tranny people... I need to decide on which tranny to run.

[Adam90xj]

I have a 01 48k mi 5.3/4l60e.... going to have an atlas behind it.

I'm having second and third thoughts about running the 4l60. 3 main reasons = strength, cost to make it stronger, no RMVB.

So, been eyeballing th350/400.

I'm not a big HP guy so this motor is likely to stay stock+headers/tune for awhile. The most I could ever really see doing to it is a cam swap.

What has to be done to the th350 to make it reliable behind this little motor? I will run a FRMVB. rest of specs will be tube chassis <4k lbs, 60/14b 3.0/3.8 atlas and 5.38 gears f/r

Then of course i could just go with a 400 but do I need 400? it's bigger, heavier, uses more power.... but is definitely stronger.

Oh, and I'm going to do all the tranny work myself. Been inside 47re's/700r4's so I doubt I'd be surprised by anything in a th350/400

 

[sappmann]

turbo 350 and 400's are easy to build and hop up

 

[RobbyBobby]

personally i like asian tranny's, they usually look a lot more like real chicks to me

 

[Bones]

I prefer ones without adam's apples....just makes me feel less queer

 

[COPPERHEAD42]

Stick with the 4l60e. It will be plenty strong for how much power your putting down

 

[doctordick]

Have you considered a 700 R4? Lower 1st gear than 350/400, overdrive if you ever street it, lots of aftermarket support including TCI's manual valve body with full compression braking (really nice for crawling or trailriding) 700's got a bad rap because they were pretty weak when they first came out. After years of development, They were really stout before they were replaced by the 4L60. The corvette version would easily stand 500 lb/ft torque. The early 4L60s went through the same growing pains but I guess they're pretty good now. I love my 700 with rmvb. $.02

 

[Blase]

I run a 700 r4 and would say to go 350/400 or stick with the 4l60e. I'm on Trans number 3 in 4 years. next one will be built to the hilt .....and if it don't last i'll bit ethe bullet and change over to 350. Low first and OD are nice but I'm tired of breaking trans! uke:

 

[doctordick]

Isn't a 4l60 just an electric shift 700r4? The old boy that built my 700 was a hardcore racer and had been building trannys since before there were automatics. No offense meant but maybe the problem is the builder and not the transmission. I do know the parts are a lot stouter in the later ones, maybe you've got an early production unit with the weak parts. My Willys is well over 4000lbx, and while I'm not a rockbouncer it has been beat on a few times in the last 15 years.

 

[Adam90xj]

I run a 700 r4 and would say to go 350/400 or stick with the 4l60e. I'm on Trans number 3 in 4 years. next one will be built to the hilt .....and if it don't last i'll bit ethe bullet and change over to 350. Low first and OD are nice but I'm tired of breaking trans! uke:

Do you know what broke each time? 4l60's/700r4's are basically the same. I just built a 700r4 for a guy with a 350tbi/4:1d300/538's/42 sticky iroks.... works great but parts are expensive. He runs low range 2nd gear most of the time because 1st is just too slow.

What is your reasoning for going with a 350 over a 400?

 

[Blase]

Isn't a 4l60 just an electric shift 700r4? The old boy that built my 700 was a hardcore racer and had been building trannys since before there were automatics. No offense meant but maybe the problem is the builder and not the transmission. I do know the parts are a lot stouter in the later ones, maybe you've got an early production unit with the weak parts. My Willys is well over 4000lbx, and while I'm not a rockbouncer it has been beat on a few times in the last 15 years.

No offense taken! You are right on all accounts. The 4l60E is just an electric 700r4. I've found (personal experience) that since the computer monitors pressures and temps that they seem to hold up a little better than a non computer shifted 700 r4. If the TV cable is just a little off on the 700 it slowly kills the transmission.

4L60E is MUCH easier to tune and has more features than a 700r4. You can change shifts points to make the 4L60E last better in the program (if done correctly). That alone is a nice feature to have. You can plug into the computer and diagnose shifting issues if done correctly. Not to mention that if you find a builder that knows what he’s doing you can put the “auto stick” feature in the 4L60E. This gives you to option to run the trans. like a normal Auto or like a MVB auto that you have to shift.

EDIT: YOu can also have the 4L60E unlock the convertor everytime you step on the brakes so that you are not trying to drive over your brakes all the time. VERY nice feature. BTW all of these features that i've listed are on a buddies 4L60E. His wiring harness was from Fuel Injection specilist in San Antonio texas. Not sure how did the acctual program and tunes.

Mine is behind a 6.0 so I’ve had to play with linkages to get the pressures correct through the whole range of throttle. uke:

Mine is also a later model 700 r4. The early ones are complete junk!! All of them have been late models. One was the builders fault 100%. The other 2 just did not hold up. The first one actually blew up....cracked pump, blew the case apart all due to sun gear explosion. COMPLETE junk. The 2nd I was able to just rebuild. The one currently in the buggy is going out as well. Looking like a pump or clutch failure. Won't know till I get it out. They have all supposedly had the good stuff in them. Upgrade clutches, corvette servo, increased number of clutches, HD pumps...etc etc.

I'm by no means saying a 700 can't be made to live. Just that it's a Little less reliable than a 350/400 and less tunable than a 4L60E(which strength wise is the same as the 700r4).

That said I'm not giving up on mine!! RMVB so that I don't need that stupid TV cable and I higher stall are going in my soon to be 4th one. If it don't last I’ll through in the towel on the 700......but not without a fight. The low first and OD are VERY nice to have IMO and worth some trial and error to make it last.

Side Note: The one I had in my jeep last forever! Wasn’t until I started pushing it harder in the buggy that they started to die!

 

[Blase]

Do you know what broke each time? 4l60's/700r4's are basically the same. I just built a 700r4 for a guy with a 350tbi/4:1d300/538's/42 sticky iroks.... works great but parts are expensive. He runs low range 2nd gear most of the time because 1st is just too slow.

What is your reasoning for going with a 350 over a 400?

See above for breakage list.

I don't have a clear favorite. Since I already have $$$ in my atlas and adapters i'll stick with the 700 for one more re-build. If it doesn't last i'll weigh putting a 4L60E for tuneability ONLY because i've seen first hand how nice the "auto stick" is. I realize it's the same trans. more or less parts wise. But IMO the parts are put together much better.

But if your buddy is not using the 1st gear(which I do always use either ) then why pay the extra money to a 700R-4. All I am saying is that now a days with all the 4 speed atlas's and 3 speed stak's i'd run a 350/4 speed atlas before a 700R-4/two speed atlas if I was starting over.

 

[natedawgxj]

turbo 350 turbo 400 2 great transmissions. built a turbo350 for a buddy it is behind a bigblock,203 205 doubler in a 4000 pound rockwell buggy been in it for 2 years no problems. got a 2200 stall converter also. it is all in your preference.

 

[Adam90xj]

See above for breakage list.

I don't have a clear favorite. Since I already have $$$ in my atlas and adapters i'll stick with the 700 for one more re-build. If it doesn't last i'll weigh putting a 4L60E for tuneability ONLY because i've seen first hand how nice the "auto stick" is. I realize it's the same trans. more or less parts wise. But IMO the parts are put together much better.

But if your buddy is not using the 1st gear(which I do always use either ) then why pay the extra money to a 700R-4. All I am saying is that now a days with all the 4 speed atlas's and 3 speed stak's i'd run a 350/4 speed atlas before a 700R-4/two speed atlas if I was starting over.

He already had a built D300....

The auto stick you are referring to is the shift re-programmer kit that is a manual in 1-3 but full auto in d correct? I have thought long and hard about going this route as it is cheap! Thing that drives me crazy is that I don't know how I would like it being a forward shift pattern. The reverse pattern is SO much nicer IMO. R-1st is nice.

I would go crazy if my tranny failed 3 times wheeling. I live in Fl so when I head out of state it costs lots of money and time to do it. I don't want to have to worry about my tranny holding up!

Looks like a th350/400 is the route i'm gonna go in. Rebuild kits are cheaper, VB's cheaper, adapters are cheaper, and its stronger! If i somehow start doing any kind of desert racing (remember I live in Fl right?) I'll probably wish I had OD...

Guess the next question is what do I need to do to a TH350 to make it reliable? Any hard parts known to fail?

 

[Elliott]

Why not a glide, light, strong, and reliable

 

[natedawgxj]

With a good valve body most stock components are fine I have just put the kevlar bands and good clutches in the ones that I have built they have done great the kits are only $100 for turbo350 the stall converters are $130 its the way to go in my opinion

 

[RobbyBobby]

I prefer ones without adam's apples....just makes me feel less queer

what do you do when the tranny your bangin gets a boner? i usually just fly into a rage and beat them to death, but then sometimes i just go with it.......i think it all depends whether theirs is bigger than mine or not

 

[Adam90xj]

what do you do when the tranny your bangin gets a boner? i usually just fly into a rage and beat them to death, but then sometimes i just go with it.......i think it all depends whether theirs is bigger than mine or not

Run like hell !!!!

 

[blacksheep10]

What is your reasoning for going with a 350 over a 400?

If you use a 400, the length is probably similar enough that with adapters you could get away with no driveshaft/crossmember swappage.

 

[Bones]

what do you do when the tranny your bangin gets a boner? i usually just fly into a rage and beat them to death, but then sometimes i just go with it.......i think it all depends whether theirs is bigger than mine or not

Agreed, there are certain variable that apply to tranny ass whoopins

 

[zukiscott]

Why not a glide, light, strong, and reliable

Yes this.........since you insist on runnin a damn high maintenance,cool fluid dependant,finicky ass auto,...why not a super tough , simple, glide

or you could always just be a man and run a REAL TRANS......a granny 4 speed