Budgeting my small tax return.

[ThatOneBlue67]

Hiya! Well, my truck is sittign in the sideyard, but I'm ready to get it out pretty soon. We've been having three days of perfect sunny weather here in Nor Cal and thats the sign to get off my ass and really WORK on getting my truck ready. It leaks oil, badly, and the balancer is scrap. So I'm already fixing those.

I've got about 500 bucks worth of return, NOT MUCH TO WORK WITH.
I'm trying to decide what it should go to. The TH350 tranny is on its last leg and leaks worse than the motor. Dad is convincing me to go 700R. I could afford it if I went with used parts, but I really don't want to set my "It's Back on the Road" date any farther than the middle of March.

I'm trying to decide if I should buy a used TH350 that would be in better condition, or have this one rebuilt. That would cut my spending in half and I could spend the other 200-250 on a new exhaust setup (if its even that cheap). Or insurance, which is also coming up. I might even have a little left for a shift kit. That way things get DONE and FASTER (my two main goals). I'm really not worried about having an OD gear, I don't travel long distances in my truck anyway.

What would you spend 500 bucks on in this kind of situation? Thanks, your input and advice is very much appreciated.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Used 700R4? Total gamble. Been there, done that. Won't do it again. The newest 700R4 available would be around 93 or so, so at best you'd be working with a used (and somewhat weak in stock form) 14 year old transmission.

The best route is a rebuilt from a reputable company and Bowtie overdrives lock up and tv cable kits. The "cheapest" set-up would most likely be around $1,200, blowing your budget.

I've been told that tranny shops can rebuild the 350s for a few hundred bucks.

OR, you can get all the parts from a yard to swap to a 3 speed manual and have money left over for a 3.08 rear end for better cruising rpms.

[hvychve]

$500 is not a lot to work with, but let me make a stab at it. first of all, if the tranny leaks but still shift ok, you may want to find where it leaks, clean it up with some engine degreaser and spray it clean , and run it for awhile to determine where the gross leaks are from.(if it even will start) if the torque converter (front seal) is leaking, this will cost you in more labor (yourself) than cash out of pocket, shift shaft seals are cheap, but you will need a shift shaft seal remover to do it correctly without scoring the shaft, although can be dug out out with some patience, use a deep socket to drive the new one in, coating with vaseline or ATF before installed, the extension housing seal ,pretty cheap, trans pan (mine as well change filter too) not too terribly expensive. I would not rely on used 700r4 .
I hate oil leaks as much as exhaust leaks , so my money would have to go in that direction.
Depending how long its sat, I would most deffinately change the gas and flush out the lines and oil and filter in engine. but aside from all that , without knowing its running condition and anymore on the particulars of brakes,tires,cooling system etc. sorta hard to direct $500 in the right direction. good luck and budget away.......

[ThatOneBlue67]

Thanks for the input guys.

My truck has only been sitting for two months so its not like I need to overhaul it. Just need a few new seals, an oil change, a balancer, and then something new to use my tax returns on. Apparently the auto parts store sells rebuilt TH350's for 500 bucks... not too shabby. Throw in a shift kit, and I think I'll be pretty happy. WIll probably go with that.

As for a three speed manual:
I purposely dumped that thing. It WAS a manual, didn't need it. I will only go back to manual if I have a tranny out of a Camaro or something.