Jenny

What would you suggest i do to my drivetrain to make it bulletproof agains say 500hp- i wanna leave a little room for margin hehe. Will my 3 speed handle it? Would a 700r4 hypothetically handle it? Rear end? Halfshafts? Anything i should worry about twisting to its death? I figure the more i work on it prior to the motor going in, the better off i will be, so i won't break anything on the road. Thanks for the help! Have a good weekend guys!

-Jen

gkull

aft of the tranny I never did fix anything ahead of time. I just waited for the noises. You just have to do checks on all the U-joints and trailing arms before and after you raise H. When things get loose just always put in better parts. Never use OEM or junk. At the 500 hp level rearends only live 1-3 years with slicks or big street tires. The same amount of time for all but the best auto trannies.

Jenny

thanks for the advice. i guess i could go that route and have cash set aside for repairs. :) Anyone else?

SmokedTires

I would definitly start with u-joints. Broken half shaft u-joints can make quite the mess. You might want to change the rearend fluid too while your there for added insurance (don't forget to add the GM posi additive). With 450-500 hp don't worry about finding the weakest link, it'll show YOU where it is ;) .

SteveG75

Try here:
http://www.tomsdifferentials.com

He has all kinds of upgrades to the Corvette rear end assembly. How about a modified 12 bolt rear end for the Corvette IRS starting at $2300! Lots of other good stuff. Just make sure your credit is good. :jester

93Polo

Toms is awesome bought my u-joints from them. Love the half shaft safety loops, and 12 bolt dif. they make. Wish I could get all that for a C4

Matt M

The differential should be fine. I run a stock differential with 4.11's and have had zero problems with it at 650 horsepower and 600 ft lbs for over 2 years. The rear end parts you will need to upgrade are U-joints- I run Spicer non-greaseable, forged side yokes, and heavy duty spindles- I run Tom's Axles spindles.
If you are going to switch to an overdrive trans, DON"T get a 700 r4! The 200 4R trans is easier to install and can be built stronger than the 700 can. Also, the gear ratios are better in the 200. I got mine for a reasonable price and it is amazing! Low 1.40 sixty foots and 20 mpg on the highway!

Matt

gkull

Jenny - I have much the same setup as Matt with a 700r4 built for 850 hp with a 3000 stall 3 lockup clutch converter. I run a stock differential with 4.11's My rearend upgrades are U-joints - I run Spicer non-greaseable, custom forged side yokes, $685 posi units & Tom's Axles spindles. I have bigger half shafts HD trailing arms and the rear frame has been welded and gussetted. You need Smart struts , poly everything, and good shocks. You need to get away from 15 inch wheels. 17's are Ok but 18's have better diameter choices in wide tires.

Jvette73

Solid non greasable ujoints by brute force are available from autozone for around $12 each. Theyre stronger then the greasable type since they dont have the channels running through them. They have them for both driveshaft and halfshafts. You need two for the driveshaft and 4 for the halfshafts. They are different so make sure you specify driveshaft and halfshaft(axel). Im a staunch advocate of the OD automatics. Either one can be built to handle what you have planned. Im using the 200R mainly since it was a more direct swap from my original Th400. The 200R also has a closer range 1st to second gear ratio then the 700r.

shawn_cake

Are you drag racing - using slicks?

If not, the Toms Diffs stuff is excessive and expensive. I have the Toms 12 bolt diff on my 532 cid beast, but the whole setup with half shafts etc. is big $$$. Toms stuff is excellent ....

I'd suggest Van Steel in Tampa / St. Pete Fla. as a good source of Vette drivetrain goodies - their prrice is reasonable - and their parts hold up well - except when abused in severe drage race competition. I'd also look to Vette Brakes and Suspension in Tampa St Pete for suspension and brake goodies.
These two firms will get you setup with a "$$ reasonable" super street Vette drivetrain, brakes and suspension.

NoWorries

What'd you have done to your 700R4? I've got the upgraded clutch packs and sprags or whichever, I'm not familiar with which parts have been changed, but it was a fairly inexpensive rebuild. My tranny is rated to 600 hp, which is way more than my D36 is rated for.

For future reference, what should I ask for? One shop said a 9 disc 2-3 and 3-4 clutch pack would make the transmission a lot stronger, less prone to grenading, but the clutches would wear out sooner due to heat. I'm running 6-disc packs for longevity and because I don't plan to run Drag Slicks until I get the rear-end sorted.

Also, just out of curiosity, what are the gear ratios in the 200-4R? I've heard of a guy that put the one out of his Grand National into his 1990 454SS, and its still holding up to all that torque. Not that I plan on switching the Vette, but for future projects...

For anyone wondering, the 700R4 ratios are:
3.08
1.63
1.00
0.70

Jvette73

Gear ratios of the 200-4R are: 2.74 first, 1.57 second, 1.00 third, .67 fourth.

my 200r works great with 3.90 rear gears


[Modified by Jvette73, 1:02 PM 12/30/2001]

Matt M

I'm skeptiacl about the Brute Force U-joints. I snapped one in half in a month. Maybe it was just a defective one, but I've been runnining the Spicers for 2 years.

Matt

Jenny

My oh my, is this confusing... in the right corner: 200R4, in the left: 700R4.. both claim that theirs is better. I suppose i should check out what tranny i have in my car right now. I'm assuming the 200R5 is a direct replacement for the TH400? Same basic shell or what? I wish there was only one O/D Tranny :D... would make life so much easier!

shawn_cake

Why not go stick?
ROD 6 gear is a nice tranny!

Matt M

as far as 200 vs 700, there are dozens of 9 sec cars equipped with 200 4r trannies. I have yet to see a 9 second 700 r4 car. not that they might not exist, but I haven't seen any.

Matt

flynhi

GKULL,
Please describe the frame gussets and welds you mentioned. Are they the ones in Tom's?
Thanks,Will

Shark Racer

On the same note... I haven't seen a single 'vette factory equipped with a 2004R. The engineers have to have a reason, right?
(And if you want to argue cost effectiveness, the engineers easily could have moved the lineup over to 2004Rs if it were so great...)
-Steve

Matt M

Steve, I'm not saying that the 200 4r is better than the 700 r4 in stock form. I am saying that the 200 can be built stronger than the 700 can. And it is easier to put it in a C3. I don't want to upset anyone running a 700, I am just offering the information to someone considering the swap.

Matt

NoWorries

For what its worth, I know of one 1200 hp Camaro running a TH700R4, built by the same company that did my transmission. The last I'd heard, it had made 15 passes without a problem, but if I had that much power, the 700R4 definitely wouldn't be my first choice, I'd probably go to a TH400. I think there's definitely a point where an OD transmission becomes purely novelty, how streetable is 1200 hp going to be?

Jen, you've probably(I'm about 99% certain) got a TurboHydramatic 350, with lock-up torque converter. Not a bad transmission, one of the only downsides is the lack of the OD. One of the C4 guys is running a TH350 with 800(I think) hp, he went with the 350 over the 400 for the weight savings.