[myckee]

Well some feedback on the Bowtie overdrives bar:

I installed this a couple of weeks ago and wasn't overly impressed. Unlike the th350 factory crossmember, which I removed, which had raised portions, "eyebrows", which made PLENTY room for the exhaust (I have 3" pipes as well as hollowed out cats which were right below these eyebrows), the BowtieOverdrive part actually drops down below the level of the frame right away and then levels off. It drops so much that even if I had no cats in place and just the 3" exhaust coming straight out from the headers, I would have had clearance issues and would have had to beat the pipes, thereby restricting flow, to allow the exhaust to not only bolt up, but to allow room for engine rock.

As it stands with my hollowed out cats, the extra area within the cat body allowed me to clearance them and have virtually no restriction due to the large volume of the interior.

Had I not had these cats, I likely would have sent the bar back as it was quite expensive for such a poorly designed part. ($149US + $25shipping = $175US = ~$220CDN + $68CDN UPS brokerage charges = total ~$288CDN)

[Skip Fix]

Mine is stil sitting waiting to be installed. After I bought mine they did a callback to check on the fit. Call them They would probably liek to know how to improve it. Exhaust is somehting I;l bet most of their customers have added,

[Z Code 400]

I am building a TH200-4R to be installed behind a 9.25:1 compression 307 Chevrolet in my Dad's 1972 1/2 ton truck. He plans to tow a huge horse trailer, so I am looking at going with the improved (billet) forward drum and input shaft, the bigger servo, 10-vane pump, external cooler and shift improver kit.

My question relates to the converter. What are you guys using when you eliminate the lock-up feature??? What converters are compatible???

Secondly....Dad gets Truckin' Magazine all the time and I see buildups of 200-4R's all the way up to $5,995.00. Even with all the trick parts, they still use the stock planets, which I suspect would be an early casualty.

Just how much HP and TQ can one of these units stand??? I have an extra multi-pattern case and I have been asked to build one for a 455 Buick, but I am concerned about getting into the project and having the 455 kill the 200-4R.

You input is appreciated...Robert

[Overkillphil]

Been running the 200-4R's in my Pontiacs as far back as 1989 when I could find no one else would take them seriously. One local tranny shop that specialized in performance transmissions told me the 200-4R would break as soon as I put it in drive!

There is a guy on here (Brian?) with a 65 GTO and 200-4R running in the 10's. He is using all the billet hard parts but that trans. is a real nice setup in a nice tight package.

I have done about a dozen swaps now with this trans, and have had no serious issues. After I swapped one in the 72 Formula (400) in 1989, I was so happy with it I put one in the 70 GTO. Both were ridiculously easy swaps. It was almost like GM made it for this purpose.

There are camps for the 200-4R and the 700-R4. Both have their attributes and drawbacks. In my opinion, the 700 had more drawbacks overall for my Pontiacs. There are also pro's on both sides of the fence with these trannys. You really can't go wrong with either these days as a result of all the parts and knowledge available for them. All of the 200-4R's I have seen with the exception of one were dual flange. The one BOP only flange version I believe was an early 1981 model.

[pastry_chef]

Originally Posted by Z Code 400

I have been asked to build one for a 455 Buick, but I am concerned about getting into the project and having the 455 kill the 200-4R.

I had a person once ask, "can I do my own brake job on my car". I replied, If you need to ask the question, then the answer is no.

Your concern is legit Robert, and it has nothing to do with the 2004R potential.

IF you know where to get the inside info from a 2004R expert, the right parts for the build and you are resourceful and methodical then YOU CAN do it.
Building the 2004R to live behind big power IS POSSIBLE, but requires specialist knowledge, the seasoned transmission builder on the other side of town doesn't cut it.

A Turbo Buick V6 running a 10 second 1/4 mile outputs every bit the torque of a 455 running the same times. With boost, if you double atmospheric pressure, you effectively double displacement. 15 psi boost is easy, how about 25 psi, how much torque?

[Bronze66]

I just put a built ,level 3, 2004r in my 66. Go over to http://bowtieoverdrives.com/index.shtml and read all the info on the 200 and 700. A lot of good info on this site. Here's another place that builds both trans http://www.transmissioncenter.net/highperflist.htm . Both places have enough info for you to decide what you want. Several reasons I went 200 was the adapter plate and new drive shaft needed for the 700 vs 200, and one person I know of said he had to clearance the tunnel on his 66 for the 700. Both can be built now a days to handle the torque. That's the deciding factor of what's needed vs hp. You MUST pay attention to how the TV cable is setup on these trans or you have a good chance to ruin them if not set right. The 1st & 2nd gears in the 200 are matched really good. I was going to buy the core trans and then the parts to build a beefy one. Found out it was way cheaper to have one built by BowTie and get a warranty at the same time. I figured I'd let the "pros", (fingers crossed) build it because they have done many with success. If your talking just a stock trans for the 326 either may work, but I wouldn't think either one would last long if your into getting on it every now and then. It's the torque not the hp that kills them. Basically. I used the stock drive shaft and crossmember from my car. You do have to alter the shift gate, cable bracket and cable to get all 4 gears. You also need an adjustable shifter arm at the trans. Bow Tie has all the stuff you need. Any other info you can pm me.

[myckee]

Robert, to eliminate the lockup requires a converter without the lockup clutch as well as a part which goes into the pump to reroute the fluid.

As Pastry Chef indicated, knowledge above and beyond what the local trany guy has is required to make one of these trans live. CK Performance, one of the places which specialize in this trans in high HP and Torque applications has written an excellent manual which will help you be successful in your projects.

I used this manual to build a 2004R which lives behind my 500+ HP 455. It currently has no billet internals, only an Art Carr hardened drum, which no doubt will fail eventually, but aside from a billet drum and input shaft, I do not anticipate requiring any other billet parts.

[Z Code 400]

Originally Posted by pastry_chef

Your concern is legit Robert, and it has nothing to do with the 2004R potential.

Actually, it does Pastry Chef....

It's not a problem doing the work....The question was related to the stock planetaries. We have built everything from Lenco's to B&M's behind fuel burning Donovans. If we ever need tech support, we are not so stuck on ourselves that we won't seek it. Tim Beebe (of Beebe/Mulligan fame) has a shop just across town. He doesn't care for the 200-4R personally and as such, doesn't work with them. He does, however, offer several performance stages of the 700-R4.

My question was related specifically to those who are using the 200-4R and whose planetary assemblies they are using. Thanks to those who replied...Robert