GM overdrive auto behind an RB

[Mike DC]

 

Art Carr's 200-4r conversion seems like a better setup than the 700-r4 conversions.  The 200 has better gear spacing.  

From what I've heard, the 200 is not the strongest thing in stock form but it responds well to beefing up.  The 700 can be strengthened but it doesn't reward that investment as well. 

[Troy]

Art Carr's 200-4r conversion seems like a better setup than the 700-r4 conversions.  The 200 has better gear spacing. 

From what I've heard, the 200 is not the strongest thing in stock form but it responds well to beefing up.  The 700 can be strengthened but it doesn't reward that investment as well. 

I thought that sounded neat so I did some quick research. Seems like the middle of the range Art Carr version is about $2,700 and you need an adapter to mate it to the engine. Some people like this one from Extreme Automatics because it is similar but uses a bell housing and works with a lockup converter (low end of $2,200 + $310 adapter + buy your own bell for some hundreds of dollars): http://extremeautomatics.com/th2004R.php#ea2004RStage3

Now these are both heavily beefed up transmissions and not just junkyard take outs. My quick and dirty math says it's well beyond $3,000 or even $3,500 by the time you get one installed (cross member, drive shaft, converter, speedometer cable, and so on). Definitely better than $5K+ in a smaller, stronger package. I know that's probably not terrible but for some reason I cringe to think of spending that kind of cash for a transmission. Although I suppose I could add up all the pieces for my 4-speed cars and come up with similar numbers...

I love a nice overdrive trans that doesn't require floor surgery. I only have one automatic car so we'll see how I feel about it when it goes together.

Troy

[Rolling_Thunder]

$5000 automatics....     

$300 used 4-speeds...     

[Troy]

$5000 automatics....     

$300 used 4-speeds...     

Yeah, but add the total installation expense: bell housing, clutch, flywheel, TO bearing, several linkage arms, ball studs, brackets, pedal assembly and possibly a cross member, hump, and driveshaft. To compare fairly, it would need to be freshly rebuilt. I have a Passon built OD that I got on sale for $900, bell $200, clutch/flywheel/TO $600, pedals $350, brackets and linkage $200, floor hump $100, cross member $100, gear lube $75. So that's well over $2,600 after tax and shipping but not including any labor for welding in the hump and Z-bar bracket. The 18 spline in my Challenger cost just under $1,200 to rebuild and decent cores are around $1,000 OR I think ready-to-go units can be had for about $1,800 so that's an additional $900-1,300 and no OD.

Yeah, if you build something from junkyard parts you can buy an awful lot of gas with the savings - but you can't save your sanity while driving 65 mph on the highway with the engine screaming at 4,000 rpm. Obviously mine is a compromise because that transmission won't hold up at the track but I drive probably 60-70% on the highway and the rest on back roads. OD is important as well as rowing gears but max effort on sticky tires is not even a consideration.

Troy

[Bronzedodge]

Don't forget carpet.  Not a huge expense, but necessary.

[rcannon440]

I had received a quote from SST in August for the stage 1 kit and at that time it was $4,500 they did say the price was going up after the first of the year. It seem like a good deal to me. I currently have the 518 conversion in my car.