hey all, finishing up my 84 cutlass with 7000rpm chevy 350 and trying to decide what trans to run... currently i have a mild built chevy style th350 sitting on the side... i been told that it might blow up under the pressure... was told to run a th400.. keep in mind im running a 3000 stall with a set of 275/60/15 drag radials... NO TRANS LOCK!!!! maybe a brake line lock... and i have heard some of the th400 trans have better internals from factory.. if so which ones? 3/4 truck th400's stronger? any ideas anyone?
84 cutlass w/ built 350... trans suggestions???
- Thread starter 84ttops
- Start date
- Status
ANY stock transmission will eventually fail under abuse/racing conditions. ANY transmission can be built to handle 1000hp if you spend enough on good parts. So the real question is...What's your budget? The TH400 is stronger in stock form but it less efficient (will eat up more power) to operate. TH350s are practically free so breaking them isn't that expensive if you don't mind swapping them out regularly. They can be built to handle all your 350 can throw at it. So can a 700-R4 or a 200-4R. Even a Powerglide can be built to handle ridiculous power levels. So, how many speeds do you want? Is it street driven or track only? That's your rearend ratio?
TH400s are stronger but use up more power and weigh more than a TH350. I have a good friend that runs TH350s in all his strip cars and hes never had issues. Hes in the 10-11 second range so I think you should be good with a mildly built one. Both are very durable and the TH350s are easy to find also for when you blow it up 
stick with the th350, if your running a radial tire especially. like everyone else said, the weight and extra drag will definitely slow the car down. and you'll lose more like 10-20 hp, not 6-7. plus if its only a 350 thatll run at high rpm, its not gonna make ridiculous torque. if it was a 421 or a 434 then it might be worth it. no nitrous right?
Well my th350 is 10+ yrs old totally stock with shift kit has been going mid 11's for over 5+yrs and just started to feel sluggish with motor in signature but went 11.18 and 11.20's for 6 passes and is still working. You can run a th350 if built right will last. O and motor in signature was turning 7500rpm through the traps. Trans has held up to a3800 stall all these yrs. I personally wouldnt be worried running a th350.
no bottle... and i will be running msd so rev limiter is easily accomplished... thanks everyone... that pretty much answered that for me... my engine builder has the train of thought that if it dont hold up to his Big blocks, he wont trust it... some times he goes a little extreme but at same time he has seen the worst of situations too.
- Status
Similar threads
