hydramatic to the posted question. hehehe Really though, the TCI and B&M Ive heard nothing good about. Kinda like genero builds seems. The Hughes I have never seen anyone run, but seem likt the same boat. ArtCarr has always had a good rep. ProBuilt seems to be all around good knowledgable people and builds great trannys. The BowTie Overdrives Ive seen many times but youre the 1st feedback Ive seen on them. Bowler, Level10 and PATC are some others Ive heard decent things about. Ive been through my share of local builds and could fu*k it up for cheaper than they did. hehe Trying to scrounge up $$ and an idea on what to do about my current issue myself. Good Luck

 

So art carr or patc makes the best trans in your opinion

 

ProBuilt, Level10, ArtCarr, Bowler...in that order IMO

 

It is true all those companies do have good reputations

 

And that is what I am going by. Do your research from opinions, talking to their reps and such. I heve never dealt with any trannys from any of them. I have bought parts from some though. All my builds were done locally. I wish I could afford them to do a tranny for me....one day maybe =)

 

Well what about your company. Like I have said before I bought a Level 2 with a 2800 9 inch stall from Performabuilt and I have had it in all summer. I am putting out 430 horspower and 475 lbs of tourque on a dyno before it was put in the car. I am amazed at this tranny. It shifts real strong. It is right there from the start , lights the tires up too easy but it is fun for my mid age love affair LOL .I have had my car for 18 yrs and this is my fourth tranny. Others were rebuilt by other companies up my way. I read about Performabuilt on the 4th gen forums and thought I would give them a try. They will definately get my buisness again on future projects.

 

What rpm does you trans shift at when you are at full throttle. Bowtie overdrives sent me a new governor to change full throttle shift points. How firm are your shifts?

 

I like how you are modest and don't push yourself on the customer.

That being said, I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this company.

 

I missed listing Performabuilt on my earlier post...sorry bud =) yaj15, mine shifts at 6200RPM WOT in D. But I had bought the springs and weights kit and did it myself. Time consuming but I got what I wanted.

 

Yeah that is the problem I am having. Bowtieoverdrives sent me a 5500rpm governor so I'll put it in and see how it goes. Its strange, I have adjusted the t/v cable and everything else is fine. The company even said the trans is suppose to shift higher than stock. When I had the stock trans before it gave up all full throttle shifts were at 5000. Now first is at 5000 and second occurs at 4500 at full throttle.

 

Probuilt and PATC. I'm starting to hear good things about performabuilt, but have not presonally delt with them yet.

I've bought a lot of parts from patc and got some great input from dana at probuilt, though I have not yet bought from him as his listed prices are a bit higher than patc's. I guess I should give him a call and see if he'll work package deals, as I always buy everything up front for my builds.

 

Thanks a lot for the input guys. So it seems like probuit or patc makes the best 700r4 in your opinion. If anyone of you guys have one of these transmissions could you tell me about it. How firm are the shifts and what rpm do full and part throttle shifts occur at?

 

http://www.700r4l60e.com/store/produ...age=1&featured



Is anybody running with this transmission.

 

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...0002_818283_-1

anyone have input on this trans. Its a cheap price for what the internals are. My trans 3rd gear died yesterday so this just became a new topic for me to learn about.

 

No I have not heard of them before. I only have seen them in summit racing but they specalized in ford automatics. From the parts listed in the trans it sounds like a good deal but I would like to hear from someone who has used this company before as well.

 

I had Bowtie Overdrives as well. Customer service was the worst thing ever. All directions were follwed to a "T" and I was left stranded 40 miles from the place the install was done-Lost all gears(input drum exploded). Sent the trans back only to get it back and reinstalled and apparantly something got stuck in the governor. Yeah yeah easy fix but that shouldn't be my problem. I spent 2 weeks arguing with them to get a full refund. I'm running a T56 from Fbody motorsports. No complaints anymore. Bowtie overdrives KISS MY A##! And that was 3 years ago.

 

Th one at Jegs looks like its got good parts. I too have heard of them B4 but not to a degree where I could comment on them. Im sure its good, but seems like alot of other brands already listed here in terms of what goes in it. Yaj15 Not too many stock governor setups are going to shift higher than 5K it seems. There are 2 ways to get it to. Get a kit that has springs and weights and do it yourself, or modiy whats there. Plus being gearing and weight are going to play factors in the result. I personally just dont see them sending you a governor thats going to shift it exactly where you want it too. There are 2 modifyable/changable parts to get the shift points changen on a governor assembly. Weights and Springs. The Weights are usually the 1st step. A lighter weight will produce a later shift and a heavier a sooner shift. Some people simply grind off material to fet the weight lighter. Adding usually isnt done but could be by welding on it. Best to start lower shift, grind little by little off, clean it good and test it. Then do a little more, repeat. The Springs are used to fine tune it once its near where you want it and help get the shift closer or farther apart. A lighter/weaker spring will raise and spread apart the shifts and a heavier/tighter get them closer. Getting a kit is best for 2 reasons. The rods that hold it all together on the end is pinched and kinda one-time-use. The kit has rods with e-clips for multiple use/changes. And this will also allow you to dusassemble the governor for cleaning and visual inpection of the valve inside. Have a book or diagram to show you how it all goes back togeteher and pay attention. Its real easy IMO.

 

Thanks for the info. I am glad to see that I am not the only one who had problems with bowtie overdrives. I called and told them about the shift point problem. Then sent me another governer, one that is supposed to let the trans shift at 5500rpm on full throttle. When I get it installed I will let you guys know how it goes.

 

http://www.bmracing.com/index.php?id...at=4&subcat=19


Is anyone running this trans? Its the B&M 4L60-E kit. Its got the upgraded internals on the trans, tourque converter, cooler and elecdtronic controller. It would eliminate the need to fine tune the springs in the 700r4.

 

Thanks for the plug.While I do think we have a super product and some of the best customer service in the busines I hate just poping up and saying that, it seems so pushy , Glad you are liking your trans .

 

can you tell me about your products at performabuilt. How hard do your transmissions shift? What is the full throttle rpm shift point? Can they take alot of tourque?

 

The truth is that you dont need a BIG NAME CO. to build a strong 700R4...it takes someone thats knows the proper upgrades that the GM corps have comp up with...and put them to proper use..i myself coudlnt build one on my own but i help my best bud do it all the time...and they stay together after some tuff abuse...but he usues the good stuff inside of them...$$$ so if some tranny place says hey i can build ya one for $500.00 or $800.00 they prob can and they will last all day....in ur truck or suv...but for a hot rod your gonna need the right things...we have figured out to really build a proper 700 it will cost u to have like us build it for around $2000.00..and thats u installing it...and about 1500.00 of that is spent on parts...btw thats w/o a converter...but they do last in most conditions

 

We have both camaros and GTOs in our 4l60e running in the low tens and some unconfirmed lower numbers, As for shift points That LOADED QUESTION ON THE 700R4 SINCE ITS CONTROLLED BY THE GOVENOR, TV CABLE and is heavily afected by what rear ratio you have , Generally when someones looking for a specific auto shift point we suggest they use the B&M govenor calibration kit to get what they are looking for.
As for shifts firmness he are progressive firm nut not to hard at light throttle and get progresivly more solid as the throttle increases which is how it should be.

 

I have had a great experience with Finish Line Transmission. Run low 10's/ High 9's without any failures. I do get it freshened up every winter as a precaution and it's reasonable priced. I appreciate that the trans is dyno tested prior to going out the door so I know everything is ready to go.

http://www.finishlinetrans.com

 

jah15
I have dealt with probuilt before, and they have some problems picking up their phone for questions. I called them for 2 weeks with some questions and no one picked up. This was at all times of the day. When i finally got a hold of someone they helped me very well. The tranny runs and shifts perfect for 470 horse. by the way jah15 if your looking for a ZZ9 camshaft i have on if your willing to buy. Its only been used for 1 years and 2000 miles. let me know if your interested at joeblue83@yahoo.com

 

thanks for the info. I have about had it with the bowtie overdrive tranny that I have now. that is why I wanted to know what other transmissions other guys are running. Bowtie sent me a new 5500 rpm governor. The website says though that their level 2 transmission have a higher than stock full throttle shift point and other improvements. The trans is fine for the stock motor that I have now but when I get out of college next year I plan to build a tourque monster so I need a tranny that will take what I have planned.

 

We put ours in a vehicle guages and all and actually drive it lol

 

Do you do house calls?

I've had a good experience with FLP. I'm not saying they're any better than someone else. But they treat me well and I don't have issues.

 

in the 700 i ran in my camaro at full throttle it would shift 5300 everytime on its own..we combined the governers from a vette and S-10...makes it nice when ur spraying...mash the gas and hold the button and the tranny doest what its supposed to do...and a good built tranny doesnt have to break ur neck everytime it shifts...actually a sign of someone no knowing what they are doing IMHO...it just breaks parts..

 

Hey if the price is right anythings possible lol

 

I must say shift points all depend on what you need also. My motor peaks hrspower at 5500 rpm and torque was 4600 rpm . So I do not need to have high shift points it is a waist of time. I give all my specs to Frank at Performabuilt and they worked with me to build my tranny. It has a nice bump with light throttle from first to second. Second to third is solid . I can't leave at WOT at the moment because all I do is spin and I am over buying tires I bought to maney sets in my younger days. Now it is all about feelling the road and speed It will stay in 3rd at WOT until you let off so it can go into OD. Real nice feel actually with these shift points and my stall converter of 2800 rpm. So I gues all I can say is Get a tranny built for your needs from the start you will enjoy it much better. Roger