Preparing to build up my 455 and with that in mind I've been considering which trans Auto vs. Manual. I have two th400 and would perfer OD to save on gas milage and the cruising factor. I have 3.73s in the rear with a ta performance rear end cover/ rear end girdle. I know there is Hp/ power loss with the Automatic vs. Manual. There is also converter selection and buying all the manual conversion parts... What do you think...
Call Chris at CK Performance. He is a wealth of knowledge and he builds VERY strong 200-4rs. online www.ckperformance.com
If you don't care about Original and you have plenty of cash..get the 5 speed manual trans. Next would be the Th400 with a gear venders OD. The "cheapest" solution is the 200-4r, but you would take a long time making back the money in gas from your TH400.
I run one behind a supercharged 455. I have a great local builder but that's in Michigan. Check out the GN sites for more info. Chis, Vince Janos, Dave Husak are all good. Just got and Edge converter and am really happy with that. http://www.edgeracingconverters.com/
Another vote for CK Performance (Re: want a 200r4) Dear sskilla, Ken, Gary, Doug, and V-8 Buick tranny gurus, If you really want fuel economy and don't mind a manual, that's obviously the best choice. If you are automatic person though, the 200-4R is the gas mileage champ of the choices available for our cars. I ordered my 200-4R from Chris at CK Performance. If you check the board you'll find lot of recommendations from CK Performance, so it sure seems like a safe choice. They aren't cheap and it will take a few months for your tranny to be made, but Chris's reputation is very good. Still haven't tried my tranny yet, cuz the new big-block engine isn't ready. However, Jim is busily assembling it as I type! Cheers, Edouard :beer
This is where I got my billet drum from, http://www.extremeautomatics.com/ If I did not have such a good local guy this is who I would go with. Nothing against Chris, but Lonnie is really good. Chris and Lonnie have developed most of the race parts for the 200-4r.
Re: Another vote for CK Performance (Re: want a 200r4) I bought mine from CK too. I just got the 455 running so I can't speak to the durability issue but I made Chris aware of what engine I'd be running. I don't know what you plan on using for an induction system but if you go with a Q'jet make sure you get one with a throttle arm that has the integrated TV cable linkage (I got mine from Ken at Everyday Performance) so you don't have to worry about adapters for correct geometry.
