I have poor man's doubler 4l60e and a np241
I thought a poor man's doubler is the first gear of an SM465 or NV4500.

I have poor man's doubler 4l60e and a np241

Do the brakes even do much in double low? Lol

4l60 first gear combined with the 2.72 low range if a 241 ( 8.3 combined )is just slightly worse than a turbo 350 and a 203/205 (9.8)



t why are 203/205 doublers popular?
It's not for the freeway traffic I mentioned, that's just a side benefit.

I know that, I was just wondering why so much effort goes into fitting 3 gear boxes together when the end result isn't actually any lower than the factory 2-box setup I mentioned (465 & case of your choice). Seems like that stock rig would be better at crawling than all the fancy TH400 doubler combos out there. And, as Eric pointed out, the 700R4/4L60 & NP241 combination (another factory setup) gets pretty close.
I must be missing something, because obviously many people have gone through the effort to build doublers. But the logic is escaping me.![]()
You're going to start a flame war (autos vs. manual), but I'd simply say that a 465 is basically a 3-speed manual (with no overdrive) since the 1st Gear is useless for street driving.
The resulting gear spacing between the remaining 3 gears is pretty wide, which is also a major negative.
-G
). But Eric's statement has me intrigued.4l60 first gear combined with the 2.72 low range if a 241 ( 8.3 combined )is just slightly worse than a turbo 350 and a 203/205 (9.8)

Not so interested in auto vs. manual (seen that one too many times). But Eric's statement has me intrigued.
If the ratios are so similar, why don't folks just run 700R4/241 combinations?
FWIW, I agree that the SM465 is functionally a 3-speed. And so are the TH350 and TH400. If the 4-speed has a higher high gear, a lower low gear, and a happier gear spread, why are so few people happy with the 700/4L60 trannys?![]()

You forget what a torque converter does.
Autos are easier to drive in technical situations. Hand throttles close this gap rapidly.
I have wheeled a 465/205 combo. Still wanted a doubler. A 465 208 is much better. I have never wheeled one of those personally but it is much better than a 205.
The reason you see so many autos with doublers ( caution opinions ahead) is cause autos are easier to drive off road. In addition finding a 203 for a 465 is much harder than finding a 203 for a th 350.
The 700 has a bad reputation. With the improvements over the years its mostly undeserved but I bet you could ask 20 Chevy guys if they like the 700 / 4l60 and about 2 of those 20 would like it. And 15 of the remaining 18 would have no reason other than they knew someone who blew one up.
The th 350 combo is super common the 400 203 less common but still more common than a 465 203.
But you do have to remember what kind of wheeling is my favorite. I like rocks big technical crawling.

Makes sense. Having a torque converter seems like a good idea when perched atop a boulder.
Torque converters reduce the overall gear ratio. So just when the truck starts to move your torque converter is giving you around a 2:1 gear reduction.

