Chris69

I recently sold my '81, which made about an 800 mile journey up north. The next day the car wouldn't go in reverse (or would barely move, given enough gas). Turns out the input shaft shattered on the Bowtie Overdrives 700R4. :eek: I thought this was a problem mainly with the early 700R4's ('84-'86?) with weaker shafts. I sure spent a ton of money making that conversion, only to have it implode after a year and a half. I thought they were supposed to be tough stuff! Guess not!! His tranny guy said it needed a complete rebuild. I suggested he contact Bowtie about it even though it's out of warranty. This just ain't right! :mad

427V8

Man that stinks,
The input shaft should be fine unless he was running big HP and slicks!

I'd complain to Bowtie...

Chris69

I hope he does contact Bowtie! The car has a ZZ4 with headers and all the emissions and ECM stuff and running 3.55 gears and regular street tires. It shouldn't have broken.... Hell, they don't sell these things to Buick Century owners!! I guess anything can break, though. :smash:

The Money Pit

I wouldn't waste the time calling BTO.Mines still hurt,and they never returned any calls or emails on a trans that was only in the car a week before it let go.
If I lived on the west coast this transmission would be sitting on somebody's desk at BTO! :mad

Budman68

Feel your pain brother. Mine failed also. It's not Bowtie, but it was even build heavier duty.

Fevre

You guys got me worry about the one in my Formula. :(

Alwyn678

I was thinking of switching I think I will stay with my Th-400

mrvette

Bud, guys, tell you all what, I repaired my own 700 last year in the springtime....and just a month ago or so I did the automatic in a '93 Talon, and if I can buy a kit and figger out what's what in a FWD POS tranny, and have the stupid thing actually work well....I think most of you all can do the same things, go to the YP's and find your tranny parts wholesaler in your area, get the parts, and get the manual from ATSG for your tranny, in my '700 case it was just a reprint of the same information in my '87 vette manual....these things are complicated, but NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!!

and I'm convinced anyone doing good general car repair stuff can fix these things without much problems....
and there is enough information out there on the 'net' to do extensive modifications also....

GENE

vettery

:iagree:

I did the 700R4 in my Blazer 2 years ago. I've rebuilt a 4-speed and a 5-speed manual but that was my first automatic. It wasn't that bad. I took my time and made the few specialized tools I needed. Put a shift kit in it while I was at it. After over 50,000 miles it still performs better than it ever did before.