After a bunch of research on several different forums, I decided on a TH200-4r for my 65 Lark. What I learned is that, once you build one right, the 200-4R is just plain stronger and better than the 700R4. And, the gear ratios seem to be a little better for my application. Now back in the day, there was not a lot of choices for getting one built. Most everyone went to Art Carr. Now, that is not the case. Their are 5 or 6 premier builders around the country. In fact, Art Carr is not even run by Art Carr anymore. He sold it to a guy who does not have such a good reputation in the Turbo Buick community anymore. The real Art Carr has a shop in California now under a new name. When I decided to go with the 200-4R, I knew that the best source of info on that tranny was the turbo regal guys, so I did a lot of reading on TurboBuick.com and found out who had the best reputation for building them. I was pleased to see there were several to choose from. None were in my area, so I just picked the one that seemed to have the best reputation. I am ordering the tranny today and will be installing it the same time as my new 3.90 posi rear. Getting new toys is fun.
So, who ARE you getting your trans from? CK? Are those 3.90's going into your 8.2? What carb are you running, and what did you get for your tv cable setup? Tons of questions, huh? Can you tell I am planning to do the same thing?
whom are you ordering from, Janis Transmissions in arkon ohio? when iI was digging into this , he seemed like the best, and actually fairlt close to me
I chose Lonnie at Extreme Automatics. He has a big following on TurboBuick.com and LS1Tech.com. When I spoke to him, I was very impressed with his knowledge. He is including the TV cable and dip stick tube in the deal. As for the rear end, I bought a 71 Skylark 8.5 from GStage1 that is being completely rebuilt with new goodies this week.
Oh how you manual trans guys love to jam gears. I used to love it too but I just broke too much stuff. And, there is a lot of traffic where I live. So, sticks become a lot of work.
You'll be happy with the OD. Just be sure the get the TV cable adjustment right or you could burn the trans up (I'm sure the trans builder told you this already). I had a 2004r in my Skylark prior to switching to the manual trans =P
Yes. He is setting it up so it only works in OD initially. I may play with the vacuum switch set up later after the combo is vetted.
I have spent quite a bit of time around TH700 and TH2004Rs. I used to race GNs and work on Tuned Port Vettes in the 80s and early 90s. That was until I bought my first 64.
How is a 200 better that a 700 "the 200-4R is just plain stronger and better than the 700R4"??uzzled: They both will do the job when properly built...neither one is better than the other.
According to some of the top trans builders that I consulted when making my decision, both trans can hang in there when properly built up to a point. However, when you get above 500 HP they say the 700 has some design shortcomings that just cannot be fixed. While the 200-4r can be upgraded to take 800 HP or more. If you want to know more, I suggest talking to Lonnie @ Extreme Automatics. Unlike some of the other top builders of either of those units, Lonnie is one of a few guys that is known in both the Turbo Buick and the LS community as a top notch builder of later models performance transmission. So, he is in the unique position of having extensive experience building and developing both units. So, he can tell you specifically why the 200-4r can be made stronger than the 700. When it comes to overdrive automatics, it seems that a lot of tranny builders think they know what they are doing. But, only about a dozen in the country have a good reputation for consistently delivering.
Talked to the trans shop today. He said I should have it by next Friday. I am pretty excited about that. The rear end will be done this Friday, so soon I will get to feel the difference. It ought to be quite an experience going from a 2.73 peg leg and a ST-300 (1.76 first gear) to a 3.90 and a 200-4r (2.74 first gear). I bet the little 300" motor will come alive.
One advantage of the 200R4 is weight. The 200-4R weighs 157 lbs. vs. the 700-R4 at 184 lbs. Also, the 200-4R is the same length as a TH-350, making installation far easier. Plus the 700-R4 was never made with a BOP bolt pattern, necessitating an adapter to work on a Buick engine.
Reasons the 200R4 is better than the 700R4 in most applications. 1. I agree about the gear ratios, the 200r4 has a shorter spread between 1st and 2nd. It is a 46% rpm drop on the 1-2 shift which is not so cool for quick acceleration ESPECIALLY with a larger than stock camshaft that lacks low rpm torque. 2. The 700r4 have a week input shaft and sun gear assembly. Under 500 hp and tq they are ok unless used in a heavy vehicle. 3. In addition, for Buick swaps an adapter plate is required to mate the engine to the trans. 4. Lastly the 700r4 valve-body is such that the overdrive shift will not happen under full throttle.... The 200R4 does not have this feature since the engineers were not as scared of the trans dying.
What stall speed converter are you going to run with that combo? Also, does a '65 frame have the provision to move the crossmember back or are you fabbing one to work with the new tranny? I just pulled the trigger on a 200-4R for my '64 but haven't finalized the specs. I'll probably go with a 2000 or 2200 stall since I'm upgrading the rear to 3.55 gears. BTW, the ST300 has 1.64 first gear ratio, the Powerglide has 1.76. That really speaks to the grunt of the mighty 300 that these cars can even get moving!
I have requested a 2800 stall. As for the cross-member, the last conversion I did on a 82 El Camino, I had to merely slide the cross-member back on the frame rails a bit and drill new holes. I am assuming this will be a similar situation. We shall see.
