I am trying to decide which trannsmission I am going to put into my 82 Camaro. I am doing a complete overhaul which is going to take me a long time, so I want to do it right. Which is a better tranny, a turbo 350 or a 700r4, and why? I dont care about how common turbo 350's are, I just want to know which is overall a better tranny. Thanks

 

What are you going to use the car for?

Drag racing?

Street/Strip?

Highway or city driving?

th350 has 3 gears

700r4 has 4 gears

 

It depends on a lot of things. The TH350 is a good tranny but doesn't have an overdrive. If you have steep gears like 3.73, the engine will rev higher at highway speeds with a TH350 than it will with the 700R4.

The 700R4 has that overdrive that will allow you to run steeper gears plus first gear is lower. That low first gear will get you off the line quicker but the jump to second is to far for a drag racing tranny.

If you want it as a daily driver then go with the 700R4. If it's a weekend warrier with a good performance engine then go with a TH350.

Even better is a TH400. It's a heavy duty tranny that can take lots of abuse. The downside is that it's big and heavy when compared to the other two. And for all out drag racing you might want a powerglide (2 speed).

I currently run a TH350 in my race car. The 700R4 wasn't a good race tranny. Maybe by next year I'll have a powerglide installed.

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Follow my racing progress on Stephen's racing page
and check out the race car

87 IROC-Z Pro ET Bracket Race Car
383 stroker (carbed) with double hump cast iron heads and pump gas
461 Big Block installed and ready for the 2001 racing season

Best results before the 383 blew up
Best ET on a time slip: 11.857 altitude corrected to 11.163
Best MPH on a time slip: 117.87 altitude corrected to 126.10
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP based on power to weight ratio: 476.5
Best 60 foot: 1.662

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

I had a th350 in my 82. It worked well, but with 3.73's highway/interstate driving wasn't much fun. If you drive much on the highway, I would go with the 700r4. Mine went from 3000rpm at 60 to 2150rpm at 60 with the 700r4. It shifts just as good as the performance th350 I had, and all I did to it was add a .5 boost valve and vette servo.

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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

[This message has been edited by 82camaro (edited April 01, 2001).]

 

well,if you decide to run a th350 i have one for you.it already has a th700 conversion kit installed(bolts directly into a thirdgen)it has about 100 miles on it since rebuild,also had a shift kit installed at the same time.the reason im getting rid of it is my new camaro is a 5-speed....dont need that auto anymore.it Comes with the detent cable,x-member,and custom made driveshaft,a new flywheel for older 350s,and a good used flywheel for the newer 305/350.
asking $350 o.b.o. or trades?(need 145 cable driven speedo,iroc taillights,any older small block go fast goodies,v-8 t-5,t-56,etc)

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86 camaro:was a v6 car,now its going to be a v-8 5.7l!!
350:cylinders bored .040 over.a little over 9:1 compression(getting a blower some day when im rich lol)line bored.deck is milled a little(was pitted)
trw forged pistons with summit stage 2 polished rods with arp bolts.
194? intake valves(not 2.02( ),pocket ported,gasket matched,and polished ports,torker2 intake with new zinc 650 holley
matched comp cam...runs great on pump gas!!

ase certified for a few years,learned alot though

working on freakin NEONS ,cirruses,tauruses,cobras(well` at least they look nice lol)and intrepids all day makes me drink too much
good job security though

im always on the lookout for cheapv-8 t-5,s
and t-56 setups.they must be cheap.i dont care of they need rebuild,as long as they arent totally blown
also looking for a pair of iroc taillights,and a 145 speedo(cable driven)

 

go with a THM-200-R4, better shift points, and easier to bolt up plus cheaper.

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1966 c10 panel
1968 c20 350, 350
1982 camaro 305, th200

 

If you can install the 2004R without to much work?, then I would use this transmission over a 700R4. When setup properly it is faster, quicker, stronger, and somewhat more reliable than the 700R4. I have heard & seen results averaging a one mph gain & a loss of a tenth of a second in the quarter mile on cars in the mid to high 12's. I specialize in both units, and both can be made to perform and last.
Hope this helps!