from fooling with gm trucks for years. the 4l60e/700r4 arent the greatest trans. doesnt take alot to break a decently built one in a 5k truck. they may do better in a lighter car.
MR. T..T. that dosent make much sense about pasages drilled , I dont think their is an overdrive out there that dosent have an oil passage or 2 drilled in it. Whoever said it depends on who builds it is right. What really looks strange is Corvetts, from crossfire, to mechanical fuel injection, to 4speed manual with a 3 speed automatic bolted to it, thats the doug nash 4+3, and the newer ones with the 700 bolted to the rearend connected with a torque tube to the engine. I think the only thing that logically brings someone to go with the 2004r is Buick bias.
I like the 2004r because it works. As above I'm not saying the 700r4 doesn't work. I had one in my car for the better part of 20 yrs. Split the shaft and you shall see the passages in the 700 and one in the 200. The more passages the less strength. Not hard to see. Here is a thread explaining a viewpoint. You may disagree. Couple it with a deeper first, need for an adapter, and cutting the driveshaft, I like the 2004r better. I have nothing but respect for the guys at Phoenix Transmission. I've known them for over twenty years, They built the 700r4 that was in my car as well as multiple units for my dad and many people I know. They are very competent. http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-219054.html
Rich, that pretty much covers it. I have a billet forward drum in mine. My experience with a 450 HP NA motor for 5 years and the last 4 years with a 600+ HP supercharged big block has convinced me that the 200-4r has been the way to go. We know that a ton of GN's are in the 10's with this trans. Talking to Denny Manner the summer and he put a 200-4r in his GS. He might know a little about what works with a Buick. By the way Jakeshoe is one the best tranny builders around.
If I had the money mine would have a billet shaft forward drum. I bet D Manner has a Buick bias Jake knows his stuff. His knowledge is what makes mine go.
Its good I dont have the money to build build 600 up hp motor , i may have to swallow my pride and go with a 2004r. Its a wonder why they GM stopped the 2004r. It would be a sick joke if they bring back the GN , but do a monte carlo and make it a front wheele drive. Price and availibity make it a hard choice to go 200 in my 500 to 600 hp range. Thats also why i dont run a posi rear end . I know stuff will break then. Not to mention hard to find for a 68 Riv.
Rich, ran it for 6 years without the billet shaft. When we took it down were surprised to find the splines in perfect shape. Keeping that one for the GN when we rebuild it. Most of that time I ran Nitto drag radials on it. Sometimes you get a good part and sometimes not so lucky. When it was time for the rebuild it was worth the $400 for the billet setup.
Why would gm need the 2004r? They did away with the bop engines and shortly there after rear drive cars. Pontiac had to go to Australia to import their last hurah(g8). Cadillac is the only rwd car left and though I don't know what trans they use I would guess it more advanced than a rudimentary cable prodded 2004r. 700r4, 4l60e, 4l65e, 4l70e has constantly been upgraded with things like a 5 pinion planetary and larger boost valves, better reaction shell and the like. The biggest upgrades the 2004r got was a roller bearing in place of a plastic bushing in the planetary and a bigger 2nd servo and additional springs in the direct drum in the gn brf ones. The pumps got hard rings and a hardened sun shell and hard stator support. If the 2004r had gotten the development the 7004r got we probably wouldnt even be having this discussion. Doug, cool your forward lasted. I hope mine does too.
I wonder how much the new 6+ speed automatic transmissions look internally when compared to the 700/4L60e and the 200. Like I said, smaller parts and just as much HP capacity. Do smaller parts translate into more room for more gears? Though I really don't know what the size of the modern 6+ speed auto's are either. I should roll under my truck and take a look. The 200 could have definitely benefited from electronic valve body control.
Because racing with a 700 mated to a Buick with a spacer plater and shims on your torque convertoer bolts with a hub adaptor on the nose of the converter does not seem like a good idear for high rpm and torque, i would think there would be some flex in the situation that would not be good for the motor, or transmission. I dont think anyone has done a test on how much they can take but i do not want to find out. I guess i will find out with my motor i am building if I have pushed past this limit. I went through three stock flywheels with my last motor. Flexsplates. I have the stronger SFI or SPI flexplate that TA sells this time. Im sure the spacer and having to shim the torque converter bolts stresses the flexplate. That would be a great reason to use a 200 4r ounce you reach a certain HP level.
