Im getting ready to rebuild the 700R4 in my pickup. the truck is bone stock. Its just a daily driver that i use for hunting and camping nothing extreme maybe a little mud play. My question is this, what would be a good upgrade in torque converters?
Posts: 146
Joined: Oct 2008
bloomington IL
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if u want to do anything fun id get a diffrent trany all together the 700 r4 are the worst tranys built if you wanted to get beefy get a 400 or a 350 turbo. they will never give out and they aint to bad on the road
i second that, 700R4 was junk from the factory. My dad had a 1990's model chevy 1500 with a 700R4 in it we rebuilt it 3 times and each time it kept breaking. After replacing the tranny for another 700R4 andthen it started sliping,wouldnt go into gear, and then later broke.Truck sitll sits in the backyard lol. I suggest on replacing the tranny.
I've heard the same stories about the 700R4, but I've got one in my Blazer and I run it in the dunes all summer long. I just bought it las summer so I don't have a lot of history with this vehicle.
I had it checked out by a tranny guy when I bought it and he said it was a solid transmission. He suggested boosting up the shift pressure, and replacing the sun gear, but he said it should run strong for a long time. Mine has a shift kit in it so it shifts real solid.
I'll run the 700 for as long as it holds up, but if I had a choice I'd probably go back to the 350 turbo.
A 700R4 is a solid trans. It had known problems/weaknesses as produced by GM but can be built to withstand quite a bit of abuse and power if built by somebody who knows what they are doing.
Generally those that naysay them and claim they are junk are the same types who would do something like remove a factory fuel injection system and replace it with a carburetor.
Quote:On 2009-02-11 08:52, ZacD wrote:
A 700R4 is a solid trans. It had known problems/weaknesses as produced by GM but can be built to withstand quite a bit of abuse and power if built by somebody who knows what they are doing.
Generally those that naysay them and claim they are junk are the same types who would do something like remove a factory fuel injection system and replace it with a carburetor.
REAL TRANSMISSION Shops knwo how to build them right...
My friend has a 454 in his Burban and still runs his 700R4 with allt he goodies doen to it. NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM. You jsut haev to address the Pump and make sure the TV cable and stuff is correct.
There is nothign wrong witha 700R4 taht cannot be addressed unless you simply ahve to much HP/TQ.
Most folsk who bash them had there tranny work doen by A BUDDY ON TEH WEEKEND or at AAMCO...
I stand behind a 700r4 even though I run a swapped TH-350 in my 1990 GMC.
Quote:On 2009-02-11 09:06, Wild&Blue wrote:
Zac,
It's good to hear some more positive feedback.
I hope the guy that built mine knew what he was doin'.
P.S.
You're pretty supportive for a Ford guy!
Do you work in a tranny shop or somethin'?
I grew up around my father's transmission business. Yeah, I'm a Ford guy and such and will call a turd a turd, but the 700R4 is not a bad transmission. Back in the early '80s, when the 700 first came out, GM had a LOT or problems with them and, back then, the 700R4 was something of cutting edge/very complicated for general mechanics and transmission rebuilders who were used to working on stuff like the "old" 3 speed GM Hydramatic 350s, 400s, Ford C4s, C6s, and Chrysler Torqueflight 6/904 and Torqueflight 8/727, and stuff like that. In fact, the local Chevrolet dealership's service department did not have an experienced enough or knowledgeable enough transmission tech that could properly "fix" or repair the vehicles (with 700R4s in them) that were coming back in on warranty with transmission issues. My dad and the service manager of the dealership, and the dealership's general manager, had a good relationship and so the dealer started sending vehicles (for warranty work/repairs to the transmission) to my dad's shop. I know, for a fact, that they brought a then brand new Z28 Camaro to my dad, for warranty work, that had exactly 23 miles on it with transmission problems.
Anyhow, enough for youthful recollections.
The 700R4 has been out on the market for 2, almost 3 decades now. Yes, as I've stated, when it first was introduced by GM it had known problems. GM made some updates and improvements in the lineage of the transmission (from the 700R4 through today's 4L60E and 4L65E) that resolved a lot of the KNOWN problems and weaknesses. There are plenty of aftermarket parts for them, as well. Just like anything else, you can sink a good chunk of money into one if you don't be careful, BUT you don't have to. There are many factory GM parts available, from later models of these transmissions that are inexpensive updates and upgrades for earlier units.
If you find a guy/builder who knows what he's doing...and the guy who you've spoken to sounds like he's pretty knowledgeable...a 700R4 can be built to withstand quite a bit of abuse and power. In the long run will a 700R4 ever be as tough as a 400? No, but at that if you're making the kind of power or dishing out the kind of abuse that you know might wreak havoc on a 400, why would a person even bother with a 700R4? On the flip side, if daily driveability and efficiency is to come into play, one has to really weigh how much power he/she really thinks he/she needs and how much abuse he/she wants to dish out onto the vehicle. A 350 or 400 might be more durable and reliable when it comes to flogging the vehicle hard every now and again, but neither is overdriven which isn't going to help out on the highway. That said, another positive attribute of the 700R4 is that 1st gear in it is MUCH deeper than either the 350 or 400...helps when trying to accelerate large, heavy tires AND/OR crawl ratio.
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