200-4r install

[jetmech]

Pulled out my turbo 350 today and bolted in a 200-4R in my 79. The tranny fits like it was made for the car. I just had to pull the nose piece off of the crossmember. The 200 rear mount bolts right to the top of the crossmember. I had to tweek the tranny fluid lines and will have to alter the dust shield a bit but other than those small items the thing fit well. I will pull the pan and set up the TV cable tomorrow and then finish installing the drive line. Will post when the car is done and on the road.

 

[Yoda]

jetmech,

My ole pal BLACKDOG had this conversion done to his LG4 1980 and hasn't quit smiling.. he chrips the tires between 1st & 2nd and can run with the big dogs out on the highway now and now he can hear the squeeks and rattles like the rest of us

From what I've seen from my ole bud Dawg, I think you'll really like the 200-4R

 

[BLACKDOG]

jetmech - no doubt you'll love having the 200-4R over the TH350 !! Probably the best decision I've made as far as mods go !! With the 3.55 gears, I turn just around 2000rpms at 75mph compared with 3300rpms before the swapout - makes those long interstate trips a breeze now !! Hope it works as well for you

 

[phxraptor]

So Blackdog,other than the above mentioned tweeking a 200-4-R just pops in place of a 350 ?

 

[BLACKDOG]

phxraptor - had mine done at BowTie Overdrives about an hour south of Barstow. They told me this was the perfect swap ... no need to cut down the driveshaft, and supposedly, the stock cross-member worked too ? Matter of fact, I dropped it off on the way back from the Corvettes Against Cancer show last April. Before 200-4R, 75mph was around 3250 rpm's ... and after, it's about 2100. The upcoming run to Indiana is going to be much easier on the DoG this time around !!

 

[phxraptor]

:cool Thanks for the info

 

[Robin7TFour]

HOWDY, my understanding is the 200-R4 is the more economical conversion to do. is it as strong as the TH400? after we get our new house i'm going to have to put a stall converter in because of the cam (previous owner's faux pax) so maybe a different tranny's in the future.

we make the magic happen


Bubba the mousekateer

 

[Evolution1980]

Lucky you are able to go to BowTie. I'm going to bite my tongue right now, but suffice to say I am EXTREMELY PI$$ED with them right now. We are aout to have a "go around" here in a couple of hours when I get them on the phone... mad ad ad ad ad ad ad

I came across this thread because I'm trying to find if anyone else is having the problems I am...

 

[AKRAY4PLAY]

Robin,
unfortunately the 200r4 is not as strong as the th400. my personnal opinion is that it is stronger than the 700r4. the 700r4 has a longer case and smaller internals than the 200r4, but both can be built up to take 450 ft/lbs. anything over that and look to the th400 and a Gearvendor's overdrive. i will be posting the GV install come July. GV is currently working on a controller that down shifts the aux tranny when you up shift the main tranny. that will greatly improve the operation and reduce oops-shifts. Brian

 

[phxraptor]

Robin,
unfortunately the 200r4 is not as strong as the th400. my personnal opinion is that it is stronger than the 700r4. the 700r4 has a longer case and smaller internals than the 200r4, but both can be built up to take 450 ft/lbs. anything over that and look to the th400 and a Gearvendor's overdrive. i will be posting the GV install come July. GV is currently working on a controller that down shifts the aux tranny when you up shift the main tranny. that will greatly improve the operation and reduce oops-shifts. Brian

Would you say the 200 is as strong or stronger than a 350 (trans) ?

 

[jetmech]

I fired up the car and ran it through the gears on the lift last night. Need to have the exhaust installed and I will give a road report. As far as the strength of the 200 I think it depends on how the transmission is built. There is a lot of information out on the web about the 200, mostly from Grand National owners but from what I have read and researched with just a few mods the transmission is very tough and can handle well above 300 horse. I am looking forward to driving the car. Oh by the way 70 MPH was 1900 on the tach without the converter locked up.

 

[Evolution1980]

Would you say the 200 is as strong or stronger than a 350 (trans) ?

The 200R4 and the 700R4 can be built up to handle in excess of 400+ horsepower. Stock for Stock, I believe the TH400 was stronger. But both can be built up. I believe that most people looking for a replacement transmission at this time would choose on of the R4's over at Th400, given that you can build them just as strong or more so than a TH.
At that point, the only driving difference is what kind of first gear you want. The 700R4 has a more agressive first gear than the 200R4.

If you go out to www.BowtieOverdrives.com ("BTO"), you can read in great detail about the transmissions, as well as do comparos between the different trans (200R4 -vs- 700R4 -vs- TH350 -vs- TH400).
I just bought a 700R4 (Level 3) from BTO and should have the installation finished Saturday or Sunday.

From their website: Our level Three transmissions have the following parts added for increased strength and reliability above 450 horsepower and 450 LB / feet of torque...
HP/TQ Rating = 630 Maximum

They also have a Level 4 version which is pretty much for drag strip only...

 

[AKRAY4PLAY]

Would you say the 200 is as strong or stronger than a 350 (trans) ?

a 200r4 is close, but not quite as strong as a th350. both can be built to take power, but you lose effec in the beefier parts. basically the stronger you built it, the closer to th400 performance you get. most guys rip on the th400 for being a power sucker, but that opinion is formed from radical drag racers. sure you loose a little hp at the wheels, but 99.99% of people will never now the difference. the guys i reffer to are the ones that win or loose by who can squeak out that extra 5 hp at the crank. the best thing to do is run a 200 or 700r4 until you get to 400tq, then look at a th400 with GV kit. the prices of a built 700r4 that will actually handle 500tq are the same as a GV kit. i like bullet-proof reliability, so my opinion is the th400/GV is the best of both worlds. plus 600tq will kill any four speed auto, so i am forced into one option. if you have 400 tq or less, go for the four speed and save yourself $800, i think BTO is selling a decent 700r4 for about $1500, compared to the GV at $2300. Brian

 

[AKRAY4PLAY]

just found this tid bit on the BTO website. it basically backs everything thats been thrown out in this thread. happy reading, decide what you need, get it installed and enjoy the good times. Brian
http://700r4.com/faq/bighp.shtml

 

[MaineShark]

There is a lot of information out on the web about the 200, mostly from Grand National owners but from what I have read and researched with just a few mods the transmission is very tough and can handle well above 300 horse.

A bit more than 300 hp

GN's are putting out nearly that, stock. It doesn't take much to cross the 300hp line, and the stock 200-4R will survive quite a while without mods. Mostly, this is due to the computer boost limit when you get into overdrive.

With any overdrive transmission, the overdrive gear is the weakest. If you can avoid the temptation to punch in when you are in fourth, your transmission will take quite a bit more power than an identical transmission that gets hammered when in fourth.

Joe