Crate 700r4 for $1500 or less?

[89Suburban]

 

[Jims86]

By "been through" did you mean destroyed??

Si` senior!

 

[dhamp]

Si` senior!

Not a good testimonial. Were you hard on 'em?

 

[Jims86]

Not a good testimonial. Were you hard on 'em?

Not at all....I`ve been told that I drive like a spirited old man. I have 4 wheel drive, but I don`t go off road.

 

[dhamp]

So what are you running now?

 

[Jims86]

So what are you running now?

A locally rebuilt 700r4 with all the updates, and the best parts. Cost me $1200, that included R&R. He said $750 with a new converter if i brought him the trans, but I saved the extra money, and just had her towed in. I also brought him a case of Amsoil ATF to fill it up with.
The Shop came highly recommended from local off roaders, Ambulance companies and Fire depts. He has done a lot of the old brush trucks that some of our volunteer departments still have, and he is one of the main shops that CalFire uses.

 

[HotRodPC]

This 65 will never see a trailer or for that matter anything in the bed. When I'm done all it will see is sunny days and car shows-but mostly lots of roadway on sunny days.

Update...

Yesterday I dropped the trans pictured above off to a local trans shop recommended by everyone. Guy said its an 86-91 trans and is exactly the one I want. He said they make a 'Painless' wiring kit that plugs into the plug on the trans and wires in directly and provides the lockup.

He is going to pull the trans apart next week and call me, to tell me what it needs. I told him I want it like new. He said $800-1,100 and thats only if it needs something radical.Price will Include the wiring kit and a brand new converter. When he calls me I'm going to tell him I want a good warranty with the work.

86-91? Sould be an 86-87, or 88-92. 86's are not so desirable, 87 is better, and best is 88-92. Not sure where he gets his info. He should have been able to tell you EXACTLY what year it was by the # on the passenger side of the case just above and at the rear of the trans pan on the case itself. The first digit will designated the year model. Also, if you took a pic of the passenger side, without even looking at the #, I could tell you if it was a 88-92 trans or not, cuz the 88-92 DO NOT have pressure taps like the 87 on down do.

 

[HotRodPC]

Not at all....I`ve been told that I drive like a spirited old man. I have 4 wheel drive, but I don`t go off road.

What gear ratio are you running and what size tire? If you're not running at bare minumum 3.73 with a 31in tire, that is hard on a 700r4. Other things to factor, did you run a trans cooler with it? Should have if you didn't. Are 100% posititve the TV cable was hooked up right and had the proper geometry on the linkage? How about lock up? Did you have it hooked up properly and did it work properly? If not, the trans ran hotter than normal and will shorten the life, just as will the wrong geometry on your TV cable since it will not regulate fluid pressure properly and allow slippage in the cluthes. Normally the first thing to go in these cases is the 3-4 clutch pack so you'd have lost 3rd and 4th gear, or if you break, the Sunshell is the first thing to go if you don't have the Beast or the new GM equivelant. Did you break the transmissions or did they just quit functioning properly? Normally if you break it, you'd hear all kinds of clunking and grinding. If none of that, and it just quit working right, then you likely fried clutch packs.

 

[Jims86]

What gear ratio are you running and what size tire? If you're not running at bare minumum 3.73 with a 31in tire, that is hard on a 700r4. Other things to factor, did you run a trans cooler with it? Should have if you didn't. Are 100% posititve the TV cable was hooked up right and had the proper geometry on the linkage? How about lock up? Did you have it hooked up properly and did it work properly? If not, the trans ran hotter than normal and will shorten the life, just as will the wrong geometry on your TV cable since it will not regulate fluid pressure properly and allow slippage in the cluthes. Normally the first thing to go in these cases is the 3-4 clutch pack so you'd have lost 3rd and 4th gear, or if you break, the Sunshell is the first thing to go if you don't have the Beast or the new GM equivelant. Did you break the transmissions or did they just quit functioning properly? Normally if you break it, you'd hear all kinds of clunking and grinding. If none of that, and it just quit working right, then you likely fried clutch packs.

Apparently I was running around for 8 months with a damaged sun shell...there was a creaking noise during upshifts. I am running 31`s on the stock 3.42 gears, but I was told that it shouldn`t be an issue, because they are so close to the stock size. I would like to put the stock 235/70/15s back on, but I can`t find any rallys at a decent price, and the wheels I currently have, are 10 inches wide. A bad choice on my part.

The TV cable was correctly set, and the geometry better damn well be correct....I have a stock GM throttle body that cam from the factory on a 700R4 car. I run 2 external coolers along with the cooler in the radiator.

 

[HotRodPC]

Apparently I was running around for 8 months with a damaged sun shell...there was a creaking noise during upshifts. I am running 31`s on the stock 3.42 gears, but I was told that it shouldn`t be an issue, because they are so close to the stock size. I would like to put the stock 235/70/15s back on, but I can`t find any rallys at a decent price, and the wheels I currently have, are 10 inches wide. A bad choice on my part.

The TV cable was correctly set, and the geometry better damn well be correct....I have a stock GM throttle body that cam from the factory on a 700R4 car. I run 2 external coolers along with the cooler in the radiator.

Yeah, you should have been OK with 3.42's but its pretty much borderline with 31's on a 4x4. I'd have been pissed if I had a broke sunshell. The is the #1 upgrade that any builder knows should be done. I intend to be running a 700r4 in a K1500 with 31's and hope to go to 33's eventually, but I'll build it, adjust it and cool it. So if it breaks, then I'll be back to the drawinb board to make it better. Current'y getting ready to install a Th350 in that same truck right now and will build the 700r4 later.

 

[bucket]

86-91? Sould be an 86-87, or 88-92. 86's are not so desirable, 87 is better, and best is 88-92. Not sure where he gets his info. He should have been able to tell you EXACTLY what year it was by the # on the passenger side of the case just above and at the rear of the trans pan on the case itself. The first digit will designated the year model. Also, if you took a pic of the passenger side, without even looking at the #, I could tell you if it was a 88-92 trans or not, cuz the 88-92 DO NOT have pressure taps like the 87 on down do.

I'm certainly no tranny guy, but IMHO, anything mid-'85 and up is worth building because they have the 30 spline input shaft. The '87-up units just seem to shift smoother between P, R, and D.

Are you sure about the pressure taps? My '88 has one, I installed my temp sender in it.

 

[Jims86]

Yeah, you should have been OK with 3.42's but its pretty much borderline with 31's on a 4x4. I'd have been pissed if I had a broke sunshell. The is the #1 upgrade that any builder knows should be done. I intend to be running a 700r4 in a K1500 with 31's and hope to go to 33's eventually, but I'll build it, adjust it and cool it. So if it breaks, then I'll be back to the drawinb board to make it better. Current'y getting ready to install a Th350 in that same truck right now and will build the 700r4 later.

If I was rebuilding a 700r4, I would install a Beast sunshell, and the 5 pinion planetary from TCI. but, transmissions are the only thing that I have never torn into...mostly due to the lack of special tools, and the unwillingness to purchase them.

 

[HotRodPC]

If I was rebuilding a 700r4, I would install a Beast sunshell, and the 5 pinion planetary from TCI. but, transmissions are the only thing that I have never torn into...mostly due to the lack of special tools, and the unwillingness to purchase them.

The Beast is a MUST, the 5 pinion planet, I wouldn't waste my money, and if I did buy one, I would by it from GM ONLY and nowhere else, cus the ones made in China are even weaker than the stock 4 pinion. 700r4 have never had a problem breaking planets so no need for a 5 pinion. You will break something else long before you break the planets. Save your money for the other neccesary treaking, like reboring valves in the valve body, pump rotor and vane updates, 3-4 clutch pack updates etc etc.

 

[bucket]

The Beast is a MUST, the 5 pinion planet, I wouldn't waste my money, and if I did buy one, I would by it from GM ONLY and nowhere else, cus the ones made in China are even weaker than the stock 4 pinion. 700r4 have never had a problem breaking planets so no need for a 5 pinion. You will break something else long before you break the planets. Save your money for the other neccesary treaking, like reboring valves in the valve body, pump rotor and vane updates, 3-4 clutch pack updates etc etc.

Oh yeah, that reminds me. You have mentioned this before I think. That planetary gearset thing broke in our Burb and tore some crap up. My wife was driving it though, so who knows what she did, lol. I have the box of broken parts somewhere.

 

[HotRodPC]

I'm certainly no tranny guy, but IMHO, anything mid-'85 and up is worth building because they have the 30 spline input shaft. The '87-up units just seem to shift smoother between P, R, and D.

Are you sure about the pressure taps? My '88 has one, I installed my temp sender in it.

The 87 is better because it has the valve body improvments, but not all did. Most did, but 87 is a transition or crossover year. So you could actually possibly have a good 87 core and it will have pressure taps on the passenger side. I mean several pressure taps, not just one. I think it has 3 presurre taps. 88 may have been the tranisition year for pressure taps too so some 88's might have the taps and be a good transmission. All 700r4 will have at least one pressure tap for line pressure tap. But, if you don't know your 700r4 #'s, one to KNOW FOR SURE if its a good one, is IF IT DOES NOT have the several pressure taps on the passenger side. I've posted pics of this before. I'll see if I can find them and dig'em up.

Possible and NOT LIKELY a good 700r4 core, has multiple pressure taps on passenger side.

Definate GOOD 700r4. NO Multiple pressure taps.