Off Topic: 1983 700r4 Transmission ?

[79-240d-project]

I ran into a guy that has a 700R4 transmission from a dead 84 van just like mine. It was rebuilt in 1997 at a shop and he has the receipts. He would give it to me for free but the catch is he says that his son put incorrect fluid in it and drove it for considerable amount of time and it eventually would not move the van. They were sure the the clutches were slipping.

Is this transmission worth the trouble? Could I just put in new clutch packs? What is the skill level on that job and would special tools required to do the job make it impossible for me to tackle? Should I just say NO to this offer and pop for a B&M? (ouch!)

The transmission that is currently in the van is dead. Loud bang and then no movement without serious grinding noises. It was rebuilt at a shop back in 1998 but only worked 2 months past the warranty period. I am going to drop the 305 and put a crate 350 as well.

[Emmerich]

New r4's are not that expensive.

[BAVBMW]

Avoid it. The Early 700's had numerous problems that weren't really sorted out until the early '90s. Many parts that got upgraded and so forth. If you're planning on keeping the vehicle and subjecting it to any real use, you'd be far better off with a new/reman GM crate transmission.

The trans can be gone through with relative ease, if you already are familiar with automatic transmission overhaul. Sorry, I can't really remember which special tools are needed vs just desireable. But again, I'd have to say, unless you're willing to pour money into it for all the updated parts, it's really not worth it. Even if you're willing to pour money into it, why not pour the money into a new one and get better performance, better reliability, and a warranty?

If you do happen to drag it home and open it up however, look for the original style solid band, if it's in halfway decent shape it's desirable for those building performance transmission, over the later split band. At least from what I remember, by now I'm sure performance companies have something better out there. I've been doing the german car thing for too long now to be up on all of it.

MV

[79-240d-project]

Thanks for the input, you are both correct!

The guy had a tranny shop look at the guts of the thing. Conclusion, not even worth fixing. Use it as a core and get rid of it, fast!

Thanks again.