hey, i can get a used 700R4 from thirdgenresource for 150, and i was wondering about the benefits of installing it would be. i plan to swap in a 3.4 as soon as i have the money for it (summer job), and i would probably need one for that anyway, so i figured if it would help to just put it in now?

 

If your current tranny is good, I would leave it alone until you do the 3.4 swap. Those 2.8 are really far back in the bay and (speaking from experience) thos bellhousing bolts are a b**ch to get out.

 

Depends on the year of the trans. Don't drop any lower than '87!! Your current trans ('91) was made pretty bulletproof by GM, compared to the early 80's models.

I swapped my last trans on my garage floor, it wasn't that bad. I followed the procedure in the Haynes 82-92 Firebird (or Camaro) book, they were right on the money. I gotta dig those pictures up and make a page for them! I had air tools, but wound up not using them.

Here's a buttload of links for you!

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=60471
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=60777
(Getting at all the bolts, exact tool list- ) https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=61114

One thing you could do: Buy that trans (sounds like a good deal as long as the year is a good one!), then rebuild it over the summer. Find the http://www.haynes.com GM Transmission Overhaul book - I got mine at Pep Boys for $15 - it gives a photograph by photograph rebuild of the 700r4. Also, buy the ATSG (Auto Trans Service Group) service manual from http://www.naparts.com for your year of transmission for $15. That ATSG manual is basically a copy of the transmission section from the GM manual. I was a bit disappointed, since I already had the GM manual, but I noticed that the ATSG book lists all of the updates for the 700r4. Ex, in '85, a new accumulator piston design was used, and the ATSG book gives the TSB # and part information. That's not in the GM book.

Any other questions, let me know! Glad to see you're thinking of doing it yourself!

 

I guess that will prove tosome people around here that Haynes manuals are good

 

I personally would go elsewhere then thirdgenresource. ALOT of people on this board have had probs with them. I mean ALOT.

 

Thanks for the help. i'm more than looking into it. i have the camaro haynes manual, but i'll go out and get the transmission one.... it sounds like it'd be fun to do, and apparently couldn't hurt.
The only reason i'm looking into thirdgenresource is because i live in charlotte, where they're located. i don't have to worry about shipping, and i can go inspect the product before i purchase it. i love eliminated the middle man

 

I seriously want to rebuild mine- it's been rebuilt twice already, and neither job was "hot $hit". So how bad could I do? It's pretty much a "remove all the guts, put new guts back in" kind of job. The only tough part is making sure you put it in correctly. Some pieces just won't fit if they're incorrect, other pieces slip right in.

I had a link (must be in Netscape I guess) that sold trans tools for cheap. DAMN where's all my bookmarks? Did I forget them? Shoot, I must not have xferred 'em to my computer. Um, trannyman.com ? Is that it? Hah, I think it is, but I can't get to their store... but there's a few tools that we could make, but trannyman had 'em for $35, so it's almost not worth the bother. One tool in particular is the low/reverse clutch spring compressor... do a search for trans tools on the tranny board and you'll find a ton of stuff. Keep us posted!