[OldBucsFan]

1979 Camaro, not gutted. 3500 lbs. Very well built engine putting out about 500 hp and 475 ft. lbs. torque. Probably high 11's in the quarter, with slicks, 3000 stall, etc. It has a turbo 350 in it, but it's basically stock except for a shift kit. I'm considering a turbo 400 or a powerglide. I'm being told that the 350 probably won't last long. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[macx]

Glide.

Turbo 400 sucks up a LOT of power just to operate it.

Good friend of mine runs a 434 Reher Morrison sb in a 68 Camaro,
just tubbed, otherwise full body, TCI glide, 10" slicks, pretty deep
gears (5:34's I think), thru the traps around 7k,
something like 3500 or 4k stall. Runs mid/hi 8's depending on
1 or 2 4's and with or without a 150 shot. 2 gears is all he needs.

[k-star]

You will probably get a bunch of different ideas on this one!!!! Here is my .02

A car with 3 gears will always be faster then a car with 2 if everything else is equal... like traction, converter stall, weight, the amount of hp needed to run the trans etc,etc....
It works that way because you can keep the engine in the rpm range needed for the most usable hp. Think of it this way if your engine makes peak hp at 7500 rpm and you could hold the engine at exactly that spot for the entire 1/4 mile you would run the fastest time....

That being said,,if you are just interested in bracket racing you should probably run a glide. They are easy to get, light, average in the cost dept. And the most important they are consistant.

Me personally i run th-350's just because everyone says you can't!!!!!

Keith
K-star automotive
performance engines

[OddRodder]

Originally Posted by k-star

Me personally i run th-350's just because everyone says you can't!!!!!

Keith
K-star automotive
performance engines

And, me personally, I run T-400 because even though they do use up some h.p., I NEVER have to worry about losing high gear in the middle of a race!!!!

[bracketeer]

powerglide with tranny brake.

[56Maynard]

Call the nice man at ATI and ask him. Thats what we did. we had a 400 turbo that needed freshening and he said that scrapping that 400 and putting in a glide would cut 0.50 off of elasped times. Well we didnt believe that for a minute because we thought 3 speeds were necessary to keep the rpm in the torque range. In an attempt to disprove him and to prove to our selves what we believed as self evident, we installed the two speed and bigger then ****, first time off of the trailor the car was a half second faster then it had ever been. I wanna say that this was back in the late 80s or early 90s and nothin that I am aware of has changed.

70 Nova with small block flat tappet cam with headers and an intake. 3300# was running 11.70s with three speed and immediately started running 11.20s with two speed and no other changes. We also noted a dramatic change for the better with regard to the consistency on the slips.

Car now runs 10.60s with a roller small block and 2 speed. I like it when I spank those big block guys with 3 speeds with my 302 and glide.

I would have a different opinion if you were running a short stroked big block with a huge cam and tunnel ram with two fours and giant ports. In that case I would direct you to a 5 speed that would allow you to keep those rpms between 9000 and 10,000.

[ChevelleSS_LS6]

powerglide if it's for track duty, th-400 or a built up th-350 if you're runing it around on the streets alot; that 3rd gear would help make a decent highway rpm, along with 3.73s or milder gears.

[jakeshoe]

3rd gear on a Th350 is the same ratio as High on a Glide 1:1.

The Th350 is more than adequate for a 500 Hp/475 TQ car.

I have them running 10's in a 3600 lb cars without any issues, they aren't fancy, and I'm just a garage builder.

You need to have the directs dual fed, which almost all hot rod type shift kits provide on a Th350.
Same on a 400, the directs need to be dual fed or 3rd WILL go away under power.
TransGo is the only bolt in kit that does it in a 400 though...

I recommend a TransGo kit in the 350 and 400. On the 350 I drill the feed holes a little bigger than TransGo makes them... No option in the instructions to do this like their 400 kit..

A Th350 with a hardened sprag race, TransGo kit, doubled up sun gear bushings, 5 clutch direct, and otherwise good build will handle 600 lb ft consistantly.

[k-star]

Originally Posted by 56Maynard

Call the nice man at ATI and ask him. Thats what we did. we had a 400 turbo that needed freshening and he said that scrapping that 400 and putting in a glide would cut 0.50 off of elasped times. Well we didnt believe that for a minute because we thought 3 speeds were necessary to keep the rpm in the torque range. In an attempt to disprove him and to prove to our selves what we believed as self evident, we installed the two speed and bigger then ****, first time off of the trailor the car was a half second faster then it had ever been. I wanna say that this was back in the late 80s or early 90s and nothin that I am aware of has changed.

70 Nova with small block flat tappet cam with headers and an intake. 3300# was running 11.70s with three speed and immediately started running 11.20s with two speed and no other changes. We also noted a dramatic change for the better with regard to the consistency on the slips.

Car now runs 10.60s with a roller small block and 2 speed. I like it when I spank those big block guys with 3 speeds with my 302 and glide.

I would have a different opinion if you were running a short stroked big block with a huge cam and tunnel ram with two fours and giant ports. In that case I would direct you to a 5 speed that would allow you to keep those rpms between 9000 and 10,000.

Funny thing the exact oppisite happened to us... 406 in a back half 67 camaro 10.2's with the brake glide..10.00 with the non brake TH-350 and we used the same converter... nothing else cahnged. We even swapped it back and the car went back to running 10.2

Keith