Guest Anonymous Posted January 25, 2002 Share Posted January 25, 2002 Hi, Group! I'm new to this board and have been reading numerous posts. I have a '77 280Z that I bought last July. It had the JTR conversion done in a very meticulous and neat way. The former owner used a 350 Chevy out of a '77 Camaro with a 3 speed automatic. He put a B&M shift kit with a 2000 rpm stall converter. My question is: is there an ideal automatic transmission to hook up to this old V-8? The car is geared very low and feels like it needs another gear to cruise without excessive rpm. The car is turning almost 4000 rmp at 65 mph. The motor only has about 1000 miles on a fresh rebuild, and the transmission was gone through and shifts very crisply and positively. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted January 25, 2002 Share Posted January 25, 2002 Rick, welcome to the board! Since you have not posted this in the drivetrain forum, take this: and this Now to answer your question, the 700R4 is a great tranny for replacing your TH350. A number of guys run it and are happy with the results. I'm not sure how much hp your engine makes, but I would think the 700R4 can handle at least 400hp--but I'm sure the guys who run them can tell you for sure. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Bayley Posted January 25, 2002 Share Posted January 25, 2002 Rick, Welcome to the group as well. Do a search for 700R4 and/or 2004R and I'm sure you will come across this subject in many different posts. Without going into too many details, I had a TH-350 in my first Z, carried it over to my second Z, swapped it out for a 700R4 after I drove over a piece of fallen bridge, then swore I would never go back to another transmission without overdrive. Seriously, the overdrive makes the car enjoyable at all speeds. While a 3.5 rear end gear doesn't sound like much, remember that most of us are spinning smaller 14 and 15 inch tires. This reduces gearing even more than most people realize. The only drawback to the overdrive transmissions that I can find, is the price of aftermarket torque converters. $150 for a 2500 stall TH-350 vs. $500 for a 2500 stall 700-R4. That's the price you pay for overdrive I guess. -Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gprix1 Posted January 25, 2002 Share Posted January 25, 2002 If your interested in a manual a T-56 may be an option to look into. With a 6 speed transmission you'll be turning very low rpm's on the highway and it is very strong. '94-'97 are the years that work for your application and they generally run $800 - $1,200. Also, there is a bit more work involved than installing a T5 or WC-T5 manual transmission so that may be a consideration as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 25, 2002 Share Posted January 25, 2002 Or a gearvendors OD for the 350... That would be great, but costly, probably almost 2k or better. 6sp auto though ... Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 28, 2002 Share Posted January 28, 2002 Thanks to all for your answers. An overdrive transmission is what I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.