Turbo350 w/shift kit slamming 2nd gear

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

NickTransmissions

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2023
Posts
271
Reaction score
573
Location
Las Vegas
First Name
Nick
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
R10
Engine Size
350
I think you mean 84. IIRC, 82 was the first year for the 700r4. The 82-84's were really bad. GM even offered some people to convert back to the Th350 when people got sick and tired of putting their new truck in the shop for transmission warranty work. Though the valve bodies in the 82 through 84 are sought after.
Yep, avoid 82-E84 700R4s or convert them to L84-87 standard (30-spline shaft, newer design "152" drum and 29 element sprag. Top it all off with a factory 10-vane rotor/slide kit and it's good to go for most applications.
 

NickTransmissions

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2023
Posts
271
Reaction score
573
Location
Las Vegas
First Name
Nick
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
R10
Engine Size
350
I think you mean 84. IIRC, 82 was the first year for the 700r4. The 82-84's were really bad. GM even offered some people to convert back to the Th350 when people got sick and tired of putting their new truck in the shop for transmission warranty work.

I have to admit, Ford did much better than Dodge. At least Ford tried and eventually did made a NEW 4 speed auto. Dodge's idea of a 4 speed OD auto, was they just took the same 904 and 727 which is their versions of the Th350/C4 and Th400/C6, they used the same transmission, put an electronic OD unit on the back, gave it a different model and there you go. BOOM, 4 speed OD. Which, I have to say, there are advantages to that, and I had thought at one time I'd like to have gotten one those Dodge Units and see if I couldn't somehow adapt it to a Th350 or Th400 like a cheap gear vendor. I never did get to play with one since I quit building by then. I did very few Dodge and Ford transmissions, mine were mostly all GM RWD. I think a total of 3 transaxles is about all I've done, 2 GM and a damn, oohhh crud what was that thing in the Plymouth Reliant?
Fun Fact: Chrysler was nearly bankrupt for large portions of the 80s and early 90s and didn't get around to developing overdrive transmissions until nearly a decade after GM and Ford. When they did, they leveraged their A345 design from the mid-70s, which was a an optional extension assembly bolted to the rear of the 727s in place of the standard extension housing. This specialized assembly provided some of the trucks thusly equipped with a "granny" gear in front of "first" gear, basically creating a 4 speed unit that use a 3.45 granny gear, then the standard 1st gear of 2.45-to-1, then 2nd gear of 1.45 then direct (1 to 1).

The 42RH/46RH took that same concept but instead of granny gear, they came with an overdrive gear set, enabling a .69 to 1 ratio that was in production until 2007 then replaced starting in 08 with the introduction of the 6 speed 68RFEs...
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,217
Reaction score
6,198
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Fun Fact: Chrysler was nearly bankrupt for large portions of the 80s and early 90s and didn't get around to developing overdrive transmissions until nearly a decade after GM and Ford. When they did, they leveraged their A345 design from the mid-70s, which was a an optional extension assembly bolted to the rear of the 727s in place of the standard extension housing. This specialized assembly provided some of the trucks thusly equipped with a "granny" gear in front of "first" gear, basically creating a 4 speed unit that use a 3.45 granny gear, then the standard 1st gear of 2.45-to-1, then 2nd gear of 1.45 then direct (1 to 1).

The 42RH/46RH took that same concept but instead of granny gear, they came with an overdrive gear set, enabling a .69 to 1 ratio that was in production until 2007 then replaced starting in 08 with the introduction of the 6 speed 68RFEs...
chrysler sucks. cant even call it part of the big 3 anymore,. althogh they all love to outsource labor , at lesst ford and GM are *still* american car companies. hows fca.. i mean.. stellantis again?
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,014
Reaction score
9,014
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
Fun Fact: Chrysler was nearly bankrupt for large portions of the 80s and early 90s and didn't get around to developing overdrive transmissions until nearly a decade after GM and Ford. When they did, they leveraged their A345 design from the mid-70s, which was a an optional extension assembly bolted to the rear of the 727s in place of the standard extension housing. This specialized assembly provided some of the trucks thusly equipped with a "granny" gear in front of "first" gear, basically creating a 4 speed unit that use a 3.45 granny gear, then the standard 1st gear of 2.45-to-1, then 2nd gear of 1.45 then direct (1 to 1).

The 42RH/46RH took that same concept but instead of granny gear, they came with an overdrive gear set, enabling a .69 to 1 ratio that was in production until 2007 then replaced starting in 08 with the introduction of the 6 speed 68RFEs...
Yep, I member those days. Lee Iacocca, Former Ford President took over for Chysler and saved their azzes. While he kept them afloat, I think it was the 94 New Generation pick up that launched them forward back into black ink.
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,217
Reaction score
6,198
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Yep, I member those days. Lee Iacocca, Former Ford President took over for Chysler and saved their azzes. While he kept them afloat, I think it was the 94 New Generation pick up that launched them forward back into black ink.
chrysler frankly should be very grateful, they nearly died and then died so many times lol.. Like when they couldnt keep their m1 tank contract anymore in the 70s
 

Matt69olds

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2018
Posts
2,352
Reaction score
3,600
Location
Central Indiana
First Name
Matt
Truck Year
81
Truck Model
GMC 1/2 ton
Engine Size
455 Olds
chrysler frankly should be very grateful, they nearly died and then died so many times lol.. Like when they couldnt keep their m1 tank contract anymore in the 70s

Read Lee Iacocca biography, he discusses how painful it was to sell the tank contract.

I’m paraphrasing because it’s been several years since I read the book, but he explains that by selling the contract for the tanks, he was giving up a guaranteed 600 million in profit, in a market that by law the Japanese weren’t able to compete with.

If you haven’t read his biography, it’s very interesting. It’s also very depressing, because a lot of what he predicted 40 years ago happened.

As someone who has studied the automotive history, it seems the really successful or influential car guys have something in common: the vast majority of them started at the bottom, sweeping floors and doing the grunt work, and climbed the corporate ladder to the top. After investing 30 years of your life building something, you naturally make decisions with long term success as the goal. Now, too many plans are made with the next investor payout or bonuses as the deciding factors.

End of rant.
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,217
Reaction score
6,198
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Read Lee Iacocca biography, he discusses how painful it was to sell the tank contract.

I’m paraphrasing because it’s been several years since I read the book, but he explains that by selling the contract for the tanks, he was giving up a guaranteed 600 million in profit, in a market that by law the Japanese weren’t able to compete with.

If you haven’t read his biography, it’s very interesting. It’s also very depressing, because a lot of what he predicted 40 years ago happened.

As someone who has studied the automotive history, it seems the really successful or influential car guys have something in common: the vast majority of them started at the bottom, sweeping floors and doing the grunt work, and climbed the corporate ladder to the top. After investing 30 years of your life building something, you naturally make decisions with long term success as the goal. Now, too many plans are made with the next investor payout or bonuses as the deciding factors.

End of rant.
being fired from ford would have sucked but frankly it was too his benefit , who wants ot hang out with the egomaniac ****-grandson blowhard
 

Matt69olds

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2018
Posts
2,352
Reaction score
3,600
Location
Central Indiana
First Name
Matt
Truck Year
81
Truck Model
GMC 1/2 ton
Engine Size
455 Olds
being fired from ford would have sucked but frankly it was too his benefit , who wants ot hang out with the egomaniac ****-grandson blowhard


Iacocca mentions in the book the The Deuce was not happy about the Chrysler presidency. His thoughts were most people retire and hang out on a golf course, never to be heard from again. Iacocca was motivated, Ford was paying him a lot of money to go to work to kick their ass.

If anyone has any interest in the glory days of the auto industry, I’d recommend reading his books. While not an auto executive, Jim Wangers had a huge influence on the auto industry as well. His book describes his efforts to market the auto industry. Bob Lutz, John Delorean, Dale Smith, the list goes on.


Glory Days: When Horsepower and Passion Ruled Detroit
https://a.co/d/e1ovmeQ


Iacocca: An Autobiography
https://a.co/d/gIf7skO

Racing To The Past: Oldsmobile and Its Demise
https://a.co/d/094Qr05
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,217
Reaction score
6,198
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Iacocca mentions in the book the The Deuce was not happy about the Chrysler presidency. His thoughts were most people retire and hang out on a golf course, never to be heard from again. Iacocca was motivated, Ford was paying him a lot of money to go to work to kick their ass.

If anyone has any interest in the glory days of the auto industry, I’d recommend reading his books. While not an auto executive, Jim Wangers had a huge influence on the auto industry as well. His book describes his efforts to market the auto industry. Bob Lutz, John Delorean, Dale Smith, the list goes on.


Glory Days: When Horsepower and Passion Ruled Detroit
https://a.co/d/e1ovmeQ


Iacocca: An Autobiography
https://a.co/d/gIf7skO

Racing To The Past: Oldsmobile and Its Demise
https://a.co/d/094Qr05
Thank you
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,136
Posts
909,933
Members
33,636
Latest member
ehef
Top