Another Tcase quest

[Kalums]

Ok guys it has been debated many times on here and I get both sides to the argument (kinda)... But I have a TH350 tied to an NP205 behind a stock 350, the truck is currently in the transmission shop getting both completely rebuilt... The shop called y-day and asked if I had the "brace/strut" from the bell housing to the T-case (I don't it didn't have it when I got it). Should I go find one? Should I leave the NP205 passenger side frame brace? Before it went to the shop I had replaced all the mounts (engine, tcase, trans-crossmember) with poly and I doubt this truck will ever see much 4x4ing other than possibly towing less than 100ft. I'm concerned about the 4 bolts holding 100+ lbs of Tcase to my TH350 if I do remove the side mount. Help me out here, this is the last thing holding my truck in "shop jail".

[57taskforce]

These trucks didn’t come factory with the bellhousing braces, only the frame brace. My advice. If you are going to do any real truck stuff, ditch the frame brace as it’s known to cause the adaptor housing between the transmission and transfer case to fail. The bellhousing brace setup is a better design than the frame brace but really I don’t think either is necessary.

[kwmech]

Bell housing braces showed up in the square bodies in the late 70s and moved into the 80s with the intro with the 208/241 aluminum cases. There have been case where I have made bell braces or using a factory brace, shortened or lengthened them

[Kalums]

Originally Posted by kwmech

Bell housing braces showed up in the square bodies in the late 70s and moved into the 80s with the intro with the 208/241 aluminum cases. There have been case where I have made bell braces or using a factory brace, shortened or lengthened them

Will the th400 brace work with the th350?

[kwmech]

What exactly are you trying to accomplish here with the transmission shop and what year is the truck

[Kalums]

Originally Posted by kwmech

What exactly are you trying to accomplish here with the transmission shop and what year is the truck

All I'm really trying to do is make it so that it doesn't mess up the new transmission and transfer case, my coupler was broken. It has a new one now it is a 1971 and originally it came with the frame brace.

[kwmech]

So the adapter broke and not the back of the transmission case?

[Kalums]

Originally Posted by kwmech

So the adapter broke and not the back of the transmission case?

Correct, I've found the bell housing brace/strut for a 78 TH400 and one on a 76 700R4... But nothing for a TH350 yet.

[kwmech]

you can use either one, but you'll have to shorten and reweld. I've had to do that numerous times. Sometimes I'll even slide a sleeve over it after welding and weld that also

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by Kalums

Correct, I've found the bell housing brace/strut for a 78 TH400 and one on a 76 700R4... But nothing for a TH350 yet.

FYI-there is no such thing as a stock 1976 700R4, maybe it's a 1986? The 700R4 was introduced in the 1982 Corvette and in everything else in 1983. I have one in a 1983 K20.

[Kalums]

Originally Posted by MARKDTN

FYI-there is no such thing as a stock 1976 700R4, maybe it's a 1986? The 700R4 was introduced in the 1982 Corvette and in everything else in 1983. I have one in a 1983 K20.

You are correct it was a "converted" C10 from 76, not original. You can see where they changed the trans/T-case crossmemeber. Also the 2 holes in the floorboard tell me originally it was probably a manual. I was just wondering if the 700R4/NP205 bellhousing to t-case strut/brace was the same length as the TH350/NP205 one.

[Kalums]

On a side note... I did figure out that when I do change to the bell housing brace/strut... I also have to change my cross member as mine has the upper and lower mounts on both sides (8 bolts to the frame), the cross members that are used with the bell housing brace are mounted to the lower frame only, thus allowing the brace/strut to pass through above the cross member to the NP205... Salvage yard wants $350 for both off of a TH400 *Yikes* so that will have to wait a little. As I live somewhere 4x4 is not going to get used constantly(if much at all) , I figure I have a little more time.

[Kalums]

Originally Posted by kwmech

you can use either one, but you'll have to shorten and reweld. I've had to do that numerous times. Sometimes I'll even slide a sleeve over it after welding and weld that also

Plan is/was to shorten near middle + reweld + sleeve w/small square stock almost full length + weld the ends of the square stock to the round and install.

[57taskforce]

Man there’s a lot to unpack here. There’s no such thing as a factory 700r/205 combo either. It can be done with aftermarket parts but… By the time the 700r came out only the K30’s were getting 205’s and they only could be had with the sm465 or turbo 400. So whatever braces youre are looking at weren’t originally configured how they are now. If you don’t use 4x4 much at all take the side bracket off and be done with it, make sure to keep and eye on on the engine and transmission mounts, normally what kills the adaptor housing when using the side frame mount is a bad motor mount that allows the drive train to move around too much. The movement with the fixed bracket on the transfer case kills the adaptor housing.

[Kalums]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

Man there’s a lot to unpack here. There’s no such thing as a factory 700r/205 combo either. It can be done with aftermarket parts but… By the time the 700r came out only the K30’s were getting 205’s and they only could be had with the sm465 or turbo 400. So whatever braces youre are looking at weren’t originally configured how they are now. If you don’t use 4x4 much at all take the side bracket off and be done with it, make sure to keep and eye on on the engine and transmission mounts, normally what kills the adaptor housing when using the side frame mount is a bad motor mount that allows the drive train to move around too much. The movement with the fixed bracket on the transfer case kills the adaptor housing.

Definitely not arguing about and of that, because I wouldn't know. I'm just stating what I found in the salvage yard. *shrugs*