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iTrader: (3)

im thinking of ditching the 6speed in favor of th350 w/4000 stall.for now itll be a bolt on car,but there will be heads and cam in the future.i know the 6speed is NOT bulletproof,and its rather expensive to repair.any thoughts on how it would compare to a 4000 stall 4l60e car.any one with thoughts?dont need o/d,its not gonna be my daily driver in a few weeks anyway.

GeorgeC

The TH350 is a pretty beefy piece, but does have it's weak points. Due to the design of the valvebody, transbrakes seem to be "iffy," and aren't as reliable as a TH400 or aluminum powerglide. Also, the stock intermediate sprag on the TH350 is very weak. A few companies make a remachined drum that accepts an aftermarket 36-element roller clutch (from the TH400), which adds quite a bit of strength.

You can retain your speedometer, but it will take a bit of ingenuity and fabrication to do so in most cases (I don't have one, don't need it).

I think I was one of the first "internet guys" to lose the stock A4 in favor of a non-OD tranny behind an LS1. Feel free to email me with any specific questions you may have.

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iTrader: (3)

ttt

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iTrader: (3)

george u have mail,i hope

MacGyver

iTrader: (5)

I've been running a TH400 in my stock internal 99 T/A for about 8 months. The car is my daily driver and I've prolly put about 6-7k miles on it since then (not positive on the mileage as my speed/odo doesn't work anymore) I'm running a JW 4500 stall converter in it and I LOVE it. The tranny is setup with a reverse manual valvebody and a t-brake. My mods other than the TH400 are a ford 9" rear with 4.11 gears and a locker (soon getting ditched for 3.50 gears and a spool) An airlid, exhaust cutout, and that's it. When I had the 6spd in the car my best time was a 12.74 @ 110 on the stock 10-bolt with 3.42's and the airlid and cutout. After putting the TH400 and the 9" under the car I went 12.56 @ 108 on a 1.81 60' I'm VERY happy with the car with the TH400 in it. I'm sure the car has 12.10's at least in it if I ever get off my *** and launch off the t-brake and cut some 1.5 60's. If you have any questions about the swap go ahead and email me at will_z@msn.com and I'd be glad to help you out.

Will

Colonel

As mentioned by George, you'll want to upgrade to the 400 sprag.

I'd suggest going to a 2.75 1st gear for best results. Going all the way from a 3.06 1st (4L60-E) to the standard 350 1st (1.52) is going to kill your 60 ft time.

Tim98TA

iTrader: (7)

Kip, just come out and say you wanna drive my car to see how it feels. Just let me know. Don't be too scared of the power though. LOL
A few things. Like someone said, the TH350 has it's weak points. The TH400 is heavier, but it IS stronger. The first gear in the TH400 is 2.42. You can get the 2.75 first gear, but I have heard that heavy cars, like mine, don't like the taller first gear. I hear it is a bit weaker than the stock gear.
As far as the speedo, you will need ther 40 tooth reluctor wheel for the output shaft, and the V.S.S. that replaces the TH400 cable gear drive. ~$180.00 from All Star. I will be doing than here shortly.
With 3.73 gears I am running 3000rpm @55 mph. I don't see how McGyver can even take it on city streets with 4.11's.

Let me know on the drive Kipper.

Tim

Colonel

Tim, I could be wrong but I seem to recall the 1st gear of a 400 to be 1.48.

350s can be made plenty strong (some say just as strong as 400s.) It's what I'm running, btw.

Tim98TA

iTrader: (7)

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Colonel:
<strong>Tim, I could be wrong but I seem to recall the 1st gear of a 400 to be 1.48.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I just checked ATI's website and the offer the 'low' first gear as a 2.75. So I would imagine the standard is 2.42. Hell I could be wrong too.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Colonel:
<strong>350s can be made plenty strong (some say just as strong as 400s.) It's what I'm running, btw.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oh sure then definetly can, but the expense is MUCH greater. ATI even told me that the TH350 may or may not last. He also said the TH400 WOULD last.

Tim

Colonel

"Oh sure then definetly can, but the expense is MUCH greater."

True, it costs more but you end up with a lighter and more efficient tranny. Worth it to some and not to others.

Upgrading that sprag, about $400? What else is there that makes the 350 that much more expensive to build up? I remember that, the 2.75 1st, and the tranny brake being the expensive parts of doing my tranny. 'Course the 2.75 and the brake would have been the same with the 400.

Tim98TA

iTrader: (7)

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Colonel:
<strong>

True, it costs more but you end up with a lighter and more efficient tranny. Worth it to some and not to others.

Upgrading that sprag, about $400? What else is there that makes the 350 that much more expensive to build up? I remember that, the 2.75 1st, and the tranny brake being the expensive parts of doing my tranny. 'Course the 2.75 and the brake would have been the same with the 400.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lighter yes, but I'm not sure it would be MORE efficient. Maybe the SAME.
Well if $400.00 is worth the few extra lbs of weight savings between the 2 trannies, then yes it would be worth it. But not for me. I was told by 2 different companies NOT to do the TH350 because of reliability. Now true they are holding up fine in plenty of cars, but I want the piece of mind. Besides, I really don't care about the weight thingy.
The TH350 vs Th400 debate could go on forever. Both sides have pros and cons. It's up to the person.

Tim

MacGyver

iTrader: (5)

Here's what I was told by my tranny guy that builds these things for 8 second dragsters. The TH350 can be built as strong as the TH400 BUT...He said he would not recommend a TH350 in a car that sees alot of driving other than 1/4 because they just dont last on the street. Which is why I went with a TH400. To clarify the stock TH400 1st gear is 2.48 second is 1.48 and third is 1. I upgraded to the 2.75 first gear in mine (a 480$ pricetag) and it's held up perfectly. As far as driving mine on the street with 4.11's there is nothing wrong with it I just dont take the car on expressways <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" /> I dont see how you are at 3k rpm's @ 55mph because I am at 3k rpm at 55mph with my 4.11's and I've checked this on radar. I didn't ask how much a strong TH350 would be but for my TH400 with 2.75 first gear and a t-brake was 1500.

Will

BIGBOS

After I blew up my 6-speed I started researching...this seemed to be the best thing to do...

Macgyver was actually one of the main people in convincing me to do this...

I am running a TH400 with a stock 2.48 first gear...I also have the reverse manual valvebody...I am running a 12-bolt in the rear with 3.73's...I cruise at 3000 rpms at around 60-65 mph...I don't know how off the MPH is considering I'm running on 27" tires...

The best I could run with it when my car was cam only with roadracing suspension, on 26" et streets and heavy *** firehawk rims in the front was a 12.2@111...

I wanted to get it back to the track after I got the HAL's in all around with Prostars all around...I bet I could of gotten a 11.8/11.7 if it hooked off the brake...

I was messing around last night...left off of a full brake on my 27" hoosiers, I spun for a good 70 feet... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

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iTrader: (3)

thanks for the replys,well im prolly gonna buy my buddys trrans,th350 w/tranzbrake.his has held to his low 9sec 2800lb car(hes going to a glide,lots of gas).im gonna take my chances with the 350,the 400 is heavy and uses a few more prescious hp than the 350.george c stated his car lost no 60ft going to stock geared th350 from 4l60e.the tranny has the hardned sprag and exc,.id rather the speedo to work but if its too much problem i can live without it.antone know how much longer the driveshaft need to be?

LS1x2

iTrader: (11)

There is alot of TALK and THEORY about the th350 in these cars. Take other's experience and make your own decision. I have a TH350 w/o t-brake, standard 2.52/1.52/1.00, reverse manual valvebody. 4000 Stall. It's my only car that sees highway driving all the time. With only a 3.23 gear, I cut 1.68 60' on a non-prepped track. This is a no-name converter too. I think it's got alot more too. I need more track time with this setup. I have about 2k miles on it trouble free. I know others with similar experiences. MPH change is hard to judge b/c of other changes, but seems to be consistent.

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iTrader: (3)

4mulajoe,what kinda times@mph do you run?what modes do you have.i was think of trying my stock 3.42s they seem to work well w/4l60es.

LS1x2

iTrader: (11)

Full weight, cam only, macs, 26" et street. .222 .566 114ls single patter cam.

<small>[ October 04, 2002, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: 4mulaJoe ]</small>