Best parts for 700R4?

S

s_blazin

Donating Member
so my trans has gone south on me, pulled the pan yesterday to change the filter and found many a needle chunk, and lots of magnetic mud.

A friend of mine said he has rebuilt 700r4's before, but i assume only stock type rebuild.
he said he would help me tear it apart and put it back together if i wanted to learn how.

WELL OF COURSE I DO, just wondering what parts should i replace with bigger better stronger stuff, and where to get it all.

what parts are prone to fail in these things

Thanks much guys
 
The Devils Own Chariot

The Devils Own Chariot

Active member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

NecroWolf said:
best parts for a 700r4 would be a 4l80e swap
Click to expand...

He said it. If your going to put in the labor and parts yourself I think doing the 4l80e conversion would be worth it. Ask your buddy if he could help you with that. I have never done it. Im still running the 700r4 with no problems. I would like to know that milelage you had on your tranny and what type of performance modifications you have done to the motor. Race with it much? Might give me some insight on what to expect with mine. Thanks
 
cloneman315

cloneman315

Active member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

I dont fully agree i dont think you need to do that swap on a mild or stock truck etc,If you let waller or someone on here do the build it will last,i will tell you this if you let your friend try and rebuild one of these 700s it wont last a week.A 700 can last in a high hp truck you just have to treat it right.
 
The Devils Own Chariot

The Devils Own Chariot

Active member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

cloneman315 said:
I dont fully agree i dont think you need to do that swap on a mild or stock truck etc,If you let waller or someone on here do the build it will last,i will tell you this if you let your friend try and rebuild one of these 700s it wont last a week.A 700 can last in a high hp truck you just have to treat it right.
Click to expand...

Yeah for a stock truck you are right.
I did some reading and it sounds like the 700r4 is just an inferior design compared to the 4l80e.
 
turrrbo6

turrrbo6

Member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

cloneman315 said:
I dont fully agree i dont think you need to do that swap on a mild or stock truck etc,If you let waller or someone on here do the build it will last,i will tell you this if you let your friend try and rebuild one of these 700s it wont last a week.A 700 can last in a high hp truck you just have to treat it right.
Click to expand...

x2, contrary to popular belief, not every syty owner needs a 4L80e. I know of of a 700 that has been in the 9's and plenty in the 10's.
 
blk00z28

blk00z28

Forced to by choice
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

I think this is actually a good question. Rather then spending the shipping cost and whatever labor for a builder to build you one(granted it would be better for one of our vendors to do it but some don't have the cash, unless its just as much for parts...).
But it would be nice to get all the parts for one like the vendors would put in one. I too know a guy who can rebuild pretty much any tranny but what parts are different from the normal stuff you can buy and from the guys on here? Ya know, for the diy guys :)
 
cloneman315

cloneman315

Active member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

you can build a very strong 700 for a little over 2000 a 4l80 is what 5000 or more total?I and a few others have had good luck i have run 10s with it and it is so far perfect,but again I dont beat the dog crap out of it either,I keep it cool and dont boost launch it at every light,or let the thing downshift at 60 mph on full boost.
 
Chug

Chug

That Guy With the "Jimmy"
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

www.700r4l60e.com Dana is a great guy. His kits come with everything you need and then some. The kit I had in my Camaro was listed to hold 600hp. Check them out!!
 
Big Mike

Big Mike

New member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

NecroWolf said:
best parts for a 700r4 would be a 4l80e swap
Click to expand...

How do you justify spending $5,000 to $10,000 (trans,conversion kit,controller,torque converter,transfer case shaft,front and rear drive shafts,and misc. parts) for a 1991 vehicle that is usually not driven as a daily driver espically if the truck is ever totaled or stolen unless you have special collector insurance on it, you will only be getting book value. It is easy to say that a 4l80e swap would be good but look how many 700r4's could be built for $10,000. It would be nice to have one but i do not see it with the way the economy is. Maybe some one could chime in on a way to install a 4l80e in a Sy or Ty the cheap skate way. I would like to see prices and sources for all parts used, be realistic not everybody can get a free trans or parts off their buddy.
 
jwaller

jwaller

Evil Genius/SyTy Guru
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

I'm about to get a whole bunch of parts from you. how about we do some trading and I'll build your trans too. you can ship it with the rest of the parts. pm me if you wish.
 
S

s_blazin

Donating Member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

Rookie said:
He said it. If your going to put in the labor and parts yourself I think doing the 4l80e conversion would be worth it. Ask your buddy if he could help you with that. I have never done it. Im still running the 700r4 with no problems. I would like to know that milelage you had on your tranny and what type of performance modifications you have done to the motor. Race with it much? Might give me some insight on what to expect with mine. Thanks
Click to expand...

i had the original 4.3 700r4 trans in my 2wd blazer when i did the 350 TBI swap, then the trans got soggy on me, so i pulled it out and bought this one from a 92 blazer with like 180k and put it in while the original trans was being rebuilt/upgraded.

i drove this one for about 2k miles and by that time the other one was done, so i switched em back out.

this one seemed to sshift fine suppose i should have checked the pan before i bought it, i was not very hard on it either.


$1200 and a tranny swap later, the newly redone one was back in, and i have never beed so DISSAPOINTED BEFORE.

the TV cable was set correctly and this stupid thing would not shift any gear until about 5500 RPM part throttle WOT or any other throttle.

when i took it to him i said i wanted a mild shift kit but for it to be VERY strong. i've put maybe 200 miles since installing it 3 years ago.

i hate to drive it so i never have since
 
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S

s_blazin

Donating Member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

it's ok Dave, i guess i did kinda leave myself open for that one.

I have another spare 700r4 that is already burnt up, and this friend of mine said he had done a couple 700's for himself, so i was just toying around with the idea of having him supervise me tear it apart and maybe try to put it together.

maybe i should just leave it to the professionals.....i dunno
 
turbodig

turbodig

Active member
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

DaveP said:
I didn't direct this at you. I said that in my opening. Please see that I added a paragraph at the end that DOES pertain to you doing it yourself. I reiterate here: Be prepared to do it more than a few times.

Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...

x2. Assume you're gonna screw up.... that's how you learn.
Also be prepared to get the clutch compressor, a snap ring expander pliers, and some seal pics at a minimum. I also have some brass shim stock sheets that I use to install pistons. A big hose clamp to align the pump. Also, a dial indicator setup and a good set of feeler gauges, if you intend to do the clearances any justice.

2 main rules:

1) Dirt kills. Think almost-surgical clean.

2) Clearances are critical. The ATSG manual has fairly liberal specs, which I've learned to tighten up.
If a clearance is off by even a little bit, find out why and fix it. Don't just slap it back together as "good enough"... this is why many trans shop builds fail. They don't/can't take the time to check the clearances as well as they need to be.

I did my first trans in '98, and I was real fortunate to have knowledgeable guys who were willing to give advice. I did research what they told me, though, as a lot of times things conflicted or just plain didn't make sense.

You'll find guys here with that kind of info, but you have to ask specific questions. Just asking "what do I need to put in my trans" sorta implies that you haven't done any research or reading. Most of the guys who have trans experience aren't going to be as likely to help with a question like that. A question like "I'm looking at aftermarket servo kit X, is it a good one?" will get you more replies, and probably more info than you bargained for.

Also, while you can buy parts out there cheap, you're gonna get *much* better support from a guy like Blake or one of the other guys. You will pay more for the parts from them, but they'll steer ya away from stuff you don't need, and tell you how to put it in right. That information will save you more money than the extra $ the parts will cost, several times over.

I will offer this, for a little motivation.... I've been around long enough to know 90% of the guys offering transmission work here, and they all started out as something other than a transmission expert. They all started where you are now. In fact, this is pretty much true of all the major SyTy vendors... most of them were accountants, computer guys, firemen, students, or something completely different.

Be patient with yourself, and don't let the details slide. You'll get good results.
 
TYTILIDIE

TYTILIDIE

METH HEAD
Re: Best parts for 700R4?

Dig and Dave are dead on in what they are saying. My first build, I did everything perfect. It was a totally stock build though. Two years later after much abuse, I decided that I would "mod" the trans. I tore it down, clutches were slipping, and found some smoked clutches. Went to the shop that kind of walked me through the last build and sold me all my parts and asked them what I could stuff in there. They gave me all kinds of crap. The big problem I ran in to was that the book I use doesn't say how to modify the trans. So for example, when I got my 9 clutch stack, I didn't realize you are supposed to use a different lug in the bottom. I also didn't realized that the plate I had was trashed. It looked like a machined groove in the top and as it turns out everything wouldn't fit. I bring the entire stack to this guy where he informs me that the plate is toast and that I need a thinner one to make the 9 clutch stack work. These are the kinds of things Dig and Dave are talking about. Knowing where the parts go is only 40% of the build, knowing what the hell to do with it all is the other 60%. I encourage people to build their own trannies. I am not an expert on it but can certainly put a decent trans together. Only thing I really use the book for anymore is clearance specs and things like that. Main thing is to stay CLEAN and ORGANIZED.

The only thing I may have to disagree on his asking what parts to use. Reason why is because if you go to a builder, and start throwing out part names, he may think you have half a clue to what you are doing. I have met several people that thought they got this that or the other thing in their trans only to find out it was all pretty much stock stuff. I think it would give you a little bit of respect from a builder who's shop you march in to.
 
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