[zmichalies]

I bought a 1983 z28 camaro I put a built 305 with a little over 300 hp. It has a 700r4 with a 2500 stall got it all together and 5 blocks down the road 1,2,3 were gone all started to slip (reverse ok) they wanted $1200 to rebuild it so I went to the salvage yard and picked up one out of a 1985 chevy conversion van can anyone tell me what to do so this dosent happen agine. I also didnt have the detent cable hooked up or a toggle switch hooked to the converter. What do I do?

[DoubleVision]

#1 cause of automatic transmission failure is HEAT.
If everyone in the nation installed tranny coolers on there cars, the tranny shops would be crying. if the lockup doesn`t function, heat builds excessively in a hurry, which results in the transmission cooking. now let me get this right, you took it down the road with no detent cable? it`s a miracle it shifted at all, the 700R4 MUST have the detent connected, as this tranny doesn`t use a vacuum signal as the older TH350`s did, they shift by pressure which is controlled by the detent cable. the cable has to be in adjustment also or it won`t shift or act right. take the govenor out of the tranny that came in the car from the factory and install it in your tranny, as the weights are matched up to your car. after you get done with the detent cable and the govenor, if the tranny still don`t work right, remember this, all pre 1988 700R4`s are junk, they had many many flaws.

[BOBCRMAN@aol.com]

DoubleVision is correct, these transmissions must have the cable hooked up and CORRECTLY adjusted or you will toast them in just a few miles.

[zmichalies]

Thanks for your reply. this tranny i got was behind a 6.2 diesel is there anything i need to do beside switch converters? Also anyone out there every put a th350 in an 83 and up camaro? If so how difficult was it to make the adpater for the torque arm mount? Also the detent cable was in the tranny but it wasnt hooked to the carb (650 holly double pumper) and I also shifted through the gears didnt use drive. thanks for your help.

[airworld2]

1983 700 didnt use a tv exhaust ball in case when t/v cable not hooked up will shift at will(any speed) too soon. trans failure from low t/v pressure. I am so sick of hearing pre 88 700 are junk that is so much bull most of the trouble with these units have long been fixed planet failure from bad rear ring gear in the most common thing we had . even the 4l60 e tranny still have the same trouble they all did 3-4 clutch failure planet failer pump trouble lock up trouble bearing failer, so if you dont fix these units for god sake dont give advise on what year to use, they all work if you rebuild it right and fix what you know makes them work...

[Crosley]

airworld,

that is one of the big tales on the internet. ........ a pre 1987 700/4L60 is bad.


zmichalies.........diesel tranny will need the gov changed too. And it may work OK for you on the shift points. As I mentioned in my email response to your questions the diesel tranny is calibrated differently from a gasoline engine tranny.

[syclone]

the pre 88 700r's are weaker in factory form but as airworld states when rebuilt fix the problem(s) correctly and they are as good as any other tranny

[DoubleVision]

you can get the torque arm bracket from jegs or summit. first off, I didn`t get my info off the internet, it came from Hot Rod magazine. secondly, as said the factory ones are weaker, and I`m sure there`s lots of them out there that are still factory that made it to the junkyard before they needed rebuilt. and last, not all tranny shops bother to improve them, especially if the customer says "i won`t be keeping this vehicle long, do it cheap as possible" a friend of mine is a retired tranny rebuilder, and he says just as I do, "we did what the customer told us to do even when we strongly advised otherwise"
and how many shops do you know of that have a heavy duty replacement sun shell? we just rebuilt the 4L60E tranny in my fathers truck, the sunshells gear was broken off, the truck has a 4.3 V6 in it, and has never towed or hauled anything of heavy weight, however, there are sites online that tell of how weak the sunshells are, and they carry a replacement shell that has had a steel insert added, then is welded in place and lastly balanced. there is no where locally that have them, and nobody here bothers to improve them any.

[zmichalies]

I found the torque Arm switch in jegs and ordered it. Will the shift linkage be the same? and will I need to swap the driveline to go to a th350 or th400? thanks zack

[airworld2]

double , 700 didnt have trouble with the sun shell but 4l60e did I have seen many of those come across my bench and god bess gm for that. Gm knows they have trouble with the shell but has yet to recall them as for me I replace them with a new one when I do my rebuild its not that much compaired to another r&r and the fuild it take's not to memtion a pissed off customer. I have seen a few sun shell broken in 700 but not like 4l60e tranny's do. I have welded some sun gear to the sun shell in a high horse power 700 car, haven't seen those fail. As for your comment about we as shop owners only fix them in a cheap way as per customer orders
speaks for your self I would like mine to out last the engine but I admit not all do.You youself should realize that a comeback only cost the shop money and at the same time you lose your customers.

[zmichalies]

I found the torque Arm switch in jegs and ordered it. Will the shift linkage be the same? and will I need to swap the driveline to go to a th350 or th400? thanks zack

[DoubleVision]

I fully agree with you air, I know of a few shops here that did "patch jobs" just fix whatever was wrong with it, and send it on it`s way, but the only thing that keeps these shops going is the college students since I live in a college town, new ones always coming in so they always take it to the cheapest shop around and those guys do a patch job and that`s that, Mr. Transmission here in my town is the worst, friend of mine had his 700 rebuilt by them, we redid it 2 months later when all gears were gone except 1st and reverse, during the rebuild we noticed it had the factory clutches still in it, they didn`t do a rebuild, they did a patch job and that was it. I myself don`t believe in doing things half way, cause it only means it`ll be back again before long.

[zmichalies]

I found the torque Arm switch in jegs and ordered it. Will the shift linkage be the same? and will I need to swap the driveline to go to a th350 or th400? thanks zack

[Crosley]

A 9 inch tail housing T-350 will bolt in place of the 700 tranny.

The drive shaft will fit.

The shift linkage will fit.

you know you need the kit for the torque arm from the diff.


the speed-O cable will thread onto the T-350. NO the speed-O will not read correctly in most cases.

you will need to move the crossmember.

[zmichalies]

Thanks got the right kit