building a 49 Dodge Pick up going to have a mild 392 Hemi, have my choice of a turbo 400 and L 60e both are freshly rebuilt, I like the turbo 400 for it's strength but the the other one has a nice overdrive. not sure how much abuse from a big hemi it will take. what's the consensus??
My thinking is how do you plan to drive. Going on long trips? Just a general bang around old truck? Simple is 400. More complex is 4L 60 E.
I used to think just like Sunbeam but have found out different. 2 pressure switches and 2 relays and a couple feet of wire is supposed to do it. I have one behind my 392 in the Merc. Overdrive in a Tank with horse power is way Kool. The pressure switches screw into the ports in the case and relay signals to the relays then to the converter. Jamie Fox was always involved in Big horse power and thinking past what everyone tells ya and then making it work. Sadly we lost him before my Merc hit the street again. Fortunatly I'm still in contact with guys that worked along side him so it will still get done. I know he did some Voo Doo inside it along with a Converter past that I don't have more info. I just know it will be a good combo of H.P. and M.P.G. I'd go with the 4-L-60E. The Wizzard
4L60E is not the same as a 4L60 (700R4). The E requires a computer to shift. The R4 only requires a presure switch to engage the torque converter clutch. My guess is that you don't have a 4L60E. You have a 4L60 (aka 700R4)
I am running a th350, with my Hemi, with a 3.00 rear gear, I would do the overdrive, lower first gear and OD for trips.
And I would be the opposite..... Why I would ever get a trans with a worthless first gear is a lesson learned. Sure- gearing/tire size are a factor. I THOUGHT amongst the same lines once upon a time.... So I thought the same thing= OD for trips. How many do I really go on, and how far do I go, and do I really care about mileage.... The OD will be coming out, and the 3spd is going in. My engine will be in it's curve, without winding it's brains out, and I can hammer down at anytime.... I got sucked into the hype....... I can go 70-75 mph with a 3, and not sweat rpm at all...... All about enjoying my car more..... Do your homework first, and calculate..... Just an OP, and you know what those are like.......
Squirrel, maybe you can help me out here. Your right in that I don't know if it's a E type or not. For me having the Right Guy for the job ment I didn't need to know total infinent information. Jamie knew what to build for a job and I had total faith in him. He was a grate Friend. So I went out and took some photos to get started. I believe the factory app is Dodge Truck 2 wheel drive with manual rod for TV control. It has a 2 pin connector in the case. That Truck also had a computer on board but Jamie told me we could get around it. I have one totally done and bolted up in my Merc behind my 392. I also have a second tranny partally together with new parts and a 3rd tranny as a core. All 3 I believe are the same units. I also have a Converter new in the box. I went to the STC web sight thinking maybe I could ID what it is for by part number on the box. No good. Suppose I can call and get that info. So here are some photos. I should add here, I was told it's an overdrive Torque Flight and not 700-R-4. I have one of those in my 51 Vicky and just love it. This is a Chrysler unit. Here is the tail shaft housing and valve body. There are numbers on them so I bet I can get an id from the supply house we used. They may even know what he bought me. To say the least he left us way to soon. There was also something said about 2 pin and 4 pin plugs. Don't remember what that was all about. The Wizzard
I don't know anything about the overdrive 727s, I've never messed with them. If you look at the little starburst casting date symbols, they should have a number in the center which would be the year it was made.
I'll look at that tomorrow. I should try to get the Fire going on that project again. If I could get the Headers finished I can light it up. You'd think that would be enough to do it. Kind of been on a slide lately.
the number of dots between the rays of the burst should be the month it was cast. So if it has 5 dots, it's from May. etc. Hope that helps! I figured out stuff like this when I was cleaning parts at the transmission shop oh those many years ago.
The 700r4 (long time production run) was renamed 4L60 for a short time. Then it was replaced with the 4l60E (electronic) If it has a 22 pin round plug it's a 4L60E and needs a computer to shift. The gear set and ratio of those transmissions have A HUGE spread between 1st and 2nd. The 1-2 shift recovery sucks. You mash the gas, get pinned into the seat, it shifts and you move toward the windshield and hang there waiting for the catch up. It's kinda like your grandma power shifting a 4 speed from 1st to 3rd. Find a better gear ratio spread than those. The reason overdrive Transmissions were invented was a necessity to get an anemic powered land barge heavily burdened with smog control to move without any HP and fill emissions quota. They needed a low 1st gear to get some inertia, they needed a rear gear to help develop to torque to the rear axles and they needed a .70 gear to get the cruise RPM down MPG up and emissions down. They NEEDED THAT. Guess what, if you have some HP and torque and the EPA isn't up your ass with mandates - you don't need that. Now do you know what they have? 5,6,8 speed autos to keep the RPM at optimal levels, the have multi cam engines with variable valve timing. That's like us swapping a cam on the fly, on a running engine. Want some serious HP? No problem. Want to get great MPG, No problem. Change your Foot position and get a new Cam.
Somehow I ended up having two vehicles with TH400 transmissions...both of them now have a GV overdrive behind them. And they're pretty nice to drive.
The Gear venders OD is a great unit. And They ain't cheap. The 400 with a gear vendors OD is the ultimate, a no compromise system. I keep looking at derelict motor homes with hopes to snag a OD unit on the cheap.
Were the MH builders still using Chrysler platforms in 1989? The smaller Class C MH are a good source for the short tailshaft units....IDK that I have ever found an A500 though.
Depends....I have $1750 total in two units that were both brand new, direct from GV. I was in the right place at the right time.
I'd say that's 1 free unit and $1000.00 off another averaged out over both. Most folks who are just in normal places at normal times gotta dump $2700 into just one unit.
Yup, you gotta have a real need for it to pay full price. The guys who run Drag Week love them...the GV can handle gobs of HP
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