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200-4R durability questions

3K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  dwwl 
#1 ·
I have a 200r4 ,can't remember how I got it it's been so long. Was wondering if anyone has any thougt's on how dependable thay are. I dont plan to put much power to it ,just a cruser,well maby a little power.Also wanted to know what years thay made them Never owned one and any comments would be helpfull.Thanks
 
#2 ·
it was mostly used in g bodys(el camino/malbu/monte/regal/g.n/granprix/cutlass 82 up 88
and in some b bodys(so I'm told)
when build right it's strong.. the monty SS and gn got some better parts from the factory... but most rebuilds for hotrods add these to the rebuild..
like every trans it has a few weak spots that show up at 350hp and up..
these get addressed in a rebuild if you know you're gonna hit it with some power and/or slicks...
it's not as strong as a 7004r stock.. but the 2004r has better gearing..
the 7004r lived on as it's first gear is so low that it helped the general use taller rear gears.. that and the 7004r was in more vehicles than the 2004r
if your gonna jack rabbit around.. add the extra g.n. type upgrades.. if just a cruiser you'll get on every once and a while.. it'll be fine with a normal rebuild and a shift kit..
note.. you MUST set the t.v. correctly... it's not hard to do. but if you don't it'll kill the trans in short order..
 
#3 ·
I had a tci valve body put into a 700r4 once because the cable wasn't adjusted correctly and lost 3rd and 4th clutches,fast, about 2 miles. The valve boby would keep 200 lbs of pressure even if you lost elect.power to the trans.I never lost 12 volts to trans so i don't know if it worked. Now that I know the 200, [I like the gears], will work I might call them up to see if thay offer one for this trans.
 
#4 ·
A constant pressure valve body is really a race thing but I guess you could use it on the street if you can put up with the harshness. You don't state what you are put in front of the trans so it is hard to make recommendations on what you might need.

The 2004r can be made to handle plenty of power. A hardened stator support and sun shell would be on my short list for any overhaul. A larger servo, either aftermarket or one from a 200c could be substituted for more holding power for the band. Some good clutches and maybe an upgrade to three for overdrive. And a good valve body kit from one of the 2004r specialists.
 
#7 ·
i rebuilt a200 4r for my nova and it worked great. i did the rebuild myself and am building a second one for the fun of it. Us the bigger low boost valve and the bigger intermeadiat valve and you'll be happy. I just used a .471 intermediate valve for mine. i drilled out he seperator plate and it shifted to hard so i put a stock plate back in and itsfine now. i have 5 clutches in the forward, 8 in the direct, 3 in the over run, 3 in the third with the wide red band. I studied the web and figured it out how to up the clutch count. had my local machine shop modify my pan by using two pans and cutting on short and one long andwelded back together and that made my pan 1 1/2 deeper for the botton 4l60 filter and botttom spacer. most people tell me that the tranny only hade five clutches in the direct, but all my trannys had six, but all the ones i got are from v8 cars. maybe the ones from v6 cars had only five. Use the presure gauge to set the tv and work on the tv cable as hard as you did onthe thetranny and its good If you are lazy, don't try the conversion. have lots of patience and look at it as fun and you will enjoy the ride
 
#10 ·
if you use the two pan trick on the 200 4r and the 4l60 filter, make sure you donty just have the filter hanging there that is why i use some form of spacer on the bottom of the pan so thke filter has something to set on. that way the filter get oil since it a bottom feeder
 
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