700R4 vs TH350 vs 4l60e vs SM465 vs...

[bigredblzr]

I lost the tranny in my K5 the other day and I'm gonna replace it. However, I would like to upgrade if possible before swapping a tranny in. My tranny was a 700R4 and did a pretty good job. It is my daily driver and sees quite a bit of highway miles. I know many of the pros and cons of the 700R4 like:
-It is very common and inexpensive
-It has an overdrive
-It heats up easily and should have a tranny cooler
-It would be a direct swap for me and therefore would probably be the least time consuming

I would really like to know more about it though and would also like to know any pertinent info on other GM trannies. For the record I have a 91 K5 with a 350 and an NP241.

Thanks,
Nate

EDIT: Oh yeah, time and money are the most important factors for me.

[82YOYO]

I would definatly go back with the 700r4.
And i would put a big ass cooler on it.
Heat is the biggest killers of auto trannies.
And one of the reasons the 700 needs a cooler more than a 350 or 400 is that the over drive creates more heat.
If your doing a lot of hwy then you really do want to go with the 700 due to the overdrive.
The 700 also has a lower first gear than the 350 or 400.
There are a great deal of aftermarket parts out there for the 700 now to make them handle all sorts of power. Iknow still not as much as a 350 or 400. but still plenty of power.
swaping in a manual isn't all that hard but it would be one of the more difficult. You can get all you linkages and every thing fairly easy at junk yards. but the output shaft is much longer so your tcase wouldnt bolt up. and i dont think there is an adapter but i could be wrong.
In my opinion I would say go with a 700.
NOt real expensive to build. yes the 350 is cheaper to build. but the 700 wiill go right in no mods needed. for doing a lot of street driving it is the best in my opinion

[indysand]

I agree with above.
the 700 would be the least time, and close to being the cheapest for you, as well as the overdrive for all your daily driving.
If you were really up for the task of swapping out to a manual trans, the NV4500 would be the way to go. Expensive to get all the pieces needed, but the low first, overdrive and syncro'd gears make it the best to drive.

[Smash-K20]

I personally hate auto's, but if time and money are big concerns, and especially if you were happy with the first 700 then it only makes sense to replace it. Like was said above though, any extra cash you want to throw at it would most wisely be invested in a good quality bigass tranny cooler.

[SCOTTS_4X]

I'm wondering where you got the idea that a 700r4 is cheap. have you ever priced a rebuild on one? I can have my 350 rebuilt for about 150 bucks. my brother had his 700r4 rebuilt and it cost him over a grand.

[bigredblzr]

Originally posted by SCOTTS_4X
I'm wondering where you got the idea that a 700r4 is cheap. have you ever priced a rebuild on one? I can have my 350 rebuilt for about 150 bucks. my brother had his 700r4 rebuilt and it cost him over a grand.

I never said it was cheap to rebuild one. I took my truck into a tranny shop and they quoted me $1320 which was pretty much what I expected. I'm willing to bet that your tranny and your brother's tranny were quite different scenarios. Did you pull your tranny and have it rebuilt? It sounds like you probably got a deal on it either way, the cheapest I have heard of a 350 rebuild (when the tranny was pulled) was like $350-$400. Did your bro pull his or did he have a shop pull it? That would significantly increase the overall cost seeing that they charge like $80 an hour. I mean that functioning 700r4s are VERY common and being so are typically low in cost. I'd think that a 700r4 and a Th350 would be close in repair costs under the exact same scenarios.

Thanks for all the imput and opinions guys! Keepem coming!

[SCOTTS_4X]

actually they were the same exact scenario. we pulled both of them, and got a good deal on both of them. never the less, cheap to rebuild they are not. nor are they very strong/dependable. he had it rebuilt and blew it up, so he had it rebuilt to "take lots of power" and it still broke behind a smallblock. he paid over 2 grand the second time, and a .30 over roller 350 with TPI toasted it within about 5-6 weeks. he finally got smart and put a 400/205 where his 700/208 used to live. no problems since.

-Scott

[bigredblzr]

Originally posted by SCOTTS_4X
actually they were the same exact scenario. we pulled both of them, and got a good deal on both of them. never the less, cheap to rebuild they are not. nor are they very strong/dependable. he had it rebuilt and blew it up, so he had it rebuilt to "take lots of power" and it still broke behind a smallblock. he paid over 2 grand the second time, and a .30 over roller 350 with TPI toasted it within about 5-6 weeks. he finally got smart and put a 400/205 where his 700/208 used to live. no problems since.

-Scott

Did both of them break the same way/have the same damage? Rebuilding something merely means that you are repalcing what is broken or worn. IMO it sounds like you got an awesome deal and he got ripped off. My 700r4 took alot of abuse (I drive my truck like a racecar, and gave it plenty off abuse offroad) and it still lasted 180,000+ mi. Sounds like his may just have been a lemon.
Thanks for your advice!

[82YOYO]

SCOTTS
where the heck did you get a 350 rebuilt for $150???????
what did they do to it????????
whoever built your brothers 700 must not of known what he was doing.
or your bro kept overheating it

[n8damack]

bigredblzr, stay with the 700 for cost and time.

I've had 2 rebuilt (yup, slow learner.) The first was in my K1500 and I paid a shop to pull it, build it right, and install. Cost me more than the truck. The second was in a Roadmaster with 215K miles, I pulled it, paid a tranny guy cash to rebuild it after hours, cost $650 since he had to rebuild the pump, original bid was $600.

Both have stage 2 shift kits, vette servo, heavy carrier bearing, and upsized cooler. I figure I saved ~$1300 by doing the cuss-work myself and letting "the man" do his thing.

My $.02

-Nate

[bigredblzr]

btt

[Beater_K20]

Originally posted by 82YOYO
where the heck did you get a 350 rebuilt for $150???????
what did they do to it????????

i had one built about 8 years ago, and the total bill came to like 155.00. the guy did it in his dirt driveway, case sitting on the ground, him sitting on a 5 gallon bucket. i had my doubts about the trans before i put it in, but he assured me that it would work. 8 years and 70,000 hard miles later, that trans is still going strong.

[balls out yota]

Comparing a tranny shop or anyother shop for that matter with a guy on a five gallon bucket in a dirt driveway is like comparing apples to oranges I'm sure that if you brought a 700r to the same guy in the dirt driveway it wouldn't cost that much more than the th350! Who knows what the guy replaced for $155 if anything at all?

[Beater_K20]

Originally posted by balls out yota
Comparing a tranny shop or anyother shop for that matter with a guy on a five gallon bucket in a dirt driveway is like comparing apples to oranges I'm sure that if you brought a 700r to the same guy in the dirt driveway it wouldn't cost that much more than the th350! Who knows what the guy replaced for $155 if anything at all?

clutches and steels, and a full seal kit. but does it really matter what he replaced? it lasted a LONG time, so my money was well spent.

[balls out yota]

The th350 thats in my truck now has over 500000kms and run perfect! the only things that have been changed are the cooling lines, pan gasket and a few seals! All of wich cost me considerably less than $155 and that was just recent not 8 years ago! I have found people that were willing to rebuild an engine for me for a few cases of beer! I wouldn't expect any shop to match that price!
BTW I also used a five gallon bucket but my driveway is paved

[Dirty S10]

also if your worried about heat try a temp gauge. b&m sells a nice kit. i have it in my truck as well as a 700r4 that id stick with.

[bigredblzr]

I do have a tranny cooler, just not a fully functional tranny