engine/ transmission on a budget advice.

[j.rigby15r]

So here is were I'm at, if you haven't read any of my previous posts. I have a 64 c10 that came with a sbc 305 that has a cracked head. I have a th350. My plans are to pull the 305 and either drop a 327 or a 350 in. I've recently been thinking about putting in a different trans. If I do that what would be the best way to go I.e th400 700r or what? I don't have a lot of money to do this and am ok with rebuilding something. What would give me both decent power as well as good economy? Any ideas or suggestions are welcome as I am open to anything right now. I am wanting a cruiser that has some power, this will be a daily driver.

[ob1monkey]

Search for a 86-90 chevy g series van, I picked one up for 600 was rusted and beat to ****. but the 350 ran great and did not smoke, oil looked good, 700r4 shifted nice and firm and fluid looked and smelled fine(not new). pulled for a project and sold the body to a scrapped for 200, could have gotten 400 but the van was to wide to fit on my car dolly.

[j.rigby15r]

Why a van? If I did that what would it take to drop it in. As I have never done that before?

[lha1992]

Because vans are cheap an when people sell them usually they are beat up but have good running gears. Also could look for a old square body truck for cheap an throw all its running gear into yours.

[Captainfab]

I would definitely go with a 700R4, but they have to be setup correctly or you will burn it up in short order. There are many, many, many threads on the 700R4 in the 'Engine and Drivetrain' section.

[j.rigby15r]

If I drop a 700r4 I will need a different tq converter right? Also will I need to lengthen or shorten my driveshaft or do anything with mounts. Also would I be better off with a 350 or a 327?

[Lowl!f3]

Dont overlook the 200 4r Y series transmissions that came in caprices. These trannys can hold up to 750hp stock. People tend to follow the leader on stuff. And im sure some dont like the 200 because of the floating tail shaft. It is a smaller body trans, and would be a pretty good unit for close quarters such as body dropping.
Find you a donor vehicle. It helps out allot. even fabing up thing such as trans crossmember, linkage etc..
The 200 is a governed tranny. However the 200 and 700 both need wiring to swith to overdrive.

[AcampoDave]

I'm a fan of all small blocks where finances are concerned, but I think 350's are the best bang for the buck. When combined with a turbo 350 tranny, and a 308 rear gear they make for a tried and true econo-rod combo.

[Gargoyle]

Since you said you're on a budget then you ought to consider fixing what you've got. You've already got everything so you would only need to replace the head, no fooling with the driveshaft or crossmember, no additional electrical for the tranny. The 305 is decent, I had a 305\th350 in my '56 shortbed and it moved that truck around just fine. Your wanting to do a complete swap of your engine and trans is going to add up to some dollars pretty quick once you take all the parts into consideration.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by ob1monkey

Search for a 86-90 chevy g series van, I picked one up for 600 was rusted and beat to ****. but the 350 ran great and did not smoke, oil looked good, 700r4 shifted nice and firm and fluid looked and smelled fine(not new). pulled for a project and sold the body to a scrapped for 200, could have gotten 400 but the van was to wide to fit on my car dolly.

X2 absolutely.

I personally like the 87-91 Suburban donor even more. That gets you an entire 350/700R4 combo all set up as GM intended, TBI injection if you want it, and a complete front suspension with disc brakes, sway bar, and power steering. If you're saavy, you can even swap the rearend in place with minor work too. Give me a 63-70 half ton truck and a Suburban donor and I can turn out a nice disc brake, power steering, fuel injected, overdrive transmission truck with very, very short cash outlay. There's nothing better than having a donor vehicle sitting right next to your project truck. There's so many little widgets and tidbits you can harvest to save a trip to the junkyard or parts store, not to mention the time and frustration saved since it's all right there.

[lha1992]

Originally Posted by Lowl!f3

Dont overlook the 200 4r Y series transmissions that came in caprices. These trannys can hold up to 750hp stock. People tend to follow the leader on stuff. And im sure some dont like the 200 because of the floating tail shaft. It is a smaller body trans, and would be a pretty good unit for close quarters such as body dropping.
Find you a donor vehicle. It helps out allot. even fabing up thing such as trans crossmember, linkage etc..
The 200 is a governed tranny. However the 200 and 700 both need wiring to swith to overdrive.

The 2004r an 700r4 do not need wiring to switch into overdrive. Your thinking electronic controlled granny's like 4l60e or later. 200s an 700s all have TV cables to control line pressure. What you will need is a wire up for the torque lock up in 4th gear but all you need is a 12volt source an a switch.