Shift kit for city driving?

[Romaniac]

I have a choice between a stock th350 trans or a th400 shift kit with no automatic drive. Im gonna be using this for primarily street applications, and Ive heard that a shift kit is a pain in the *ss. Is it okay to use on the street or is it completely retarded? Thanks

 

[565bbchevy]

I have a choice between a stock th350 trans or a th400 shift kit with no automatic drive. Im gonna be using this for primarily street applications, and Ive heard that a shift kit is a pain in the *ss. Is it okay to use on the street or is it completely retarded? Thanks

Well it depends on the application and how much power you have in front of it.
If it is a bone stock or very mild engine that you don't plan on modifying then the th350 will be fine and use less power.
If you have or plan on adding power to your engine I would go with the th400 it will be far stronger and will hold your gear changes.
Most shift kits for th400 have automatic/manual combinations meaning if you put it in drive it goes through all 3 gears(auto) and if you put it in first it stays there until you shift(manual) and so on through each gear.
Full manual set ups are usually done using a reverse manual valve body but they do have standard pattern shift kits that eliminate all automatic features( not sure which you have)
As far as street driving I like the full manual but you will need a good ratcheting console shifter so you can just bang the gears up and down and they will lock in place without overshifting.
And you have to remember when you pull up at a light to downshift into first because whatever gear it is in will be the one you take off with.
If you need the strength of the th400 but don't want to shift your own car then you could probably install a full auto shift kit depending on what was done already and worst case scenario you would have to replace the valve body.

 

[Romaniac]

I have a choice between a stock th350 trans or a th400 shift kit with no automatic drive. Im gonna be using this for primarily street applications, and Ive heard that a shift kit is a pain in the *ss. Is it okay to use on the street or is it completely retarded? Thanks

Well it depends on the application and how much power you have in front of it.
If it is a bone stock or very mild engine that you don't plan on modifying then the th350 will be fine and use less power.
If you have or plan on adding power to your engine I would go with the th400 it will be far stronger and will hold your gear changes.
Most shift kits for th400 have automatic/manual combinations meaning if you put it in drive it goes through all 3 gears(auto) and if you put it in first it stays there until you shift(manual) and so on through each gear.
Full manual set ups are usually done using a reverse manual valve body but they do have standard pattern shift kits that eliminate all automatic features( not sure which you have)
As far as street driving I like the full manual but you will need a good ratcheting console shifter so you can just bang the gears up and down and they will lock in place without overshifting.
And you have to remember when you pull up at a light to downshift into first because whatever gear it is in will be the one you take off with.
If you need the strength of the th400 but don't want to shift your own car then you could probably install a full auto shift kit depending on what was done already and worst case scenario you would have to replace the valve body.

Its a performance engine, and i wouldnt mind a shift kit as long as Id have a ratchet shifter. But I have a bench seat and a collumn shift. Untill I get bucket seats and a ratchet shifter installed, will a collumn shifter work? I wouldnt see why not

 

[565bbchevy]

"Romaniac wrote,
Its a performance engine, and i wouldnt mind a shift kit as long as Id have a ratchet shifter. But I have a bench seat and a collumn shift. Untill I get bucket seats and a ratchet shifter installed, will a collumn shifter work? I wouldnt see why not"



I think it would still work fine but would not be as much fun and since the column shifter won't lock into each gear up and down like a ratchet shifter and with no reverse lock out you would have to be far more carefull and be constantly paying attention to what gear you are in.
Mine has a reverse manual valvebody so I just bang my Megashifter forward to downshift coming to a stop light and then pull back for each gear when I take off.
And is a blast revving it up then going into the next gear.

 

[Romaniac]

"Romaniac wrote,
Its a performance engine, and i wouldnt mind a shift kit as long as Id have a ratchet shifter. But I have a bench seat and a collumn shift. Untill I get bucket seats and a ratchet shifter installed, will a collumn shifter work? I wouldnt see why not"



I think it would still work fine but would not be as much fun and since the column shifter won't lock into each gear up and down like a ratchet shifter and with no reverse lock out you would have to be far more carefull and be constantly paying attention to what gear you are in.
Mine has a reverse manual valvebody so I just bang my Megashifter forward to downshift coming to a stop light and then pull back for each gear when I take off.
And is a blast revving it up then going into the next gear.

haha yeah that's true, collumn shift can be a pain. Is installing a ratchet shifter a relatively straightforward task you can do at home or would i have to take it to a shop with the tools to install it?