200-4R to a 400Turbo...
 

I bought a 400 turbo trans yesterday, I'm up in the air if I want to use it or not... It needs a build, but I'm planning on doing a reverse manual vb with a trans brake... I just don't know how much I'll miss my full auto, OD, and lock up converter...
Who has done the swap?
How bad is the car driving down the highway with a 3200-3600ish stall, stock 3.42 gears, and 28" tall tires???
I like the idea of a manual valve body(I'm sure that will get old fast) with a trans brake, but I don't want to lose the streetability/fun factor of my car. It has ET Streets on it all day every day, I drive it alot, but usually only local, never in bad weather, and it's ran hard everytime I take it out... Usually I'm in a 10 mile radius, but I do like drive it to the track and race it which is only 25 miles from my house... I guess I could just do it and hold onto my 200-4R for a while so I could go back if I wanted to... The car "should" be in the 10's on pump gas, so a "cheap and strong" trans is a great idea...lol... Right now I have a fresh, "built" 200-4R with a 3200 vigilante lock up converter, I've got $2000 in the trans and converter and I don't even have any billet parts yet...lol... Let me know what you think... Thanks, Gavin

Also, what are some converter recommendations from you guys that have 400's???

I had about a half dozen 200's rebuilt and I have broken them in various ways. My car is no longer a "street car" so to speak, but I hope this helps a little. I have a 400 with a reverse manual valve body and a Neil Chance bolt together converter. I know that I have never had a problem with it except when I sheared my ring gear in half and broke the drive shaft and input shaft in the trans. I think if you want longevity the 400 is the way to go. Of course another big factor is who builds your transmission. From the way it sounds you drive your car I think you would have fun driving the car with a manual valve body.

THANK YOU!!! That is something that I've really been thinking about, I drive the car, I enjoy the speed, and when I take it out I'm usually planning on getting some adrenaline flowing...lol... I guess I'll have to put a tach in the car now, but other than that it seems like a good idea...lol... I think I'll hold onto my 200 for a while, just in case, but I doubt it'll ever go back in if I do go for the swap...

Whatever works for ya Gavin..... some guys insist on the 200r... but until you try the 400, you will never know whether it works for you. Trying it now while hangin onto the 200r gives you options. You will need to get a shorter driveshaft, new slip joint for the 400 and a new trans mount. As well as a new shifter for the 3 speed..

Yea, I saw you sell the revised trans mount for the 400... Shifter wise, I'm not sure what I'd go with, probably a 1/4 stick or Pro stick... Hopfully I can get one in with out destroying the console completely, especially since I just installed mine 2 days ago... Hahahahaha... I might get a driveshaft made with the slip yoke for the 400 since I'm sure the trans brake would be pretty hard on the stock one... Hehehehe... Thanks for the advice/info... I'll let you know what I end up doing...

400 tranny
 

I have a 400 with a manual valve body along with 28" tall tires and a 3:73 gear. I kinda wish I had the 200 when driving on the street with the gears I have. It seems to rev kinda high when just cruising but my car is loud anyway so it may be that along with not having insulation and nice stuff like a GN body. I am thinking of either going to a 3:23 gear or rebuild my 200 and go back to that. I do like the bullet proof-ness <-(is that a word?) of the 400 and the rock solid shifts from the manual valve body. Having 4th gear with the 200 would be nice though.

I have a B&M quick silver and it will work with a 3 and 4sp tranny by changing one little bolt on it.

Thanks - Ross

hey Ross,

What are you using for a converter, brand and stall. If you have a good converter, as in the correct stall, and with new technology, cruising can be enjoyable again. I noticed with some of the cars we've changed to the 400 converters are huge... when it comes to cruising. I don't think the gear change will benefit you overall.
Happy Holidays,

I'm glad you said something Jack... I heard if you have a 400 with a brake you don't need a really high stall... With a TE45A I have no problems launching with boost at the track with my vigilante 3200, so should I be wanting the same stall with a 400 or should I go lower???

You should use soemthing in the same ball park. Let me know when you need something, I should have a good one for ya.

Feel free to shoot me a pm with what ya got for me and a price... I'm thinking about having the 200 and the 400 done at the same time, selling the 200, and installing the 400... The 200 is out of warranty, but the guy knows it has low miles on it... Last night I was driving the car home for the first time since I started everything and it started with the 2-3 flare :mad: I can't get ahead, it's breaking faster than I can fix it right now... Last time out the PS pump started making a bunch of noise, the front cover is leaking oil somewhere, and before I get to fix either of them the trans starts pooping out on me...

more 400 comments
 

I am not sure - I got the tranny and converter from a guy in NJ off of the buick site a while back. I know some known Buick guy built it. I can go look in some emails if I can find it. : ) I have a manual valve body but NOT a trans brake. : ( . I think I have around a 2800 ish stall. I had a 200r with a 3200 stall that would just spool like a banshee - very quick. I loved it.

So are you saying there are some new fangeld(sp) 400 converters that will lower my RPM when I am cruising? I still think a gear change will help vs spending all the coin to get a strong 200r. It seems like everyone has the 2-3 flare come back at some point in the 200r. Maybe if I get one of those nice over-drive setups for the 400 that would be cool. : ) The good ones cost more than a killer 200r though....

I can change from one tranny to the other pretty easy if I want to. I still think for cruising and some racing a 200r is a better more pleasant user experiance. I think the 200r also has a lower first gear for a quicker out of the hole launch? no? : )

Ive got a built AOD with transbrake and all the goodies including a PTC 9.5" converter,B&M shifter and cable,and SFI bellhousing if anyone is looking.Trans is from CK Performance and has maybe 1 mile on it.

I have about $5000 in it with the converter,looking for $2500 obo:eek:
________
Washington marijuana dispensaries

200-4r build in Car Craft
 

Just to add some info to this - I just got the March 2009 issue of Car Craft in the mail and there is a nice article on the 200-4r starting on page 40. They go through a rebuild and what parts and tweaks Art Carr makes.

My buddy Sal bought one of the gear vendor overdrive units... They said it wouldn't have a problem holding up in his twin turbo Viper with a powerglide... It blew up on one of the first few passes so those aren't really an option for us "regular" poor people...lol... His car makes over 2000hp and runs low 7's, but that still put a bad taste in my mouth considering how much those units cost... I've actually been driving the car around a bit in drive instead of overdrive to see what the 400 would be like and its not bad with the local cruising/driving I do... I don't have $5000 to make a bulletproof 200-4R, so the $1000, Turbo 400 with all the goodies sounds like a GREAT idea...

A properly built 400 will run you more than $1000.The good drum/36 element sprag combos alone run $550 and up.Go spragless and your talking $1400 for just the vb alone:eek:
________
LadyHotLove cam

I keep reading your posts about installing a TH400 in a GN...and several questions come to my mind which worry me a little about this swap...
I do drive the car on the street and I still have the 200-4R transmission on my car. Even if it's been "built" by Eric Schertz (Dynotech) with the best parts, everyone including Martin and even Jack told me that sooner or later, the 200-4R will reach it's limits and let go...I might have to go to a TH400 one day...
But...
-1˚: Why is it that everyone who put a TH400 has to have a "reverse pattern manual valve body" ? Is it possible to have a TH400 with a FORWARD PATTERN and AUTOMATIC, valve body? I don't think I'd be fun driving the car on the street with having to constantly shift up and down at every stoplight or whenever traffic slows down or gets faster...:rolleyes: I really don't like that drawback...:mad:
-2˚: Would using 3.23 gears compensate for not having an overdrive ?... :o
-3˚: Will that (going to 3.23 gears) hurt my 1/4 mile et ? :confused:

Thanks guys for your replies...

Claude. :)