700R4

by Redsway76 Tue May 05, 2009 3:53 pm

Anybody everr use a 700 R4 in these cars if so deos the current driveshaft work does it need shortned is there another factory driveshaft i can use ?

by The Dude Tue May 05, 2009 4:09 pm

Look for a 200-4R. Better gearing, lighter, cheaper, almost a direct swap. The only thing needed is to move the cross member back a little. At least that's how it is on earlier generations.

You can also beef them up to take some major power. Leave the 700-R4s to the truck guys.

by JB2wheeler Tue May 05, 2009 4:18 pm

There are advantages and disadantages between the 200 and the 700. Personally if it was me I would use the 700. Do more research until you know all sides of the question. JB http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/147370/post/1059827/hl/700R4/fromsearch/1/#1059827

by The Dude Tue May 05, 2009 4:41 pm

With the 700-R4, you may also run into firewall &/or floor pan clearance. My research is hands on experience with older A-bodies. Maybe the Gen 3s are different.

IMHO, the 1st gear in a 700 is too steep of a change to 2nd gear unless you have a wide power band... something to keep in mind.

by Limey SE Tue May 05, 2009 9:30 pm

i was gonna do this to limey but the drawbacks made me leave it a 350th....i may go to 4l60e later in life for dependability, didnt feel like cutting driveshaft moving the trans mount to a diff location was not worth it in my opinion

by Redsway76 Tue May 05, 2009 9:55 pm

so from most of what im gatehring the cheapest and easiest to do would be the 200-r4 the only thing the 200 lacks is guts however it can be built hmm
im thinking i mihgt just stick with TH350 shift kit and New converter for now

by The Dude Tue May 05, 2009 10:38 pm

200-4Rs were used behind Buick GNs & held up OK. If you want to get a beefier one, look for one from a mid 80's Monte Carlo SS or Buick GN. Otherwise buy one, get a billet servo & upgrade the input shaft. You should be good to go unless you plan on crazy horsepower.

by IndyG3 Tue May 05, 2009 11:41 pm

It all depends on whether or not you want an overdrive or not. 2004r's are pretty much a bolt on job, since they are pretty much Turbo 350's with an overdrive thrown in. And it is possible to make either the 350 or the 700-R4 handle buttloads of power, and it all depends on where you look for one. Unless your building some kinda track monster, like Rago said, buying a 200-4R and putting a cuople things will make them more than plenty strong for a car.

by McCauley5983 Wed May 06, 2009 12:25 am

the 200 r4 costs more if you want to beat the snot out of it . 700r4 can with cheap little mods, plus there everywhere. but make sure you get the 4l60 its the mechanical version the 4l60e is electronic version of 700r4. personally i like a 4 speed manual or the th350

by Hydro King Wed May 06, 2009 10:03 am

Your going to have to go to a drive shaft specialist..

Here is the link.. http://www.pstds.com/

by novaderrik Sat May 09, 2009 2:36 am

i put a 700r4 in my Monte- took me about 3 hours total.
the trans bolts right up to the stock motor, the stock crossmember bolts into the stock TH400 holes in the frame, cooler lines and column shift linkage bolted right up (but i can't get it down to L1).
the driveshaft needed to be cut about 3" shorter- i did mine on the floor of my garage using my trusty NAPA chain exhaust tubing cutter to cut the tube about 3" shorter, my air powered cutoff wheel to cut the remaining pipe off the yoke (cut the weld away and the yoke comes out of the tube), and my flat concrete floor to hold everything straight while i welded the yoke on. it's been together since August of 2004, and i've had the car up past 100mph with no funky vibrations of any sort.
was it worth it? maybe- in city driving, the deep first gear is nice to get the car going and the 1-2 rpm drop isn't too bad. for regular highway driving, the overdrive drops the rpms just a hair too low for my engine, which causes it to lug a little bit. i gained no mpg with the swap in regular driving. interstate driving is another story- at 75mph, the overdrive and lockup torque converter puts the motor right in a sweet spot where it doesn't lug and it gets slightly better mileage than the TH350 did.

by JB2wheeler Sat May 09, 2009 8:28 am

You did a great job of altering your driveshaft on your garage floor, but I agree with Hydro on that most people would never get it right and should be left to a good machine shop. There is nothing as bad as having a driveshaft that is not exactly perfect and if someone does it their self they better put a driveshaft safety loop on their car, like Hydro did. JB

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