Thanks for all the insight and experience fellas. This is what the internet was meant for. I'm gonna go with a strong 283 TH350 and the differential I have. Thanks again!
The way to help your bottom end is go with minimum of 373 gear. On the 283 I’d opt for 4.11ish. No matter what transmission you’re gonna use the most help comes from rear gears. Put 5.88 behind that 283 and you’ll swear King Kong is pushing you around. Now,,,,now you take the 4.x gears that help your bottom end add in that OD gear and you’ll get the best of both worlds. Way better bottom end acceleration , fun to drive on the street and nice freeway manners.
Doesn't it have s cable and a switch ? I was just looking at one out of an 85 monte ss, but think it maybe to much work to get to work with s cross ram intake.
Please explain engine braking in 3rd gear of a 200 4r . A 200 4r is basically a TH200 with an o/d planetary added to the input shaft. When it is in 3rd gear, it is a direct, 1 to 1 coupling. If the converter is locked up, you'll get a negligible amount of braking, as you would in a stick shift vehicle, but no more, especially with a 2.73 rear gear Also, please explain how you'll burn up a 200 4r without the converter locked up. We've got an 11 second car here with a 9 " 3800 converter and no lock up, and it hasn't burned up yet, in 12 years. Just wonder if we've been doing something wrong.
As has been mentioned, get a Ford 8.8 from an Explorer, with a 3.73:1 gear The axle flanges are solid (no extra holes), and machined on both sides. They can easily be re-drilled for Chevy pattern. Most have limited slip devices. Look for 3L73 on the tag. The L is for limited.
Whoa there,.....don't give up your overdrive, you will be sorry....especially at the gas pump. The simplistic thing to do is just buy another rear end. You should be able to find something with a better gear pretty easily. I don't know the exact width you need, but you might look for an S-10 or an 8 inch Ford. The S-10 Blazers are a little wider than the pickups. Go to Pull-a-Part and you should find something usable, or Craigslist. These rearends can often be bought for $100 or so. If you find something with 3:25 or better you could have a nice cruiser, and the overdrive has a lower first gear than a turbo 350. One of the biggest mistakes people make is using an old non-overdrive. Your vehicle will be a dog on take off with the 2:70 and 283 because there is little torque. Get a good rear....don't waste money rebuilding.....there are a million good rear ends out there and the light duty ones are cheap to buy.
I have an O/T '86 El Camino from the factory in Mexico with a 2.73 rear end, carbureted 305 and a 2004R (not sure what a 200R4 is). The engine is tired at 182K miles, so is probably comparable or less in HP/torque than a fresh 283. It downshifts up the steeper hills, but does fine on gentle slopes and flat land. Last weekend I drove it from Kansas City to Ames, IA, 55MPH just because I like to enjoy the ride instead of the destination. 27 MPG with that combo and a light foot.
one of the guys I worked with had a 1967 camaro with a 327 and tall geared 10 bolt,he went to pick and pull on a 3 day weekend and had his choice of a disc or drum for explorer 8.8 with a posi for less than 150.00,but remember the driveshaft is not centered in the tunnel,but it worked fine.
The ford explorer 8.8 rear end is 59.6xx Wheel mount surface to WMS. Early ones (94 down) have drum brakes and later ones (95 up) have discs. The spring perch is 38-1/2 C/C and the pinion is offset to the right 2”. The drive shaft uses a bolt on flange, TUBES ARE 3.25” OD. Here’s your Camaro wms to wms 60.25” Depends on your tool stable and skills but it’s pretty easy to clean all the brackets off and weld on new spring perches and shock mounts and drill the axles in less than 1 day if all the parts are there and you have Rotten Leonard’s jig.
If we remember the introduction of the OD automatic and why it’s pretty easy to take advantage of the principles.
THM200 wasn't an overdrive trans, it was just a lightweight three speed. 200-4R was introduced in '81 with the multi-pattern bellhousing.
I believe my Mom's 1987 Olds 442 with an anemic 307/200R4 combination has a 3.73 rearend if that helps. Not much on performance but it sounds good ! Lol !
I think you will find it is a ‘2004-R’ or ‘2004R’.....not a ‘200r4’...nor a ‘200R4’ GM, for some reason, named the 200 Series OD automatic slightly differently than the 700 Series OD automatic in the sequence of numbers/letter order. ‘700R4’.........’2004R’. One of those esoteric anomalies that really makes no difference in common understanding, but may win a bar bet with automotive buddies.
Why is every chart I see give different dimension? The last table I looked at listed 67-69 Camaro at 60"
"Don't let Perfection be the Enemy of Good Enough"........ (though, in some circumstances, only perfection will do)
Some charts neglect to tell you that have left the brake drum face thickness off the chart dimensions. That can make a difference if you are planning to use a disc conversion.
Get a tape measure and measure your stock rear end and then go measure some junkyard rearends. Also buy one of the cheap plastic "wheel bolt pattern" checking tools so you can see if they take the same wheel as the front end. Don't remember what your Chevy had, but if you are going to convert to disc in the front, then get a rear that matches. You can get some ralley wheels that have dual patterns.
Most of the cars of that period with auto transmissions had very tall gears....Yours would be a good gas mileage and around town car and with the motor turning less Rss it wouldn't heat up as bad...Good economy gear...
A 55-59 Chevy rear end will almost bolt in to your car. They came with 3.36, 3.73 and 4.11's. I had one in my 50 Fleetline.
My 36, has a 327-turbo 350- 273 8.8 ford rear, before the new rear, it was a 10 bolt chevy rear with 275 gears. Here's exactly what you can expect, 60 mph speed around 2000 rpm, just about ideal, good power and decent mileage, pass cars? Kick it down to second gear and it'll wind out to 85 mph before shifting back into third, screaming away and making all the power it can. An overdrive will be too much gear, my old girl has been set up like this for twenty years, a very reliable combination that is perfect for hiway stuff, also cheap to fix in bumfuck nowhere, also a consideration.
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