This totally depends on how you intend to use the car. If you are going to be doing plenty of highway driving, you'll really appreciate the overdrive with those 3:73 gears.

Here's what I did. I had a couple of th350's in the shed, and three 200r4's in there as well. I first built the car with a TH350 but figured I could benefit from an overdrive trans. I sold off the 200r4's and installed a standard trans Borg Warner T5 (with the S10 tailshaft to move the shifter to a better position). This eliminated the trans cooler and lines, the worries of setting up the throttle valve cable correctly, any issues with wiring-in and controlling the converter lock-up, AND gave me the overdrive I was wanting.

Worked GREAT .... till the release bearing started to bind on the bearing retainer that I should have changed BEFORE I installed the new clutch. Got pissed at the standard trans deal, pulled the stick and installed the th350 again.

I should mention, I had to craft the clutch pedal and linkage too, so it wasn't all simple.

I should also mention. The car is MUCH nicer to drive (as a regular car) with the automatic.

I should also mention  I now have 2.56 rear gears so I literally have no use for an overdrive trans.


With 3:73's, if it were my car, I'd definitely want the overdrive.  There are kits that deal with the TV cable install and I'm sure there are also kits that deal with the lock-up converter issues too.

It's a good idea to make your final decision before you complete the car (unlike me).  It sucks changing stuff you knew you should have done (the right way first) when you built the car.  

-- Edited by pint and a pound on Thursday 5th of February 2015 03:13:46 PM

The 700r4 is a great transmission. You can by a kit that corrects the TV linkage for a Holley or the afb carbs. There are also kits for the lock-up as well. You will need a brake switch that has both NO and NC circuits, it is a 4 prong brake switch. I will get you the part # for the lock-up kit when I get back out in the shop. There is lots of info on the net about the 700r4 and how to set the TV cable.

Welcome,,,,,,,,If I were you I wouldn't waste my time with a 350. It's a great trans but you need the mechanical advantage of the OD.

Get a good 700,proper linkage and do it.

Do the math with a 373 gear.

If you posted in the introductions section we would know what your'e talking about..

TMJ

-- Edited by toomuchjunk on Thursday 5th of February 2015 08:22:50 PM

If you are rebuilding a trans, go with a 200r4 with a standard converter. It takes less hp to operate it than a 700r4, and I got tired of the high speed converter in a hurry.

I went 4l80 full manual (no E)= 4 speed no clutch. Would be overkill for your milder SB application though.

South shore,
I put a700r4 into my 57 chev behind a healthy 355. AND I did it long before kits came out for the TV cable. I had some help from Sumner at the Purple Sagebrush Trading Post in Blanding Utah. I made a gauge to make a bracket to mount the TV cable to a holley so the geometry would be right and used it again for a Quad-ra-jet. If you want a copy of the gauge e-mailed, PM me for it.
Wayne

purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/techinfo.html

-- Edited by Rochie on Friday 6th of February 2015 09:42:58 AM

-- Edited by Rochie on Friday 6th of February 2015 09:44:15 AM

58Chev wrote:

---

I'm dropping a 350/700r4 in my 58. I managed to find a Q-Jet from a mid 80's Camaro w/auto trans linkage and the OEM Chevy Bracket that came standard on SBC's in the 80's. This way for me no need to fiddle with geometry.

If you don't have a 700r4 and are looking for one, try to get 1989 - 1993. The ones prior to 89 had weaker internals and a smaller input spline.

---

 Yup what he said I like the 200r4 because it fits where a short shaft t350 and aluminum power glides comes out of like early nova's it also has a dual bolt pattern for chev or pontiac. Some say they are not as tough as a 700 and that might be true but I put one in my 72 chev 3/4 ton loaded it up with a 10' camper and pulled our 18 foot boat with no problems. Buick also had them in the 12 second Grand nationals.

 

  Randy

1987-1992 700r4 is the way to go. The first 700r4's 1982-1986 are all the transmissions you hear about having problems. Anything newer 1993 and on is the electronic 4l60e. The TV cable issues come in when you change the crabs or shim them. or change intakes the cable doesn't come in perfectly straight/parallel any more when you change out those parts but they do sell tonnes of adapters to fix it. And as for a toque converter you just need to figure out were your engine makes its power with an rv cam I would think around 2500-2800 would be safe. If I'm wrong feel free to correct me

It's a little more work but I'd use either the 700-R4 or the 200-4R. You'll love the way the car will practically idle down the road.
Most RV style cams are pretty mild so you should be able to get away with the stock convertor. The 3.73 gears and the lower first gear in the overdrive should give you plenty of bottom end power.
If your cam is bigger than I think and you have a pretty rough idle, you could opt for a looser convertor but I would only step up just a little from stock.

For the lockup, I did one that had a vacuum sensor and it worked great after I got it set up but on the next one I did I just set it up to automatically lock up the convertor when it hit high gear, and that worked just fine too. I did those swaps years ago, I'm sure there must be good kits and info out there now.

The whole TV cable issue isn't a big deal. It's fairly simple to set up if you just read up on it a bit to know how to do it.
I think part of the problem guys sometimes run into is more related to the governor on the transmission. If the transmission came out of a car that shifted at 4,200 under full throttle, you can't make it shift at 6,200 just by adjusting the TV cable. You can get a kit that allows you to adjust the shift points if necessary. (the governor has weights and springs much like a distributor)

If you use a shift kit, I think B&M shift kits usually have a shift firmness setting they refer to as a "Police or Taxi" setting. That's probably the one you'd want to use. The shifts are just a tiny bit firmer than a stock passenger car but not rough at all.

Anyway, if you go with an overdrive, you won't regret it.