Hi guys I'm asking more questions again. I'm looking for what cars are best to get a 200r4 (2004r) out of. The junkyard i just talked to said he might have one or two. Now i have a 350 sbb skylark that i plan to put 3.42 gears in. Don't need a built transmission or anything like that just something that won't break if i feel like getting on it at a stop light. I've searched around and haven't really found what i was looking for. I understand a turbo Buick would be best, but doubt he has one in his yard. Late 80's is better? Any help would be much appreciated.
the ones I have used are from mid 80's Olds wagons that have a 307 with a Carb take the trans TV cable, Carb, TV cable bracket, and vacuum switch. the trans has 1 green wire they work and if they have clean fluid should be food to go. I always use one from a car that has a carb that way no computers to seal with Ken
BR Grand Nationa CZ Monte SS KZ, OZ Hurst Olds and 442 CQ Chevy 5.0L H.O. (vette?) those are the performance codes I remember you can find the non performance ones in many 80s chevy and olds Gbodys with 5.0L engines, cadillacs with the 4.1L The one thing Id mention is that youll likely have to at least mess with the governor weights to get it to shift well for your swap. The non performance coded trans shift too soon and too soft.
The best are out of the Grand nationals,,,then the monte ss,,Olds 442,,im not real sure after that!!! There will be a (or should be) metal tag on the tailstock!! Guys seem to generally run D5 converters,,,which I "think" came in any of the 3 cars I mentioned!!! Whatever you do,,,the most important part of a 200R4 transplant,,,is to get the proper parts to make sure the TV (throttle valve) is set up properly,,,its not hard to do with the proper parts,,,but absolutely needs to be done correctly!!! I got the tv parts I needed from bowtie overdrive,,,awesome little system the have to make sure it's done right so you don't smoke the bands the 1st time you roast a ricer at the lights!!!!
Its all in what you want or need, how much money you want to spend. If you just want a basic OD automatic for driving around then a "regular" non performance 200-4r will do fine, but youll have to mess with the governor weights to get it to shift right, the speedo gear probably to get the speedometer to read right. You could stiffen it up a little with a shift kit. If you plan on thrashing the car a bit then its worth remembering that the performance 200-4rs were intended for performance. So they have larger servos for better band apply, better performance shift points etc etc. These will stand up to more abuse. in either case the 200r4 was not designed for what you are putting it in. some upgrades might be worth considering. Larger servos, boost valves, shift kit etc.
youll have to pull the transmission pan off to gain access to the governor cover. remove the governor cover and pull the governor our. Youll have to take the speedometer gear off the governor, which is a good time to get the correct one for your new gears so the speedo reads right. the weights come off easily, and you will need to grind or cut material off them to lighten them, thus raising the shift points. Do a little then test, do some more if needed etc. I have a 2004r swap summary thread in the Juice box that has drawings and dimensions for what I did on a lo performance governor to get good shift points. OR your better bet might be to just buy a performance governor with the light weights already on it from CK performance or CPT. Just swap it in. Whatever you do you will probably have to tinker a little to get it just right.
Turns out i already had it bookmarked, just haven't gone through all of it yet. Ok, I'll look that up for sure. I really appreciate all your help. I will definitely look up your thread. Just one more quick question. I will probably try to trim the weights down first and see what I can get, then if I screw it up I'll just get the one's from CK. How bad would it be if I trimmed too much? Would I really be risking damaging the whole transmission? If so, I'll just bypass the trimming. Thanks again,
no trimming the weights will not damage the transmission. The car would just experience overly delayed shift points. So do a little at a time. you'll want to test the changes at WOT so you dont exceed your desired rev limit There is more to the performance trans than just the governor...I dont mean to say this one change will fully update your regular 200r4 for performance. But it is something you will run into if you use a 200r4 with the heavy governor weights.
Yeah, i completely understand that. Just looking for a good, nice driver. Not expecting to run a solid quarter or anything like that. Basically like mentioned before, I'm more looking to get the over drive gear.
yeah i get that. The OD will run nice with your 3.42s I ran that combo for awhile on an updated OG code trans. I have a CQcode in my 72 skylark now. With a D5 converter
any g body or b body besided the ones that had chevy motors that has overdrive has the 200-4r. the cq or what ever i would say is either the pontiac 2+2 or the other performance grand prix. that or one of the caprices. the vette and fbodys all had 700r4s.
Ok, bringing up an old post to ask a few more questions before I make a purchase. I talked to a guy that has a 200 out of a 79 malibu. I am asking what the serial is, and if it would come with a tv cable, but just want to make sure it would be suitable for my conversion? Not sure what else I should ask for, but hopefully I can get the rest for what I need online. Let me know what you guys think. Thank you,
I think unless a 2004r was swapped into that bu or the year model is wrong that is a th200 or th200c three speed. Look into your local recycler. Here is a list of donors 1981-'88 Buick LeSabre and Electra RWD 1981 Century 1981-'87 Regal 1981-'90 Cadillac Fleetwood, Deville and Brougham 1982-'90 Chevrolet Impala and Caprice 1981-'88 Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Malibu and El Camino 1984-'87 GMC Caballero 1982-'90 Olds Delta 88, 98 and Custom Cruiser 1983-'88 Olds Cutlass 4-4-2 and Supreme 1983-'89 Pontiac Bonneville, Parisienne and Safari Wagon 1981 Pontiac Firebird with 301 1984-'87 Pontiac Grand Prix 1981-'88 Buick LeSabre and Electra RWD 1981 Century 1981-'87 Regal 1981-'90 Cadillac Fleetwood, Deville and Brougham 1982-'90 Chevrolet Impala and Caprice 1981-'88 Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Malibu and El Camino 1984-'87 GMC Caballero 1982-'90 Olds Delta 88, 98 and Custom Cruiser 1983-'88 Olds Cutlass 4-4-2 and Supreme 1983-'89 Pontiac Bonneville, Parisienne and Safari Wagon 1981 Pontiac Firebird with 301 1984-'87 Pontiac Grand Prix Shift ratios for this transmission: 1st 2.74:1; 2nd 1.57:1; 3rd 1.00:1; 4th 0.67:1 I would look for a Cadillac with the AA code on the tail shaft. I figure it will have the least wear, who runs their Cadillac hard right? One thing to check on that 200 is the servo and piston. There is one that is very large(larger than the "694" GN piece) with the last three casting number 134, and the piston will have the 112 GN Servo: 694 Cover/562 Piston combo. Apply area 2.675 diameter. 692 cover/ 563 piston 2.525" 569 cover/ 564 piston 2.350" 200 Servos 133 cover/111 piston is the same as a GN in apply area. The 134 cover/112 piston is 2.850". Anything else you would like to know?
Wow, thank you very much. That information is very helpful. I will be calling a few places and see what I can come up with.
No prob. Be sure to get the tv cable and the carb brackets off the donor vehicle. Or you can get kits to get the correct geometry. TV cable set up is critical to trans llife. It is what tells the trans to get the pressure up when the throttle is depressed. Lots of info on that too. Let us know if you need more info. I am in the midst of assembling one for my car. I've done quite a bit of research. There is a LOT of info out there. Some is very conflicting. More than one way to skin a cat. I would pick up a ck manual if you are interested in doing things your self and probably an atsg service manual. There is also a video that I am told is very informative but I haven't watched it.
The TV cable is my biggest concern. I was talking to Jim about him setting it up to the tab on the gas pedal which from what he says a flawless installation, so I'm trying to get as much information from his as possible to have it installed in that location. That way I won't have to modify the carb at all. Have you tried anything like that at all?
So, i think i finally found a transmission local for $450 with a tc. Its professionally rebuilt, but doesn't sound like its been upgraded too much. So think I'll have to tweak it a little before it gets installed. I'm sure I'll start another thread for the necessary upgrades along with following Ken G's write up.