Transmission Recommendation Please

[81GrandPrix383]

Hello all.

I'm in the process of building my motor to go in my 81 Grand Prix.
It is a 383 stroker and should put out about 425hp and 450lbs of torque when complete.
The car will never be a daily driver but i will take it out on weekends and to the track when I get a chance.
I have a TH200-4R transmission that I bought for it. I was told it was out of a 86 Monte Carlo SS but after some investigating it is out of an 86 Cutlass. (the code on the tag is HC F)
I either want to sent this transmission out to get it built to handle my power or scrap it (or use it as a core) and buy one already built.
Can anyone recommend a shop in Central Ontario, Canada with experience building strong 200-4Rs? or can anyone recommend a shop or builder anywhere else who is reasonably priced but good. The further away they are the harder it is to use my trans as a core and the more expensive it will be to ship.

I have my reasons for wanting to use a TH2004R so please hold back on the comments if you are a hater. 🙂

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[JBreu]

I would scrap that transmission you have and go with a chevy 2004r........Since you live in Canada most of your states options are going to cost you some jack............BUt if it were me I would check out Art Carr or check out this at Monster Transmissions......http://racetransmissions.com/store/prod ... cts_id/185

 

[olds307 and 403]

Extreme automatics, in Illinois, I believe. $1395 for one good for 600? hp. I have heard very good things about them. If that trans is anything like my trans, that one will have shifts at WOT 3000 rpm, sucks. A good performance core is best but a good shop should be able to tune the shift points and firm shifts.

 

[megaladon6]

that's what happened to me. the previous owner must have gotten a junkyard trans to rebuild and swapped it for the original CZ trans. it's holding up, but not what i want.
none in ontario, but a few more names, ckperformance and bowtieoverdrives
unfortunately what the 200-4r really needs is some better parts and tuning, which most trans shops cannot do. you are much better off getting it from one of the specialty shops we're listing. fortunately they are actually cheaper than most trans shops just doing a basic rebuild!

 

[85_SS]

I just searched my PM's on the turbo regal boards (turbobuick.com, turbobuicks.com) as I asked about this once as well - no offence to every other g-body board out there, but the TR guys have the answers/leads when it comes to these transmissions 🙂 I had a name for a guy in Toronto that was recommended by one of the 200-4R gurus (Bruce from PTS IIRC). Ask on those boards and I'm sure you'll come up with a name. As I'm sure you know, you don't want to bring a 200-4R to just any shop as most have no idea what they are doing with these transmissions, which will be evident by them telling you it's junk and trying to talk you into a TH350 or 700-R4. For anyone that's ever tried to argue that, just tell them the 200-4R was in the fastest production cars of their time (Turbo Trans Am & GN/GNX/TR's). Being installed in the TTA says a lot considering the F-body was a 700-R4 car 😉 People assume 700's are better because they were used in the vette and F-bodies... and they are wrong. I personally wouldn't consider anything but a 200-4R for an auto trans for my cars.

EDIT:
Found it in this thread!
Trans-Ware (owner is Mike Ware) and his phone number is (905) 660-3650
http://www.turbobuicks.com/forums/trans ... urces.html

...there's another lead in there as well for Harry @ Milton Transmission. Mike was recommended to me by Bruce Toelle (sp?) who is one of the pioneers of building up the 200-4R, but it sounds like both are top notch.


EDIT again:
Do some research on both shops - seems some haven't been happy with Trans-Ware lately:
http://www.turbobuicks.com/forums/buick ... -shop.html

 

[jrm81bu]

Being installed in the TTA says a lot considering the F-body was a 700-R4 car 😉

Not really, it just says GM used a transmission that they already had that would actually bolt to the engine. 😀

 

[galeaiii]

Like someone else said check out extremeautomatics.com. They have some pretty bad add transmissions for sale. I'm not 100% certain but I don't think that a BOP trans will bolt to a Chevy engine.

 

[dogsht]

85 SS's info was bang on. Someone mentioned www.extremeautomatics.com Lonnie built the 200-4R that I used (with billet forward drum/shaft) behind a a 509ci 570 foot pound of torque Cadillac engine in my Cutlass. He has worked with Bruce at PTS since the early days of the Turbo Buicks. If you read his site he has his own servo that they make so he can use any core. He has built 200-4Rs that have run behind 9 second GNs and 1,395 isn't priced into the rediculious like some and he warrenties it good.

 

[megaladon6]

IIRC by 86 they were all dual bolt pattern. it was only the first couple of years that they made the BOP only cases.

 

[85_SS]

Yes, almost all 200-4R's are dual pattern. I'm pretty sure the 700-R4 was Chevy only for all years...

Being installed in the TTA says a lot considering the F-body was a 700-R4 car 😉

Not really, it just says GM used a transmission that they already had that would actually bolt to the engine. 😀

True, but if the 700 was really so much stronger (as many like to argue) GM could have made it work with a bellhousing adapter (or made a dual pattern 700, much like they did when they wanted the 200 to fit other cars in the GM lineup). 200-4R's also have much better gear spacing and better OD. 700-R4 was designed as a truck transmission - not sure why they went with it on the vettes and F-bodies...

200-4R used to get a really bad reputation as "another junk metric transmission" because of the 200c 3-speed, which was junk, and replaced the tried and true TH350. This has slowly started to change over the years as old school gear heads who would only use a "vette/camaro trans" have come to understand how good the 200-4R is. So many of the good 200-4R cores were scrapped by idiotic transmission shops because they talked the owner into swapping in a TH350 or 700-R4 - my SS is one of these cars - it had a TH350 in it when I bought it, which was absolutely terrible with 3.73 gears.

Bottom line is telling those who like to argue that the 700-R4 is stronger quickly put their head down when you tell them the 200-4R was used in the quickest cars of their time. They will almost always respond with "no way, vettes used a 700 man", until you inform them that the GNX and TTA (two cars they may have never heard of) would blow the doors off a vette right off the showrooom floor 🙂