i got a 700R4 for my firebird and i am going to have it rebuilt. a friend of mine does them, and does a pretty good job. i was wondering what some of the better mods you can do to them to make them last and shift hard. my engine combo "should" make around 350-375 hp. i am looking into a trans go shift kit, stage 2 or 3. i asked about them last week on here and didnt get many replies. are kevlar bands and heavy duty clutches worth it? how much power can a 700R4 take before you have to seriously mod it? i am wanting to run about a 2500 stall in it. i know the vette servo is supposed to be good, does that work well with a shift kit? or with a shift kit do i even need the servo. thanks for any help, just trying to learn more.

------------------
Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake

 

The TransGo -2/3 Reprogramming Kit is a great Kit and yes it will give you 'hard' shifts if yu select that. My advise is to go easy on that since that doesn't really have anything to do with peformance or longevity. The Vette Servo will be fine too. You will also probably want to go with the larger Boost Valve, .471 and the larger Int/Rev Valve.

Other mods are the TransGo HiRev Pump Ring Kit, a Corvette Rear Planetary (has oil slinger), a new GM Sun Shell and the 4L60E 3-4 clutch pack setup (it uses .106" steels instead of .080" and has ridgid pressure plates) as it is really the hot setup. Also, the 4L60E Sprag assembly is proving to outlive any of the earlier designs (as long as you have the latest Overrun Clutch Hub). A governor calibration kit will get you the Hi RPM upshifts you want to match your engine. On the stall speed, if that is when your engine starts making power, fine. Otherwise you may be better of lower (or higher but unlikely). Too much stall wastes expensive power.

[This message has been edited by transfixleo (edited June 25, 2001).]

 

Transfixleo is mostly right on this, I would add the Borg Warner Hi-Energy 2-4 band (not the Kevlar). There a few other modifications & updates that can be done, call me if I can be of help! 800 7763288 Mon-Sat 10-6 PST. There are a couple of ways to go with the torque converter, but I need a lot more information to make a recommendation on this.
Glad Too Help!!!

 

thank you so much for your guys reply. i will take this info to the guy thats doing my tranny. i have a few other questions. what does have an effect on performance and longevity? Also, transfix what do the mods you listed do. what i mean is what does the high rev pump ring kit do, the vette rear planatery do and so on? i am just curious, and want to have as much good info whenever i talk to my tranny guy. that in the heck is a overrun clutch hub? LOL. i am sure my tranny guy knows more about this than i do, well i hope he does. i want this tranny to be able to take abuse, cause lord knows its gonna get it. thanks probilt auto on the 2-4 band idea, why is it better than kevlar? just stronger? how much do these parts cost? are they super expensive? will the transgo stage2/3 kit shift hard enough to spin tires and get shi**y when it shifts into second gear? thanks so much guys. i appreciate your time, i know you are busy. i hope this thread helps out other people doing 700R4 mods. lil j

------------------
Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake

 

Hey guys, I am wanting to do the same thing that lil j is talking about. I am also curious about the cost of everything and what each thing will do. How much horsepower will this tranny be able to take? Are the B&M trans kits good? I want to be able to spin 2nd gear, will these mods allow this to happen? Thanks for your help guys!

 

The B&M kit is pretty much what you are after.

If however you want longevity too then get the TransGo.

Do you mind much if you occasionally have to pull the tranny to replace the Sun Shell since you have only 1st and 3rd with no reverse? That is what you get with "tire spinning" 1-2 shifts.

IF you are after maximum acceleration then you do NOT want the tires to spin, either on takeoff or on the shifts. Get it?

[This message has been edited by transfixleo (edited June 27, 2001).]

 

so will that tranny live behind a 350 hp engine? i mean for like longer than 3 months? i understand what you mean about not wanting to spin tires, i know its better to shift hard and jump forward into the next gear. i know you guys recomended alot of parts for my tranny, is there any others, and do you have a ball park on prices. oh, and pro built, i dont know if this is enough to make a converter suggestion, but this is what i have, thanks guys for everything.
357, 9.5:1 comp
441 heads, 64cc ported polished 2.02/1.60
comp cams 268xtreme cam, 1800-5800 power band
headmen shorty headers, headman y pipe, 3 inch exhaust 80 series flowmaster
650 double pumper, holley street dominator intake, port matched to heads
3.42 rear gears, i might go 3.73 later, just depends
car is 89 firebird, stock interior
265/50/15 out back
i was thinking of a 2500 stall, what do you think? thanks again for your time.

------------------
Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake

 

Above a certain RPM the variable displacemnt pump starts to move to a lower output position due to the forces affecting it at those RPM's. It has a stronger spring in it to counter that. Also, the pump rings are known for breaking and making a mess. The kit comes with two hard rings that will hold up.

The Vette planetary has an oil dam on the back of it and hollow pins that forces lube oil into the planetary. This is the only one I use. If you want the tires to spin then go ***** to the walls on the recommendations in the kit (there is a sheet in it to tell you how to modify the shift quality of the 1-2 shift. Just don't complain if you break something, OK?

350 HP is a walk in the park for this kit. In my opinion, I would NOT go to a higher stall converter than maybe 2000 and here is why. You say that your power band is from 1800 RPM on. Why not use it? Get the lower gears instead. Many times people want too much stall and too much cam and end up not getting what they were after.


[This message has been edited by transfixleo (edited June 28, 2001).]

 

What is the duration of the camshaft at .050 lift? And what are the lobe centers? Does the camshaft call for being installed 4 degrees advanced? Need to know this?

 

the cam specs are 268/280 adv. 224/230@.050 .477/.480 lift, its on a 110 LCA.
i had thought about the 274 extreme cam, but i think it might be a little big, that cam is 274/286 adv. 230/236 @.050 .487/.490 lift. 110 LCA. need anything else let me know. thank you

------------------
Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake

[This message has been edited by LilJayV10 (edited June 28, 2001).]

 

The cam you are planning on using should have a stall around 2,200-2,400 rpm. What rearend gear ratio are you using? Does your transmission lockup the torque converter in 3rd & 4th? If want to use the stock torque converter, make sure the cam is installed at 106 degree intake lobe center. There are different ways to go it just depends on what you are trying to acheive and how much money do you want to spend.
Glad Too Help!!!

 

i am running 3.42 gears now, thats whats in the car now(it was a V6 car)i might eventually go with 3.73's. how will that effect stall speed? is that to much gear? i will go with a 2200-2400 stall convertor. a friend of mine has a converter shop, and i can get a 2400 stall for a good price. hey pro built, what would you recommend, the stage 2 or 3 version of the trans go kit? oh, last thing, is a .471 boost valve enough for this setup? thanks again bud.

------------------
Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake

[This message has been edited by LilJayV10 (edited June 28, 2001).]

 

Stay with the stage 2. The .471 is ok. The lower the rear end gears (higher numerically), the more stall you can use. The 2,200-2,400 rpm stall is ok, it might feel slippery. The 12" torque converters are very heavy and not very efficent when it comes to torque multiplication, the smaller diameter torque converters do a better job, more money though. If you get the kit from Summit you will have the video and the .500 main & .300 intermediate/reverse boost valves along with the Corvette servo.
Hope This Helps!!!

 

i am assuming the .500 and the .300 reverse/intermediate valves are different than the .471 valve i asked about? like i said, i am no tranny guy by anymeans. also, you said the 2200-2400 feels slippery, thats what you recommended right? if i go to a smaller converter, it will stall higher right? and speaking of converters, lockup or non lockup? which would be better?

------------------
Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake

 

12" torque converters when modified tend to feel a little bit slippery when compared to a 10" torque converter of the same rated stall.
If you have the money and your car is a daily driver then the lockup is probably the better way to go. Are you planning to get the Trans-Go Performance from Summitt? Or do you want me to supply the parts. Summitt's kit has the video, mine does not.
Hope This Helps!!!

 

i will order the parts from where ever has the best prices. can you email me some prices on the parts that you have suggested? thanks again.

------------------
Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake