i have a th350 wth 373s so ideally i would like something with overdrive.(keeping possible more powerful engine swap in mind) which is better? 200r4 or th400? would i just need to change the crossmember to put one of these in my car? also, what cars did they put these in?
Comes down to your budget & how you will use the car. Drag car, local only street car, power tour car, I hit the interstate on my commute to work or school. Do a search you will find your answers many times over on here. Yes the 200-4r came stock on most of the g-bodys after about 81. Generally for a driver if you can afford it put the money into the 200-4r it will be a good investment. We travel the interstates & highways more now than we did in the 70s and fuel costs more as well.
Well, both the 200-4R and the TH-400 use the same crossmember.
However, the TH-400 doesn't have overdrive. It's a 3-speed just like your current TH-350, so it wouldn't be any improvement.
200-4R's didn't really start showing up until '83 or '84, and TH-400's were never installed in G-bodies from the factory.
To install the TH-400, you'll need to shorten the driveshaft about 1/2"-3/4", and an electronic kickdown switch is needed as well.
The 200-4R will require proper TV cable set up as well as electronic torque converter lock up control if you choose to utilize that.
judging by my 305 its not gonna be a strip car hahaha. but from what ive seen on craigslist both are within my price range. its just gonna be mostly around town, the occasional hard jump off the line when smokin some ricers 😀
wooow i thought the 400 was a 4 speed auto!!! i feel stupid. ok so would the driveshaft need shortened for the 200? what mods would be needed for the tv cable? what would i be losing if i didnt hook up the lock up?
When I put a 220r4 in my 78 Malibu I didn't have to do anything with the driveshaft. I already had an 8.5 GN rear end and driveshaft from a 1987 GN. I had to replace the crossmember ( you will have to do this ) I had to change to a shifter that worked with the 200 . I chose a B&M quicksilver shifter and I had to wire a switch for the lockup because I wanted to keep a lockup converter. That being said if I could do it all over I would have gone 700r4 because it's much cheaper. Building a 200 to stand up to much power or torque is very expensive. I still don't have mine working right and now the builder won't call or text me back because he built it but apparently can't figure out what's wrong with it, or doesn't want to fix it one or the other :evil:
I would be mad/frustrated at that transmission shop as well. That said it does not make your thoughts correct. The 200-4R is not or no longer any more expensive to build for power than the 700-R4. Add the cost time of doing a driveshaft into the mix and I think you will find the 200-4R route cheaper & easier with better gearing to boot. www.extremeautomatics.com has a 1 year warranty 200-4R guaranteed to 10.90s for 1,395. Find that et & warranty guarantee for a 700-R4 for 1,395 or less. After that the time & cost of the driveshaft will just be insult to injury. On the pro side for the 700-R4 I think its easier for most shops to build and get right as in it does not require the level of expertise that the 200-4R requires to build to hold up to power.
I don't think a 700R4 is any cheaper to build than a 2004R. There is a serious arguement about which transmission is better, but both have their pros and cons.
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