Rebuild tranny myself or no??

[TunedPort 335]

Well my tranny is probably gonna shit the bed pretty soon. 1st to 2nd shift slips pretty bad when you're into it. I've saved up some money, and I'm selling alot of stuff soon...so I'm gonna rebuild the tranny this winter with a Yank 2800 stall, manual valve body, trans cooler with fan (already have), and B&M internals (unless someone changes my mind). I also already have a B&M megashifter I gotta install.

Question:

My father is going to help me rebuild it. He's rebuilt trannies before, mechanic by trade, he says they have all come out pretty good. But is it worth it to do it by ourselves? From what I understand, I'll need a HUGE bench setup...since theres so many parts inside of an automatic.

Or should I send it somewhere and have it done? Any of you guys know of any GOOD reputable guys that rebuild trannies for cheap money? I don't have alot of money to spend on labor.

Thanks in advance

[Mr Joshua]

hope you'v got some time on your hands, if you'v never done it before..
i'd tackle a manual no problem... i'd be kind of intimidated by an automatic.. from what i'v seen on two assholes garage on tnt looks quite nasty.. unless you'v got the rebuild manual or some experience under your belt...
~J

[02"laser" Red]

What trannie? 350 400 or 700R4? I have done 350's before with help,if your dad is a mech, you should have no problems.

[540Malibu]

i wouldnt recommend yank converters, the people building and selling them are morons. let me dig up their website of wrong information.

[TunedPort 335]

Originally posted by 540Malibu
i wouldnt recommend yank converters, the people building and selling them are morons. let me dig up their website of wrong information.

Weird. I was gonna go B&M, but all the "cool" 3rd gen guys said it was junk. They all recommended Yank, LOL.

What would ya recommend? I'm pushing about 425lb ft of torque at the crank right now, I will eventually do heads & intake...so I'd need something rated for over 450 lb ft. So it's gonna need a pretty strong converter, as well as bands and clutch packs..etc.

The tranny is a 700R4. What should I do about the internals? What company, etc.

Yanks website is www.converter.cc

[540Malibu]

well it seems like they finally got sued by TCI, because the false info is missing, but when they did attack TCI, they claimed that the converter pilot spins inside the crank shaft....

i would rather go with a vigilante or call up matts (chicken's) transmission guy and see what he says.

[TunedPort 335]

I'd like to go for a vig, but I don't have that kinda money for just a converter :( My torque peak is around 3200rpm, so I'd like something around 2800 stall. Bout 1000rpm over stock.

Would it be bad if I built up the internals, but put on a "decent" converter for the time being...until I could afford something like a Vigalante? Could any bad effects result from that?'

Thanks spence, I'll talk to matt about who built his tranny.

[540Malibu]

i would def, do the internals, a low stall t/c istn gonna hurt any of those one bit, i just question putting a yank in because if they advertise false information, and dotn pay attention to those details, how will the details be were you cant see them. b&m sucks too. and i think the other guys will agree with me, the one place on an auto-car where you should not skimp is in the t/c. if you plan on changing engine combo's soon, i would get a decent one, but no need for top of the line just yet. Just for example, my torque converter cost $1,134. of course it needed to be beefed for the trans brake, but it will take anything the motor can throw at it.

[NickPSI]

Originally posted by TunedPort 335
I'd like to go for a vig, but I don't have that kinda money for just a converter :( My torque peak is around 3200rpm, so I'd like something around 2800 stall. Bout 1000rpm over stock.

Would it be bad if I built up the internals, but put on a "decent" converter for the time being...until I could afford something like a Vigalante? Could any bad effects result from that?'

Thanks spence, I'll talk to matt about who built his tranny.

I have a perfect t5 out of a 3rd gen if you'd like... :)

[TunedPort 335]

Thanks alot man, I appreciate it!

If anyone else has anything to chime in, better companies, where to go, etc... go for it.

:thumbsup:

[TunedPort 335]

Originally posted by NickPSI
I have a perfect t5 out of a 3rd gen if you'd like... :)

A manual would be cool but that fucker would explode behind my motor :( I wish they could have chosen a stronger manual tranny to put in these cars.

[F-Bobby]

Well we sub contract our tranny rebuilds to a plce called riverside transmission and if its good enough for a Cadillac dealer to send cars to i woudl think they are pretty damn good. Ill talk ot them and see what they can doo with a 700R4 and a heavy duty rebuild.

[X]

You could always talk to Jesse about a T-56. Just food for thought.

[bottledbird68]

Yes I have an excellent tranny guy. If you pull it and we drop it on his bench (he's in Manchester NH) it's fairly cheap. The last 700R4 we did with him (Paul's tranny) we opened up the Summit catalog, ordered a TCI rebuild kit, and the B+M 4/3 downshift valve. He got us a corvette shift accumulator servo (trust me, billet servo in a 700 is waaayyyy to harsh, you'll obliterate tranny mounts on a weekly basis if your not careful) and a 3,200 stall non-lockup converter. I forgot part prices on the converer and servo but they were more than reasonable. He did all the labor for $150. Not saying that's an exact price right now but I'll bet you it's close. This tranny has seen two seasons in Paul's car behind the 383 with no problems so I think you'd be all set doing the same thing, albeit with a different stall :thumbsup:

[TunedPort 335]

Sounds awesome Matt! Next time I see you I'll hafta get his phone number and name. I was looking for something around that price. And yea, most of the guys I know put the Corvette servo's in their cars.

Thanks man:)

[grygst76]

You pretty much are building your camaro to be all it can be, go with a higher stall the first time since you already put down impressive numbers for a 305. I would personally go with the 3200 and an oil to air cooler so you don't burn the fluid at a quick rate.. Also the 700r4 IMO is a shit trannie, they won't handle power for too long and self implode. You want to go manual valve body? I did and I got sick and tired of manual shifting all the time so in my TH400 I put B&M's trick shift kit in that in drive it acts normal and when you down a gear it stays in that gear until you shift it out. You can find TH350's and 400's in junkyards pretty cheap now IMO I would go with one of those.. It is not difficult at all to convert either, a Lot of 3rd gens have done it, I did in my 88 IROC and we only had to fabricate a couple of things. After the install I felt the car could achieve it's potential at a much faster rate, Although my ass dyno is not too accurate.:thumbsup:

[malibu81]

I have the best tranny guy around. His name is Ron Gregoire. He does allt of the trannys for the supercomp cars up at epping and alot of the quick street cars as well. He has his own 7 sec ford probe. If you look around at epping you will see Gregoire transmission stickers all over the place.

Also, I have an ATI 10 inch super streetmaster converter I could sell you, $225 (they go for $425). It footbrake stalled for me around 2400 behind my 383. The advertised stall was around 3000-3500. It fits an th350, I got rid of it because I wanted an 8" converter. I destroyed an B&M holeshot converter, but this one was perfect, no problems.

[tnthub]

700R4 isn't that strong, even when built. My first 700 went through two rebuilds before it exploded through my floorboards and stuck a piece of case in my leg out in Ohio. I had to get another because I needed to drive the car home and didn't have the tme to deal with custom driveshaft work.

Look around carefully for the right deals. Whatever you do, plan on installing a shield and use an SFI flexplate.

[540Malibu]

Originally posted by Crovax Z26
Well we sub contract our tranny rebuilds to a plce called riverside transmission and if its good enough for a Cadillac dealer to send cars to i woudl think they are pretty damn good. Ill talk ot them and see what they can doo with a 700R4 and a heavy duty rebuild.

if its good enough for a dealer, i'd send it somewhere else.

[TunedPort 335]

I'm gonna keep the 700R4 without a doubt. I'm in high school, don't have alot of money to be spending on gas...I'd like to have overdrive. It should be strong enough for my car, which will usually see 13 second passes. It's not a 500hp monster, lol.. just a nice little street car. Plus the car will be daily driven.

grygst76: Yeah I'm definitely going manual valve body. I grew up on dirtbikes with 6 speeds, I just love bangin gears. I hate the typical automatic "delay" downshift when you floor it. I want it to be right there, nice and crisp. Thats why I want manual valve body:thumbsup:

As for selling me parts, I'm glad you guys are offering...but I'd feel alot better if everything was brand new in my tranny. I just wanna do it once and do it right. I can wait on the converter for awhile, its just the tranny slips so bad right now 1st-2nd gear...I don't think its gonna last much longer. I want the car ready for the Summer Nationals, the last thing I need is a blown tranny :bash:

Thanks alot though guys, I appreciate the help.

[bottledbird68]

Don't worry Chris, I'd keep the 700 too. I will never again build another car without overdrive. Yeah the 700R4 is weak in stock form. So is my 2004R. If you spend enough money on it it'll take whatever you can throw at it. Granted, I've got close to three grand in mine but it's guaranteed to handle 1,200 horse. But, I think you'll be fine, if Paul's is still alive you'll be ok as long as you don't beat the hell out of it :thumbsup:

[H3llphyre]

mmm, torque... man, your engine makes WAY too much power for a 305 (yeah, i know it isnt anymore). Me likes.

[Blackwidow]

Nick .. what ya gonna do with that T5?

[350Caprice]

i wanna t56!