86 700-r4 / good to paint the case?

[79malibu]

i was gonna paint my trans before i put it in but i thought i'd ask around 1st. is it bad if i paint it, like it would insulate extra heat inside the aluminum case? anyone paint their transmission?

also, anyone know of or care to take a guess at about how much power this trans can take without ******** the hard parts? i have all the heavy servos and red alto clutch bands etc. sleeves, shift kit you name it. but the hard parts are stock. wondering if the trans would dish out with my 350(390hp?) and maybe a 100hp hit of n20 on top off it?

and the last question. shall i put in dextron 3 fluid with this new rebuild or new dextron 6? i heard of some people using the ford type f being really good cause of friction material in it helping out. unless i heard wrong. :shock:

 

[megaladon6]

do NOT use dexron 6!!! it's a completely different fluid. dexron 4 is excellent, and while i haven't done it myself, i have heard many good things about the type f in a gm trans.
painting the case is not a problem, just make sure to mask off any connection points like the speedo cable and wiring.
at those power levels you should be fine, unless you plan on drag racing all the time, or doing neutral drops :lol:

 

[dan2286]

Dexron 6 fluid will work in any GM trans. Yes it is a different fluid but it is allot better for any trans. GM has a tsb stating that they have to use that fluid in any gm trans if it is just for adding a little or completely changing out the fluid, if it came with that fluid or not.

 

[megaladon6]

are you sure that the TSB applies to older trannies? when i saw the TSB for d5 it was only for the newest (at the time), electronic, transmissions. and the d6 was just coming out for the very newest CVTs and other new style trannies. IIRC the d5 TSB specifically stated that it couldn't be used in older transmission as it would be too thin.

 

[dan2286]

Here is what the tsb says,

The TSB basically states that all current and past GM passenger cars and some trucks will now use DEXRON-VI instead of DEXRON-III for warranty, fluid change, and routine level maintenance. All GM facilities will convert their transmission change/flush machinery to DEXRON-VI. The new fluid has been determined to be fully compatible with DEXRON-III in any quantity.

From what I see it looks like it can be used with any trans that uses dexron 3. I would think putting 6 into a trans that has really high mileage might not be a good idea but if it is a recently rebuilt one it should be fine. It kinda sucks that this tsb does not go into great detail.

 

[79malibu]

trans

thanks guys. so what about the paint question? does it matter?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

It would all depend on what thickness of paint you would be applying. Many local trans shops spray paint them silver, and I believe B&M paints their black. Black is the best color for cooling as it sheds heat faster than other colors, which is why most new engines are painted black, and why older radiators are black.

 

[79malibu]

trans

:shock: black actually cools better? never would have thought of that. i was going to grey primer it then go over it with black or silver/aluminum with spray cans. no brushes or rollers here :lol: my engine is all orange with all brackets + acc being flat or gloss black.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Black heats up faster from solar radiation, but in the absence of sunlight it actually cools down faster too, sort of like specific heat, in scientific terms.

 

[megaladon6]

dan: that's pretty cool! i might just switch when i get my new trans, of course by the time i can afford it there'll be dex20 :lol:

79malibu: do you plan on using a trans cooler? painted or not i'd highly recommend it. it's very easy to overheat a trans, and it only takes one time to kill components.
black generally transfers energy better. the trick is making sure that it transfers it in the proper direction. but i highly doubt that you'd see even the slightest difference on a trans.