I was today years old when I found out my car came with a Th-200R4, from what ive read its a fairly sturdy engine, just would like to hear from anyone who knows any good tips or facts about these transmissions. Thanks!

 

If this is a 82, it's most likely NOT a 200-4R. (which is NOT -R4, like the 700 is) More likely it's a 200C. 2 totally different transmissions.

If it's the 200C as is most likely, it's a complete steaming bucket of monkey plop. Catch me on a bad day and I'll tell you what I and most everybody else think of it. It's weeeeeeek in its design, not adequate for a V8 to begin with. Butt that's a whole other matter.

First order of business is, find out what you've got. Which is extremely eeeeeezy: all ya gotta do is look at the pan and compare to this convenient chart I ganked off the interwebz.



I would note also, that the 200C pan is small, flat, and featureless, whereas the 200-4R pan is quite large, and has 2 "sections" with a sort of pinched-off place between them. Very unusual looking.

 

it is a Th-200 style for sure, mine hasnt acted up or anything, would it be better to try and keep it going or swap out?

 

C = lockup clutch

Late 70s/early 80s ones didn't have that but the ones in 82 our cars did.

 

Usual extermination method in the deep past was a Turbo 350. Only problems then are, the torque arm mount, and the poor gas mileage, relatively speaking.

Better, in 2022, is a700-R4. The same thing that would have come in 83-up. You'll need a different crossmember (the one for T-5 & 700) and maybe torque arm, I'm not sure whether it's the same or not.

 

I wouldn't take it out if it was working good. TH200s stand up ok with stock v8 engines they were put in hundreds of thousands of Monte Carlos, Caprices etc.. They can be built and made into a pretty good transmission. I ran one in a Monte Carlo for years it was built and had a nice shift kit in it, but If I had a TH350 handy Id use it instead.

 

mine has been acting as i would say is "ok" it leaks when its running and i now have a pretty modified 350 attached to it so would it even be worth staying auto if i wanted to go manual? and would a T-5 hold up to around 550 wheel?

 

That doesn't make any sense.

The T-5 is absolutely NOT a high-power-handling device. It's eeeeeezy to shred one with a stock 305. I tore up a handful myself with my stock L69, and then when I swapped a 400 into my car, it ate them for lunch. I bet I rebuilt them a dozen times at least before I got hold of a 96 T-56 in about 99 or so. I would NOT recommend doing that swap in a situation like yours.

Best manual transmission to swap into one of these cars at one time was the 94-97 T-56 out of V8 Camaro & Firebird. It's still a great unit, as far as that goes; just, getting tougher all the time to find them. Especially in good ready-to-run condition. Nowadays you might do better by going with one of the aftermarket Tremec products rather than a junk stock one. It's possible to adapt a LS1 T-56 (98-02) but not near as direct of a swap, and those are not all that commonplace anymore either.

BTW Tremec (the name is some sort of abbreviation for Transmission of Mexico, in Spanish) was the producer of the T-56, and owns the rights to the T-5 as well. Their aftermarket units such as the TKO series are very similar in many ways to those.

There's reasons that most high-perf cars these days are auto trans.

 

completely understood, do you know a price range on how much everything would be to do a manual swap?

 

Depends on how lucky you are. I just completed a manual swap and was able to get the pedals, bellhousing, t-5, and slave assembly from the junkyard for $330. (any of these parts new will be pricey).
I bought a new Mcleod Flywheel and clutch kit for around $500.
Syncromesh fluid and random bits and bobs about $100.

So, all in all, around $930. Took two days and the car has been a blast to drive.

You can buy a kit with ALL used parts from Hawks for 1200-1300 I think, but that gets you all used parts.

T-5 will last as long as you allow it to. Mine does fine behind my 350, but I'm not out here dumping the clutch at 4k rpms or racing.

 

The THM200 and THM200-4R are actually very similar Transmissions.
Most of the Parts are interchangeable.

I will say that totally Stock, the THM200 Transmissions were rather weak (it was intended to be a VERY lite-duty Transmission.
The THM200-4R adds 1 addition Gear (4th/ Over-Drive) and had multiple strength improvements over the THM200.
However, Stock THM200-4R Transmissions are not strong either.

The THM200 is very popular in a select few Racing Classes.
With Aftermarket Parts they do handle 700+ HP (But it gets very expensive to do so).
The THM200-4R can be built for 1,000+ HP (But it also gets very expensive to do so).

For something in the range of 400 - 500 HP or less...
The THM700-R4 Transmission is probably the best route to go (with some Aftermarket Upgrades) for the Money.

 

I would be doing pulls and stuff, burnouts every now and then, im fairly sure if i stay under a 285 in the rear i should be fine breaking loose at low speeds and not hurting the car too much

 

If the wheels are spinning you aren't breaking anything

 

Now if you dont mind me asking, I am only 18 as of right now so i will say I am no master mechanic. What was the hardest part of doing the manual swap? I am working on this thing in a drive way as of right now.

 

Honestly there's nothing that was terribly difficult. Some of the work in the footwell can get tight when you're swapping the pedals (the bolt that goes through the top of the pedal near the steering column you basically have to just take out and put in using the force). It's all an exercise in patience, really. If you get frustrated, take a break. It's worth it when it's all done.

I had the front of the car up on ramps with jack stands serving as backup, if I were to do it again I'd probably put some jack stands under the back axle as well just to give a little more space. Chock the wheels and engage the e-brake.

Some people will solidly block the engine under the oil pan to keep it from dropping, I actually found it helpful to use a bottle jack with a wood block on top as it allowed me to raise or lower the engine as needed during reassembly. You'll want an extra set of hands when you pull the automatic, they're a bit unwieldy(at least my turbo 350 was!). Likewise it helps to have someone there when you're putting the manual in just in terms of being able to maneuver it (they're not heavy).

If you run into any questions feel free to reach out, it's all still pretty fresh in my head (just did it 2 weeks ago haha).

 

I've successfully swapped a 94-97 T56 in my bird and as RedLeader stated, nothing is terribly difficult. The hardest part of the swap was honestly the pedals/clutch master. I recommend installing the pedals first so you know where the hole has to be drilled. The shifter hole was rather easy as well. It's as simple as covering your interior with fire blankets to prevent sparks from destroying the carpet/seats and taking a cutoff wheel/die grinder to the tunnel. If you search the forums, you will find countless T5 or T56 swap threads that cover all of this in a lot more detail. The biggest suggestion is to take your time and do lots of research before you tackle the project.