700r4 tech

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66fj40x2

66fj40x2

Joined
Jul 9, 2004
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Location
Montgomery Co. TEXAS
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missionsonwheels.org
Alright, it's time to find some links and build info for 700r4's and hopefully have them all in one thread and get it in the FAQ.... I don't have time right now to spend on the web searching and need to get info and parts gathered rather quickly.

For my build it'll be going into a 40 behind a 5.7 Vortec with an Atas II case. I'll eventually switch over to a 14 bolt and Dana 60 but for now the chromo'ed Toyota stuff will work.


Looks like the best place to start is with a '87 and later trans.

Please share any parts preferences, tech and specs. I'll update this post with what y'all post up.

Thanks for the help!!!!
 
first step, be sure it's a K case from a truck....thicker stuff for better durability....blatently obvious by the large 'K' case into the top passenger side of the bellhousing

'fin' the tail portion....mine will be done soon, will post pics...

stall converter: stock HD stall....skip the fancy stuff IMO....
 
From a post by orange45 thanks George

as mentioned, you really should start with the "auxillary valve body th700" which was produced between 1987 and 1992. these units had all the factory upgrades incorporated in them. some of the tranmission suppliers like to boast about their transmissions having "several HD upgrades". those would be all the factory upgrades........
part of these upgrades are:
a better pump design
better valve body and servo
better input drum
better input shaft ( upgraded from 27 to 30 spline)
accordingly, a better converter ( partially due to the spline count increase)
better rear sprag setup
amongst a few other odds and ends

the "auxillary valve body" actually referrs to a a small auxillary portion of the valve body that bolts to the indise of the trans towards the rear. it supplies much better clutch holding power for fourth gear versus the earlier designs. and it's one crutial upgrade that can not be achieved by "updating" an earlier unit. sure you can put in a shift kit, but you don;t get the same results.

th700s are great transmissions. they got a bum rap because the very early models, 1982-83 had lots of problems when put to severe use. the aux vb units usually go 100k miles in full size trucks. at least that's what we wanted to get out of them when we rebuilt them at the trans shop. and the vast majority of them did. that can not be said for most automatic overdrive transmissions.

if you're going to have on built for your rig, then i would definetly install a MILD shift kit, like the one offered by transgo. do not make it shift too firm or it'll break the aluminum lugs right out of the case. and then you're back to square one.
i would also highly recommend using a kevlar band 9 to cope with the heat and extra load ) as well as an HD sun gear shell, commonly referred to as 'the beast". besides that, get a good quality torque converter with the HD torrington bearing upgrade and kevlar or ceramic lockup-clutch liner. stay away from B&M converters, or it'll be a mistake you won't make twice ( ask me how i know ).

last but not least, find somebody who's well versed in these transmissions and insist on them using high quality components like borg warner or raybestos frictions and oem planets, not the cheap chinese crap......
it'll be money well spent in the long run.

also, make sure you run a quality transmission cooler. use a twisetd fin style, not a tube and fin 9 they're not very efficient at all ).

as far as wiring goes, there are several outfits that can supply you with a 'stand alone" lockup harbess. painless, jags that run, e-z wiring and others are all good.

alright, my 5 minutes are up and i have a two week old that's crying.

best of luck and always remember:

autos rule!
 
if you want a turnkey build, check out Bowtie Overdrives. They can build whatever you need. I talked to them about sticking one behind a 4bt. Not affiliated, just posting up as another resource for your research.

HTH,
 
just curious but why step backwards to a Older trans ?

4l60e or 4l80e, reprogram computer anyways (late 5.7) just run the match trans.
OR manual vavle body on either above and not worry about it.

not a fan of the 700, so i am curious.

80e best IMO.
 
HI^C said:
just curious but why step backwards to a Older trans ?

4l60e or 4l80e, reprogram computer anyways (late 5.7) just run the match trans.
OR manual vavle body on either above and not worry about it.

not a fan of the 700, so i am curious.

80e best IMO.
Click to expand...

Okay, so feel free to start a 4L60e/4L80e tech thread. I'm looking for tech info on the 700r4 in one thread to be added to FAQ sticky. Thanks
 
HI^C said:
just curious but why step backwards to a Older trans ?

4l60e or 4l80e, reprogram computer anyways (late 5.7) just run the match trans.
80e best IMO.
Click to expand...

1: Maybe it's what you already have (like me)
2: Cost. The first 4L60's had the 4-bolt tail housing that everyone and their cousin makes adapters for, the rest of them require a $$ adapter just to drop it back down to the same s***ty 4-bolt flange. (Caveat to that is I've heard of people using something like a Dana300 on a NV241 adapter or something like that)
3: Availability - it's getting better, but if you want the computer to plug up, not all years are the same.
4: Strength - no real difference that I've seen in a 4l60E and a later 700R4.

The 80 is a big, wide, long, heavy, power sucking beast of a transmission that most people really don't need. My 700R with only the most basic of upgrades + a valve body has been in my rig for ~5 years now and is only now starting to show some hurt after I boiled it last year.. but it's still going strong. ~330hp in front of it, and WOT shifts are commonplace. Yes, the 700R is my "weak link", and I still don't feel the need to upgrade it to the 4l80E...
 
One big factor for me running the manual VB was being able to ditch the TV cable, which is a PITA on the LS-engines. Now there's a VB kit that allows the elimination of the TV but keeping auto functionality.

I really like the reverse shifting though.. it's really quick to go from reverse to first and vice-versa. But I don't necessarily like the full-hard shifts all the time.. and forget about downshifting into first while moving.. it's harsh!

If I had to do it again... tough call. auto convenience vs reverse shifting convenience..
 
LMAO too each his own.

search, and outside of here as well.

guy says doesnt have anything now, so if your building late 5.7 still have to buy everything behind it, why sell short at 700r4. which was why my question was specifc. I have piles of crap everyday, just cause they are here is not a good enough reason to write with it. especially when there is a better match item made to do a much better job, and without the mess :)

might check the 80e dims again :)

either none OD or with OD. With prices, parts, MVB, cheap reprogram, compression braking, lockup, strength upgrades, etc... 700r4 is really no longer a stand alone as it was for several yrs as a cost effective only solution with OD. Skip over it.

yes i hate electornics more then life, but had cheap standalone, or MVB came out much quicker for the E trans, you would have never seen 700r4s in any crawler. aftermarket milked thier overpriced and overproduced parts as long as they could, holding back on the E series stuff cause they knew what would happen.
 
There was more aftermarket support to replace the 700R4 in its first 5 yrs ( just under 10 yrs) then there was any E series parts up till about 3 yrs ago ( now almost 15yrs )
 
I just bought a th700r from an 89 blazer with 130000 mi.
It has a small "k" 2 or 3 inches high on each side of the bellhouseing and a factory gm sticker that says it's been remanufactured. Is this good or bad ? How do you tell which year it is if it's out of the truck allready? Is there a good web site that tell this information ?

thanks james
 
I am in the same situation... I have a tranny in the corner of my garage that the PO "said" was bolted to a V8. Doesn't mean it was even manufactured for a V8 though. Mine even has the remanufactured sticker from GMGoodwrench on it.

Didn't the '89 Blazer have a V6?

james70toy said:
I just bought a th700r from an 89 blazer with 130000 mi.
It has a small "k" 2 or 3 inches high on each side of the bellhouseing and a factory gm sticker that says it's been remanufactured. Is this good or bad ? How do you tell which year it is if it's out of the truck allready? Is there a good web site that tell this information ?

thanks james
Click to expand...
 
If you read my buildup you can read all the trouble I have gone through with my 700r4 so far......with that said I'm still keeping it. What I have learned so far.......

K-cases came from both v6 and v8 applications and I was told by a GM guy that the the K just denoted that it was from a 4 wheel drive. I was also told that much of the strength of the case comes from the bracing to the motor and the beefy inspection cover found on the k-cases. Also the v6 and v8 tranny are different internally (specifically in the valve body and clutches)and externally but are difficult to identify. A V6 tranny can be built nearly as well as a v8 tranny by upgrading during the rebuild and they are generally cheaper to get, but you can't swap v8 parts into a v6 case - ask me how I know :rolleyes: From what I've seen, and this is not concrete, is that the later v8 700r4 can be differentiated by the "ears" that allowed a brace to be bolted from the tbi 350 to the tranny where as the v6 k-cases I have seen do not.

Since I am running a tbi with computer I have elected to keep the standard valve body and allow the comp to do the lockup but if I don't like it I may convert to a manual valve body and external lockup down the road. Upgrades I have done include a corvette servo, HD shell, new GM sprags, an HD band, raysbestos discs, and a few more small things. I hear about guys using kevlar bands but the tranny guy I have been working with told me that they are tough to break in and your supposed to do a "smokeout" breakin which means that literally smoke will be coming from your tranny. :meh: And the key, from all that's been told to me and I have read, is that cooling your tranny is the most important thing in keeping it alive so I'll probably run a seperate cooler with it's own fan.....
 
we run 2 700r4s one in the kids mud truck .it runs timken military axles 6.17 gears 203 case and 50" military tires .the other in a 73 40 with the same set up except 14x24 tractor tires .niether tranny has given us any trouble .the 3.60 to 1 first gear works quite well ,od is not used or hooked up but is .70.there is a good article in last months rod and custom mag on this tranny its very popular with street rodders.now that scrap is down those chevy 4x4s are for sale all over the place for 3 to 400 bucks.since i already have enough cruisers were picking up a few extra chevy,gmcs for parts .
 
Clearance is TIGHT. You need smaller diameter ujoints such as the Spicer 1310's. You have to dish the pan in and shave the lip also. I had to leave the corner trans pan bolt out also. I needed to dish the front pan corner in also. I have about 1/4" gap at the front and about half that at the ujoint.
 
AA sells a front driveline kit specifically for this setup. pm me if you need one.

hth

georg @ valley hybrids
 
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