Ok my 700-r4 is on its way out and I am looking for a new trannie. My problem is that I can't afford to rebuild it so I am looking in the want ads for other options.
option 1) get complete donor 5 speed car and switch to that
option 2) find another 700-r4, do transgo shift kit, and tc lockup kit (I don't have a computer)
option 3) get th350 and suffer on the highway
My question is, what would be my best bet here? I know the T5s aren't the strongest but my 350 isn't a beast either and I would like a 5 speed (but not if I'll kill it easily)
If I go with the th350 do I need a long or short tailshaft? are the bolt patterns for chevy's and pontiacs the same? (I am assuming they are but correct me if I am wrong)
I have the stock rear end w/ singletrack 308 gears and do a good amount of highway driving on the weekends. the th350s are a lot more abundant in the want ads than 700-r4s which is the main reason I am considering it.
Sorry one last question, will I have any problems with a rebuilt 700-r4 from a mid 80s vette?
thanks in advance

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Jay

Jay's Website
No car with 4 doors is a sports car! this goes back to my friend comparing his Maxima to a Camaro

 

anyone wanna help me?

 

FYI, Be prepared for a manual tranny swap to cost as much or more than a tranny rebuild. There are a ton of little things that can go wrong and they can add up really quickly.

Dale

 

The TH350 will fit, but you'll need an adapter to bolt up the torque arm.I know one guy that used the tailshaft housing off a TH2004R, instead, but he builds trannies all the time,so I don't know if there were other mods required as well.Most are unhappy with the TH350 in this application, because of the lack of OD.Switching to a T5 will require a lot of parts from the donor car,pedal setup,hydraulics,bellhousing,flywheel,clutch,t.o. bearing,pilot bearing,shifter,console insert,etc.Best T5's are the latest (90-92)
but still are rated at less than 300 Ft/lbs and your 350 probably puts out more.If you don't hammer it or bang gears it'll be ok, but what fun is a stick without doing that?
Also, I think the tailshaft housing on the corvette trans uses a totally different mounting setup, so you'd have to at least change that to use that trans. I'd bite the bullet and rebuild your existing trans or buy a rebuilt outright, if it needs to be back on the road quickly.
-Rich-



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1992 RS,5 Speed,T-Tops,Eibach Springs(cut), KYB's, Lakewood Trailing Arms and Adjustable Panhard Bar,Posi Disc Rear,3.73 Gears,Summit Rearend Support Cover,
Del-A-Lum Bushings,300 HP Crate Motor,Crane Comp-U-Cam,Edelbrock TBI Intake, Turbo City Ported Throttle Body and Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator,Open Element
Air Cleaner, Ground Control Strut Tower Brace and Caster/Camber Adjusters,SLP 1-5/8" Headers,Flowmaster 3" American Thunder Exhaust,3" Cat,Centerforce Dual
Friction Clutch,Hayes Billet Flywheel,B&M Power Steering Cooler,Big Thumpin' Stereo.

 

thanks guys,
yes if and when I change the trannie it will have to be a weekend project as this is my only car. Thats kind of why I was leaning towards buying another trannie so that I could do it in one day.
the T5 switch probably won't happen b/c if I have a standard I will want to be able to mess around with it and not worry about breaking it.