need 200-R4 upgrade suggestions for a Rocket 350

[Bansheeman6100]

hey guys, i was told this was the place and you were the guys and gals to talk to about the 200-R4. i have a 1972 Cutlass S that i am doing a frame-off on currently, and am tearing into the motor as we speak. it is a Rocket 350, and will have a RV cam, longtubes, 4bbl, and a complete rebuild. no power adders, and will be a pretty mild motor. but it is still a torquey motor, and want this 200-R4 to last a while. it is a CRF code, and was pulled from a low-mileage Monte. from what i have seen so far, i will need a hardened drum, maybe a hardened stator support, and i may just rebuild it while i am at it. what do yall suggest, aside from ordering a complete unit from Art or others

i see ATP and partsauthority offer master kits, but im not sure of their quality or reputation. both can be had at rockauto. i was thinking maybe a basic rebuild kit, hardened drum, stator support, and whatever other mods are required for mild power, less than 400hp. i may just go with CPT's kit since i will be going with his front drum and possibly more

 

[HyperV6]

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/threads/attention-new-version-strengthening-the-2004r.31365/

See this link in the trans section. It should give you some good info.

Craig

 

[TexasT]

Look into ckperformance.com and give David Husek at turbobuickperformace.com a call. Both have excellent products and can give service after the sale. Also you might want a copy(i think it is mandatory) of the ck 2004r manual. Lots of good tech in it.
If you are digging in down to the sun shell, I would empty the rest and at least put new rubber in. Probably wiuldnt hurt to slide in some clutches too as they are at least 20 yrs old if it hasn't been overhauled before. You also might look to score a hp vb/gov combo, unless you like the challenge of making a lo-po one shift where you want it too.

 

[Bansheeman6100]

Thanks, I did look at the link a good bit, and it definitely has some good advice in there. So far, I'm liking what's available from CPT and Art, as they're hardened drum seems like a killer value compared to a few other offerings, and they're kits seem to have great feedback as well

 

[TexasT]

I would anti up for a billet shaft forward drum if you want to avoid park and six neutrals. The heat treated shaft is not much of an improvement over a stock piece from what I've been told. I run a stock piece in my budget build.
Not sure about his kit as I didn't use one.

 

[Bansheeman6100]

thanks for the help man! i appreciate it, but its VERy disappointing to hear about the hardened shaft, as thats a good value. i'm thinking with the torque that the olds motors put out, that the billet shaft may be necessary, if the hardened is not a good unit

 

[INEEDAGN]

Hardened stator support and hardened sun gear shell are a MUST for any build including grandma's delta 88. They were problematic in stock applications. Good news is, if your trans is new enough to have the "F" at the end of the code, it's new enough that it'll very likely have a hardened sun gear shell in it already. Upgraded forward drum is recommended but the other 2 are mandatory. I got a killer deal on a clean KCF core at a junkyard once because I pointed at the stripped stator support splines and said "Can't sell that as a good unit, I'll give you $25 for it as a core." The rest of the trans was cherry...

Full freshening and a good calibration kit! Why wouldn't you freshen it on a frame off build? Other things are so cheap that it'd be hard to build anything without them. Hardened pump rings are cheap. Better servo for the band is cheap. (i'd "upgrade" to the stock 694 turbo buick servo and skip the higher priced billet stuff for your goals) New performance boost valves are cheap, though your shift kit may include them. It doesn't take much to get an extra clutch in the OD clutch pack but that's probably not necessary for your needs.

Be absolutely sure that you have the correct linkage for the carburetor. 700r4/200-4r need different linkage geometry than a Th350. The TV cable adjustment is critical, it is far more than just a kickdown cable on a 200-4r. Some quadrajets can be found with the right linkage, otherwise kits are available for holley or afb type carbs. There are various ways to make the lockup torque converter function, you need to start researching that.

I'm not sure of the operating range you are looking for but i'd imagine an inexpensive 12" stock style torque converter can be made to stall plenty high enough for your goals. WOT upshifts will be dependent on the shift kit you choose. I'd call Dave Husek or CK and tell them you are starting with a CR valve body and they can tailor the kit to your needs. They can send you a full rebuild kit too!

That's a start

 

[Bansheeman6100]

i spoke with Dave earlier, and i will talk to him again. i wil end up doing a full refresh, as im the type to do things right the first time. but, im also a penny pincher, so the two halfs of me clash until the doing it right means that i wont do it twice argument wins. i was a little turned off by his price on the billet drum, but that was going off of the price i had in mind from the hardened unit that CPT sells. i have a local trans guy that built the 48RE in my 1000hp Cummins that i trust and like to support. i'd like to try this myself with guidance, but if i feel overwhelmed i will take it to him. what im thinking right now is: Billet drum, hardened stator shaft, and CPT's full kit. Davis at turbobuickperformance.com has a cool DIY kit, where you basically send him the complete internals, and he cleans what is in good shape and recomends what is needed, then sends it all back, which i may or may not end up doing. i may finish the car and use the TH350 for now, until i get additional budget to do this 200R4 properly. the other issue with linkage is i WAS going to use the factory intake and 2bbl carb, which would mean custom making brackets and TV cable to get it to work, which may causr an issue with proper TV setup, so i may need to throw a Edelbrock intake and carb on my list as well.. as they make linkage kits for them

 

[TexasT]

A little tv cable info

Hit up www.tvmadeez.com for some more

 

[olds403]

Spend the money on a billet forward drum if nothing else. CK has them and put in a billet piston