Inliners International Forums General Discussion Drive Train 2004R behind a 235

I am tired of the iron case glide.

The 2004R has both BOP and Chevy bolt patterns and is the same length as a TH350. I am not sure if it's the same length as my glide.

Anyone done this swap? How will I get the factory column shifter to work with it?

This might be the cure for that issue.
http://www.shiftworks.com/kugel.htm

The motor is stock so no need for a strengthened tranny, just a stock rebuild will do. I do not want a 700R4. Takes more power to turn the pump in that trans.

Has the factory 3.55 gears in the rear and 225/75/15 tires. Should be fine with the .68 overdrive. Might swap to 3.70's if she lugs too much at freeway speeds.

Anyone have an opinion?

I haven't done this swap, but it is a popular one and should be easy to match to your column shift. Are you using Tom Langdon's or Buffalo's trans adapter. Either guy will have info for hook up.

I am running a 700R4 (.70 OD) behind a built 250 with 3.50 9"Ford in a 41 plymouth 2 dr sedan with 215R75 x15 tires and it will tow my T roadster at highway speeds just fine. I would think that you will be just fine. When I first built the car I had a 3.08 gear and even with no trailer every time a came to a slight grade it shifted out of OD would run fifty feet then shift back to OD then do it all over again untill the road flatened out. We took one trip with the constant shifting and decided that the 3.08 had to go. installed the 3.50 gear and increased the gas mileage from 13/14 to 18/21. Got 20 mpg and better last year coming home from convention towing the roadster, interstate running 55/60mph on cruise control most of the time.

Drew, I have not settled on an adapter but Langdon's or Bendtsen's. Bendtsen's comes with the starter.

Big Bill, I like your results and appreciate your feedback. Looks like I'll be fine with the 3.55's.

Zeke Fishburn,
stick w/a 200R4,it has much better overall gear spacing.

Plus if the cast iron glide is the same length as aluminum glide,the 200R4 should bolt right in w/out having to change the driveshaft.

MBHD

Hank
I think you are right in your advice to use a 200R4, but not for the gear spread. He is not racing his 235 he is street driving it and the 200R4 is lighter and takes less power to operate. If he was installing it in a heavy car the lower 1st gear of a 700 would be by far better or if he was pulling a trailer. That is why 200R4 s were put in cars and 700 s were put in trucks and vans. As long as you stay away from the early models of both transmissions they both make an excellent street transmission. Behind a stock or semi stock 235 both should be bullet proof. Most of the bad things people talk about is either generated by using an early model of either or inproper setup in the vehicle.

big bill I.I.#4698,
having the power drop off out of a engines power band IE torque range,is the problem you get when using a 700R4.

They do make a aftermarket gearset for the 700R4's & guess the ratio,,,IIRC it's the same as a 200R4.

You don't have to race to get better mileage or better take off power/acceleration ,etc. Just my opinion.

700R4 works great as long as long as you are boosting (engine makes gobs more torque when you boosting)

700R4's were used in all the Camaros ,Firebirds,Trams Am,from 1982 & newer,, IIRC,,& were still used up until they stopped producing Camaro's & Firebirds in 2002 IIRC?.
4l60E ,same lousy gear spacing.


MBHD

Yes Hank they were also used in corvettes but for most standard passenger cars they used the 200 not as much for the gear spacing but for the lighter weight and the fact that it uses much smaller parts and draws off less Horsepower. I don't know how many cars you have built that you have used multiple transmissions in but I have built four different vehicles that have had multiple transmissions installed (4 speeds, 350s, 200s, and 700s) and again which transmission is best depends on the use of the vehicle and the total weight plus the tire size. If a 200 was the very best transmission out there why aren't they used in high performance racing instead of a powerglide? I don't know how old you are or how many different types of cars you have raced but I have been around since the best automatic that money could buy was a B&M hydro, have been through powerglides with 6000 rpm stall speeds, turbo 350s, 400s, 2004Rs, 700R4s plus the Fords and Mopars any kind of standard transmission you can think of not to mention 727s, c-4s, c-6s and I still think that there has never been a transmission made that is the perfect fit for every car and every driver.
I am not knocking your love for a 200 and I understand what you are saying about gear spacing but my final question is this if the 200 is the very best choice for every car built and GM engineers had a choice for thier performace cars and their trucks why didn't they use the 200 in all of them. I have seen a jump of one tire size move a car on or off of a national record which gives some idea of the difference that any change can make in any vehicle. But as I stated at the begining I also think that a 200 will be an excellent choice for the above project.

I am not personally attacking you.
I never said the 200r4 is the best.
Ive been around a while,& long enough to know what trans works best for certain applications.

I do know the GN guys do not switch over to a 700R4 over there 200r4 ,there are reasons for this.

All I said that the 200R4 has better overall gear spacing.

I chose a 4L85E trans over a 200r4 for my Camaro.
Mainly because it has a higher torque capacity over a 200r4 plus I can program it to shift in many ways a non computer controlled trans can offer.

They have not made 200r4's in a very long time.
Stock for stock a 700has a higher torque capacity than a 200r4

I love my 700R4 in my Syclone,I just hope it can hang in there for a while.
I also hate the gear spacing the 4l60E trans has in my full size Chevy truck,as soon as it shifts into second gear,,,,what a dog.

My Syclone makes 550 ft lbs of torque while launching, & is AWD so it is really hard on the transmission while boost launching.

Most guys break there 700R4's in there Syclones & Typhoons & when they get enough funds,they switch over to a 4L80E.

MBHD

Both have there place. A 235 isn't going to break either one.

Iron glides have a coarse spline tailshaft. You will need to at least change the yoke to use any of the later trans.

As for the shifter, you should be able to make what's there work, you just will have to pay attention to the detents, as the gear selector won't line up...

You may need to cut off the extra "ears" on the 200-4R bellhousing to clear the firewall, depending on what it is you're putting this in.

IIRC the big push towards the 200R is the case is smaller, necessitating either no cutting or minimal cutting on the floor to replace an Iron case 'Glide in a car orriginally equipped with one.

Sounds like a neat project either way.

I would definetly keep an eye out for lugging when you put an OD in it with the 3.50s. But try it first, never know till you try.

FWIW I'm not sure where it is the cutting is supposed to be necessary, if it's back towards the rear of the trans (where the valve body sticks out a ways on the 700R) the 200 would be advantagous. If it's at the front where it clears the belhousing, might I suggest a '60 Degree' 700R4. It's what they put behind the 60 degree V6s in S-10s and Camaros when so equipped (burdened?). The bell housing is much smaller on those and the internal parts are supposedly the same as the earlier 700Rs (yes somewhat weaker) but are supposed to be able to be upgraded.

If the cutting has to be done in the middle, I figure the advantage goes with the 200R.

Hope that wasn't too confoosing to be usefull.

Because the 200-4R is a dual pattern for both Chevy and BOP, there are two tabs that stick up higher than usual for the BOP pattern. I have heard of people having issues with these tabs hitting the firewall/floor area when being installed into a 49-54 car. Your results may vary...