So my Engine outlasted my Transmission

[86Olds442]

So the 200-4R in the car gave up this morning. That wasn't fun. So now that the trans that I put in the car went, its time I guess to rebuild the original one that I took out. I've never had one of these rebuilt, so is there anything I need to look for? Good places or bad? Price I can expect to pay? I'm only keeping the wimpy 307 in the car, so I don't need a high performace rebuild, just probably a light upgrade to the original.

Thanks for any insight or experiences you've had with getting one of these done.

 

[megaladon6]

http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/catalog/catalog_inc/viewitem.php?ITEMID=11
their price is less than what i usually see for a rebuild and has some of the weak points removed. i don't know where you're located, if on the east coast there's http://www.ckperformance.com/resources/GM2004RTRANSMISSIONS.html

 

[Bonnewagon]

Last time I had a trans rebuilt the guy asked do I want the $100 rebuild or the $800 rebuild. I said I wanted it to last 150,000 miles again. That would be the $800 one, and it is still going strong 8 years later.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I would make sure you get your original transmission back, and not one they had rebuilt and sitting on a shelf. The reason is that if your car is a real 442, it has better internals than the standard TH 200 4R. I would also go for a hardened stator support as the stock ones are a bit too soft and tend to wear out over time. Other than that, you want good clutches and bands. Oh... and one more thing: BE SURE TO FLUSH OUT THE TRANS COOLER AND LINES BEFORE YOU PUT THE NEW TRANS IN!!!! Debris from the old transmission could be in the cooler and lines, which would contaminate the new trans and possibly fry the pump and converter. I would also consider an auxiliary transmission cooler plumbed in line with the cooler in the radiator. You want this to be after the radiator cooler in the flow path so that the fluid is not cooled then allowed to pick up heat from the engine coolant. Make sure you run both coolers too as the radiator one is more effective at low speed than the external while the external is more effective when the car is moving than the radiator one. Also, make sure you set up the TV cable properly as an improperly set one can kill a transmission in under 100 miles.

 

[86Olds442]

I would make sure you get your original transmission back, and not one they had rebuilt and sitting on a shelf. The reason is that if your car is a real 442, it has better internals than the standard TH 200 4R. I would also go for a hardened stator support as the stock ones are a bit too soft and tend to wear out over time. Other than that, you want good clutches and bands. Oh... and one more thing: BE SURE TO FLUSH OUT THE TRANS COOLER AND LINES BEFORE YOU PUT THE NEW TRANS IN!!!! Debris from the old transmission could be in the cooler and lines, which would contaminate the new trans and possibly fry the pump and converter. I would also consider an auxiliary transmission cooler plumbed in line with the cooler in the radiator. You want this to be after the radiator cooler in the flow path so that the fluid is not cooled then allowed to pick up heat from the engine coolant. Make sure you run both coolers too as the radiator one is more effective at low speed than the external while the external is more effective when the car is moving than the radiator one. Also, make sure you set up the TV cable properly as an improperly set one can kill a transmission in under 100 miles.

So I was thinking about doing the same, and saw you post this and just found a company local to me willing to rebuild it for $995. Awesome deal with a 1 yr unlimited mileage warranty, I know what I'm buying next month. Too bad its cold out, its gonna have to wait a bit to get installed. Now If I could just get that motor rebuilt for the same..... I think I'm going to cheat with the higher pressure oil pump and thicker oil to get another year or two out of it. (if I can) My list of spring projects just keeps getting longer....

 

[king-david]

Last time I had a trans rebuilt the guy asked do I want the $100 rebuild or the $800 rebuild. I said I wanted it to last 150,000 miles again. That would be the $800 one, and it is still going strong 8 years later.

I think i'd be afraid to use a guy that offered me a 100$ rebuild!!! I'm glad it worked out for you...

There's a place in Akron Ohio called Janis Transmissions... He redid my Expedition transmission and built it up a little. Turned out great and inexpensive. The only reason I'm mentioning him is because he had like 5 Gbodys laying around and said thats what he specialized in!!!

 

[Bonnewagon]

There was a place close to me that would sell you a $100 rebuilt T-350 over the counter. Seemed too good to be true, and it was. A year later it quit. Never again.