Transmission upgrade

I have a 1980 Trans Am with a 400ci and not exactly sure of the production date on the 400. My question is how do I go about upgrading to a 700R4 trans? Is the upgrade possible and what do I need to do to make it work? Any and all tips are greatly appreciated. Thanx  

The 200-4r is a better choice than the 700-r4. It has the correct bellhousing pattern for the Pontiac V8 (I assume you mean you have a 400 Pontiac, not a 400sbc) and it is the same overall length and spline size as the th350 so the driveshaft doesn't have to be changed. Also, the gear ratios are more evenly spaced in the 200-4r compared to the super steep first gear of the 700. The 700 has a chevy only bellhousing pattern which requires an adapter plate, it's longer, requiring a shorter driveshaft. Both can be built to equal levels of durability and both require specific brackets and procedures to correctly setup the TV (throttle valve) cable in order for the trans to shift correctly. Incorrect setup will cause poor shift quality and shortened trans life. Check out Bowtie Overdrives.com, they have a great tech section with lots of info on both tranny's and how to set them up. They also sell the proper cable brackets and adapters for several styles of carbs as well. Personally, even if you have a 400 small block Chevy, I would go with the 200-4r (most have dual bell housing patterns) because with either Pontiac or Chevy 400, you likely don't need the 3.06:1 first gear of the 700r4. In the end, the choice is yours. This is merely my opinion. Hope it helps.
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

First of all big thanx Steve. You're right about the 400 pontiac. I'm new to the restoration and customization scene. I just thought the 700r4 was the tranny to go with with overdrive. I didn't know about the bellhousing pattern being different either. I figured it would bolt up since Pontiac was a sub-division of GM. So you say the 200-4r, I'm gonna have to do some research on that tranny. Once again, thanx.  

Ya I agree if you want a over drive trans. the TH-200-4R is the way to go.  
professional hi-performance engine builder

Horsepower sells engines and torque wins races

I have a restored 1967 Firebird Coupe with a Pontiac 428, Richmond 6-speed (3.07 1st gear and .7 6th gear overdrive)and 3.70 gear. Although the 6-speed is fun it doesn't seem to lend itself to even occasional drag racing due to gearing vs torque. I am seriously thinking of changing over to the 200-4R, but I question the stall speed I should use and lockup vs non-lockup. The short block is based on a stock 360hp 428. The oiling system has been upgraded. The heads are 87cc Edelbrock, Torquer-II intake, Quick Fuel 850 carb, Lunati dual-pattern hydraulic cam and 1.6 roller rockers. The cam specs are (duration @.050 IN/EX: 231/239;Lift IN/EX: .485"/.507"; LSA/ICL:110/104; advertised RPM Range is 3000-6200. My Firebird is street driven with 92 octane gas. Will I need to change my drive shaft length for this kind of manual to automatic change-over? It has plenty of torque, in fact it will break loss in third gear, but too much shifting with this combo (in my opinion) especially for bracket racing. Please give me your thoughts.  

Wow! I'll bet you are busy shifting! The problem here is that you chose your rear end gears like you were using a Muncie 4-speed. For example, currently you have a total first gear reduction of 11.36:1 (3.06 x 3.70), if you had a 2.20 first gear Muncie and your 3.70 rear, the total reduction would be only 8.14:1. To get an equivalent first gear with your 6-speed you need to divide 8.14 by 3.06 = 2.66:1 rear gear. You can round that off to 2.73 and be in the ballpark or go as deep as 3.08 and still get great takeoff and your cruising rpm will be even lower. I would go this route first instead of the trans swap, simply because you have already put the time and money into the 6speed installation. This setup will make it work like a 4-speed in the quarter and allow the torque to do the work instead of revving like a short stroke SBC.
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

I am about to do the samething with my 1981 Trans Am. From the proformance transmission web sites I've been reading, the 700R4 is the way to go. It really depends on how much HP you have in your 400. I'm about 450 HP with mine.

Monster trans at www.eatmyshift.com has just about everything you need, even shifter mod so you can keep your factory shifter.

I have a torker II intake and holley carb so I need a carb adapter for the tv cable. I found it at www.fourthgearinc.com about $25.

The adapter plate to bolt the 700R4 to the pontiac engine can be found the cheapest at www.tciauto.com $67.23.  

I'm running 275/60 15 tires and 3.73 gears, with the 700R4 set up, I should have one heck of a take off and still fly down the hwy in overdrive.

check out those web sites.
Hope this helps  

Ok, I disagree on the whole 700R4 tranny. Every website i have read talks about the slipping issues they have. I have owned an '89 camaro with a 2.8 v6 and made the tranny slip like it was going out of style. I would lean more towards the 200 4r. I know own an '86 T/A that i am going to be doing the swap with here in a few weeks. This is just my opinion and feelings towards the 700R4.