I've got the overbuilt Buick 455 in my 1979 G body wagon. I've had my fun with the TH400, and would like an overdrive. GearVendors is not really my thing - was looking at going the 2004R route... ...the questions is... can a 2004R hold up to 550HP and 550TQ of a Buick 455? Will it survive? Is the 4L80E worth the extra cost?
Not in stock form it won't. It needs all the good strong parts available, and that costs. Figure 2500.00 or so + converter. That is about what you will spend on a GV, but the GV is rated for 1200 HP.
The most experienced and knowledgeable people on 200-4Rs are the Buick Turbo V-6 racers. There are many of these guys who run 9 and 10 second quarter miles quite reliably with a 200-4R. Just about every piece in these trannies has some kind of super strong billet upgrade part available. The Turbo V-6 have an elite group of trans builders whom they use and trust. When researching the right person for my 200-4R build, I learned about this elite group. A few of the names are: Extreme Automatics, CK Performance, Brian Hofer, Janis Trans, David Husek. Here is the thread at TurboBuick.com where I learned the most about them: http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/transmission-talk/309877-whos-trans-do-you-have-poll.html If you really want to know what the 200-4R can do, I suggest you talk to one of the the guys mentioned above. As for the 4L80E, I think these probably need very little to hold up well for your application. However, just "figure in" the cost and learning curve for the computer system you will have to buy to run it and whatever you are going to do for a speedometer drive. When I was researching it, I think the computers to run the trans cost about $800. The cheapest fix I know for a cable drive set up is the Abbott Cable-X http://www.abbott-tach.com/cablex.htm . It runs about $350 I think.
As with all transmission durablity questions, a big factor is how you plan on using it. If your just going to cruise the car 90% of the time, with a visit to the track once or twice a year, then a mildly beefed up 200 will hold up for quite a while. If your going to abuse the trans regularly, then the HD 80E would be a better choice. Although as Larry said, in your position with an already functional 400 in there, the GV is a viable option, for about the same price as the beefed up 200, and considerably less than the 80E.. The nice thing about the OD transmissions is the lockup converter. An excellent choice for a street cruiser, especially one that might see long distance highway travel. JW
If you want to get cruise rpm down to 1500 rpm at 60 mph, you will need a trans with lock up converter. If you would settle for 2000 rpm, you could use a switch pitch THM400 and a 2.41 axle. Cheap, rugged and simple from where you are. Bruce Roe
I have a switch pitch transmission using a TSP 12" converter (3200/1800). I have 3.73's with a 28" tire (3.55 effective ratio). The GV has a .78 overdrive. That gives me a 2.77 final drive. 60 MPH is 2150 RPM, 70 MPH is 2450, and 80 MPH is 2800.
the two best places for a built 4l80e would be http://www.transmissioncenter.net/4l80e.htm the other has a layaway plan if you cant afford it at the moment http://performabuilt.com/ the layaway page https://p10.secure.hostingprod.com/@performabuiltautomatics.com/ssl/paylayaway.php as for the 200r4, janis transmissions is really good, he said its good for around 750 800 hp...if youre planning more then that a th400/4l80e is the best choice. with my core i've got quoted for 1800 which included a non lockup conveter...so no core, lockup converter, and transbrake will cost more
I have a 200-4R trans in my car. I did spend about $3500 getting it done and in. But it's been holding up great.
Thanks for the advice guys. I do plan to cruise this thing most of the time - so an overbuilt 200 may do the trick. The GV is a nice alternative but i think I've had my fill of SP torture too...
