engine and transmission

[83cutlasssedan]

I'm starting to look for a SBC and transmission to replace my 3.8, and 250. What is the best transmission to get.

There is a 350 transmission for sale here for about 200$. Is that a good deal?

What's the difference between the 350, 400 and 700s?

Thanks

 

[v8power]

all i can say is do not get a 305! they are junk. 327 or a 350 are way better engines. as far as transmissions go, the turbo 350 is a really good transmission, just figure out what kind of condition it is in, if it is good and working properly then 200$ is not that bad. the th400 is pretty much just a stronger version of the turbo 350. neither of these transmissions have over drive. the 700r4 is an overdrive transmission, which is really nice for driving on the highway, plus you get a lower 1st gear. the only thing i do not like about the 700r4 is the gap from 1st to 2nd. the turbo 350 or 400 is almost two times cheaper to get rebuilt as the 700r4 too. what are your plans for your engine, if you are going to build it up a little bit you are going to have to change converters too. all these things are going to come into play. i know for a fact you will have to get a different cross member if you want to go with a overdrive transmission. if you are looking for the cheaper rout, then go with the turbo 350 and put a decent shift kit in it and change the filter. i know i wrote allot but i just had a few red bulls and am really bored. good luck!

 

[83cutlasssedan]

Thanks for the reply. the 350 has a 2000 stall converter, not sure what that means, and it has been rebuilt.

Would that be strong enough for a modified 350 engine?

 

[v8power]

well i will be running close to 500 horse to the crank and am using a turbo 350 . just got it rebuilt with better clutches and a good shift kit. u should be fine with a turbo 350. you are going to have to wait and see what you have for cam specs and some more engine info until you can figure out what stall to run. if the turbo 350 is fresh go with that and put the shift kit in it.

 

[dan2286]

It really depends on what you are going to use the car for. If you are using it as a mainly race car get the th 350. If you will be driving it allot on the street and highway get a 200 r4. Those can be built up to handle some pretty good horsepower and you will get better gas mileage also.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I will post my traditional question: What is the intended application of the vehicle in question? A faster than stock driver, street strip, or drag only? The answer to these questions will determine what to suggest. For a street car, TH 200 4R. It's cheap and holds up pretty well with a mild engine. Drag oriented cars should use the stronger and cheaper TH 350. As for a torque converter, this is determined by the engine's power curve. Both in what you should choose, and how it will perform. 2,000 stall is just an estimate and weight, gearing and torque will determine the actual stall speed.

For the record, my combo is a typical cheap street combo, as listed in my sig. It idles well, is not terrible on gas, and has 18.5 in/hg.

 

[83cutlasssedan]

planning on a strictly street car. But want to have the option of making it somewhat ferocious. No point in swapping out the 3.8 otherwise.

I was thinking a chev 350, but would love to get my hands on a bigger olds engine to make it a more natural fit.

I am planning on doing the work myself. It will be the first engine swap for me, so I am sure I will have a lot of questions.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, the Olds engine is no easier than the Chevy when swapping out the Buick 3.8. I would go Chevy simply due to cost and the availability of parts on the used market. For your stated wants, go with the TH 200 4R, and some good gearing with a mild SBC, preferably a 327/350/400. I would say 302, but they are not cheap and VERY rare. The rest depends on your budget and your expectations of performance now and later.

 

[midwestls]

When I build a motor over the winter it's going to be a 400sbc. I just like them, no explanation really except every 400 I've seen built was pretty rowdy. The turbo 400 is an awesome transmission if you ask me, strong and handles power very well, stock or built. I've got a 200r4 in my monte right now and let me tell you, I don't like it, at all. Shifts like I should be driveing ms daisy or something, tooo soft. Alot of people like them but I'm sure theirs are not stock, I can see how it might make a pretty good transmission built up but I'm not really impressed by them stock.

 

[dan2286]

When I build a motor over the winter it's going to be a 400sbc. I just like them, no explanation really except every 400 I've seen built was pretty rowdy. The turbo 400 is an awesome transmission if you ask me, strong and handles power very well, stock or built. I've got a 200r4 in my monte right now and let me tell you, I don't like it, at all. Shifts like I should be driveing ms daisy or something, tooo soft. Alot of people like them but I'm sure theirs are not stock, I can see how it might make a pretty good transmission built up but I'm not really impressed by them stock.

If it is shifting soft, then you might want to adjust the t.v. cable. A mis-adjusted one will cause soft shifts and cause a slow painful death.