Should I put a 700R4 in my 68 Camaro?
Voovid
I've been on the fence about this one for months. I have a '68 Convertible
Camaro. 350ci with a powerglide. I read an article in Super Chevy about the
transplant, and it got me thinking. I've gotta ditch the powerglide, so I could
go with a 350TH (which would be simple) or I could go with the 700R4 (which
would not be simple)
The car is a daily driver and it see's a good amout of freeway miles. The idea
of cutting my gas bill every month is appealing...as is the the better first
gear. I could go with a bigger rear end.
But a lot of people I've talked to say the 700R4 is crap, and I should go with
a 350TH.
I know I can't go wrong with a 350TH, but is the swap to a 700R4 worth the
extra $$$$?
Sorry this is long...any help would be great
Sean.
Gary M. Stegmiller
voo...@aol.com wrote:
<I've been on the fence about this one for months. I have a '68
Convertible
<Camaro. 350ci with a powerglide. I read an article in Super Chevy
about the
<transplant, and it got me thinking. I've gotta ditch the powerglide,
so I could
<go with a 350TH (which would be simple) or I could go with the 700R4
(which
<would not be simple)
<The car is a daily driver and it see's a good amout of freeway miles.
The idea
<of cutting my gas bill every month is appealing...as is the the better
first
<gear. I could go with a bigger rear end.
Let's look at it this way. Say your car now gets 15 mpg. To drive it
100,000 miles you would need 6,667 gallons of gas, and at $1.50 per
gallon, that is about $10,000.
The 700R4 has a .70 overdrive, so would give about 30% lower RPM or
with the lockup torque converter, possibly 35%. Now RPM does not
translate directly in fuel savings, so you would probably achieve only
about 25% better fuel economy, or about 19mpg.
Now that 25% fuel savings would apply only to highway driving, not the
stop and go traffic stuff, so if you drive 50-50% highway/city, your
25% savings becomes 12.5%. Saving 12.5% of $10,000 puts $1250 in your
pocket.
Seems to me that the additional cost of the 700R4 and installation
would more than eat up any savings it could give you.
<But a lot of people I've talked to say the 700R4 is crap, and I should
go with
<a 350TH.
The turbo 350 is a stronger, much better constructed tranny than the
700R4. Expect fewer repairs and cheaper repairs with the 350.
<I know I can't go wrong with a 350TH, but is the swap to a 700R4 worth
the
<extra $$$$?
Only you can decide that, but I have a car the 700R4 and others with
the turbo 350. The turbo 350 is much more pleasant to drive, crisper,
cleaner shifting. The 700R4 in comparison has lagging shifts, as all
cable controlled trannys seem to have. I feel I should replace my 700R4
with a turbo 350, not the other way.
SBCA96
The TH700-R4 is probably the best transmission Chevy
has ever made. This is coming from a Studebaker nut.
I have one in my 1960 Hawk ..... behind a STUDEBAKER
engine!! So I would say your swap will be much easier
then mine was. The transmission is longer, so you will have
to shorten your driveshaft. You will love the gas mileage
that you get. Mine went from 18 mpg, to 25 mpg on the
freeway!! I have a 700 in my 93 Z-28 with 76,000 miles.
It just had it's first transmission service ... not because there
was a problem but because the fluid was brown.
good luck
Tom
Michael W. Shrader
<<Seems to me that the additional cost of the 700R4 and installation
would more than eat up any savings it could give you.>>
Lower RPM's would also translate into less engine wear. Another plus.
<<The turbo 350 is a stronger, much better constructed tranny>>
And simpler. Less parts mean less to break and wear out. I've gone ahead
and put a 700R4 in my '78. Haven't gotten it back on the road yet, but I'm
looking forward to seeing what it does for the car's drivability as well.
I've got the lockup converter and had the tranny rebuilt with a shift kit.
Hope it works well.
--
- MWS
Xstreetrcr
Sean,
I currently own a 68 Camaro 327/300 that I installed a 700R4 in 5 years ago and
I couldn't be happier with it. The extra money is money well spent. It was easy
to wire up and I just used a throttle pressure cable and bracket from a later
(say 85) Camaro to connect to my stock Quadrajet carburetor. Mileage is aprrox.
24mpg on freeway with 3.08 ratio but should stay the same or get even better
when the 3.73's go in.
I say go for the 700, they are highly underated.
Bill Wdowicki ASE Cert. Master Auto Tech
ASE Automobile Advanced Engine Performance