transmission question

[84 400]

well i have a bone stock 85 305 700r4 and a 84 400 with a rebuilt th350. My shop teacher goes on and on and on about how the 80's 700r4's were just a whole mess of prbloms but mine has 114k on it and seems to work like new. However i have heard so much bad stuff about them i just don't trust it. As for my th350 well it is sweet i wish it had had overdrive for the long trip i took driving it from texas to my house but oh well. I was thinking of a B and M shift kit for it or a th400 with shift kit swap in the 84 not the 85 what do yallthink ???

[jimfulco]

Then there's the issue of low gear ratio. My Suburban has 2.73 gears & a T-350, and it takes forever to cross an intersection from a dead stop. The T-350 has a 2.5:1 low gear, and the 700 has 3.06:1. Might be worth considering, since the 700's low gear would make mine think it had 3.31's in the back.

[piecesparts]

The 3.08 and 350 that was in my son's truck was a fair combination, but it wasn't a stormer by any means. The 3.73 gears in the rear and the 700R4 that we put on the 350 motor woke the truck right up. It runs the streets decently and does good on the highway. A 700R4/4l60e tranny and a set of 3.42 gears is a common setup from Chevrolet in the late eighties and early 90s trucks, this is a good all around ratio for everyday driving.

[skeet85silverado]

Thanks guys for all the info? I found another 700r4 over the Thankgiving weekend. The question i have now is that its a newer 700 and has the electronic speedometer cable. My old one has a screw in cable. Can i do anything about this.

[piecesparts]

I believe the tailshaft housing can be interchanged and the gear can be installed on the tailshaft for the older style speedo. Contact a tranny shop and see.

[swervin ervin]

Yes, swapout tail shaft housings. You will also need to swap out the signal generator disk on the shaft with your speedo gear. Pretty simple swap and you will be good to go.