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best tranny for mud???

hawkeye649 said:
Run what ya got. When it breaks, replace it with what you had. If it happens again, think of upgrading....
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That just about sums it up.. 3/4's of the people that are worried about upgrading every nut and bolt they can find, never even need it.. When you start breaking parts then consider spending some coin.. I see alot of people that have been building a truck for years but never even had it out to see what works and what needs upgraded.. Run what you got and have some fun :waytogo:

I would be more worried about extending your vent lines and changing fluids then I would about if a th400 is better than a th350..
 
Well When the TH350 goes (and it will) replace with an SM-465 or a TH400
 
yellowK20 said:
4 speed all the way there tougher and instant wheel speed
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Thats the ticket, both on and off the gas, and its better to be able to flip on and off. Same reason as using locked diffs for mud, you know exactly what the wheels are doing. You were going to trailer it, right?:D
 
well my truck is the one with blocks, and my front 4" springs are gonna be here soon(once i get a job)LOL, my blazer is a 1977 k5 it has no lift, a 350 motor amd a th350, i should just run it all the way, o and yellowk20 sure i'll join you one of these days, i just took my truck through some muddy clay and didnt get stuck the right front u-joint is gonna snap soon, and i gotta replace it, damn these trucks are expensive!!LOL
 
mudslinger99 said:
I would be more worried about extending your vent lines and changing fluids then I would about if a th400 is better than a th350..
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th400 is with no dought better than the th350 but that doesnt mean that the th350 isnt good... it is a powerful transmission.. and if he wants it to live longer he has to make sure it doesnt overheat.. thats why i think that adding a deeper pan which will make it take more oil and have a seprate radiator for it will really make it cool and work harder and live longer...

plus it all depends on his budget... if he can go with a th400 then why not!! if his budget is low.. then stick with the th350, get the stuff i suggested and use the remaining money in getting something else which you might need.

ak
 
i dont have a big budget im bearly 16, well el paso is flooding!!!!!they are advising a emergincy!!the rio grande is flooding!!!!my truck has a lot of mud, im thinking of geting a sm465 for my blazer also its just great to floor it and watch all the mud sling oner the hood!!!LOL
 
Yeah my lower Pasture is under about 3 feet of water!! my drive way is 4x4 only right now:laugh:
 
yeah mine 2!!i've been having a hell of a time in my back yard!!!LOL ima pull out cars this weekend, gotta be a good sameritan
 
back in the spring I was running a th350 and ran my truck through the pit at this thing called spring fling. didnt even hammer on it and afterwards it would only shift into 3rd after letting off the gas and would kick back into 2nd when you got on it. that quite on its own but it was leaking like crazy and making a popping sound from the front pump. swapped it out for and sm465 and Im planning on have a new cam in it before mudstock in two weeks. then I can tell you how I like the manual.
 
My vote is auto, it needs to be cooled properly and IMHO for the best mud running you need a ratchet shifter. If your motor is tires the manuel might be better. Also don't forget the t-case I have a 203 and with my stock 350 and a 350 trans 4.56 gears and 40" Iroks it is a sweet setup in the mud. I wish I had more power but I can really get those Iroks spinning. IMHO a 2:1 t-case i.e. a 203 or 205 or older rockwell cases are the best
 
if you have our choice a NP205 would be your best bet the rockwell is pretty stout but parts are getting harder and harder to find the 203 is okay but the chaindrive kinda sucks and there VERY heavy
 
Some of you jokers will probably laugh but,my last mud "ONLY" rig,I ran a POWERGLIDE:eek1: ,yes a POWERGLIDE to a divorced t-case.Ask any pro-gasser,they swear by them...

But if you don't want to spend the $$$$,by all means th400.:D
 
even though nobody has said it i like my 700r4. when offroad i leave it in drive instead of OD. it doesn't leak and always downshifts on its own when needed, basically it works great (knock on wood). true when i bought my truck the r4 had been rebuilt, but i am mostley in mud (even though my axle sucks water...ughh) and i flog the hell out of it. i rarely hit overdrive so i guess its a wasted gear, but i love that low first gear!





85 swb/350/700r4/241/10 blt/12 blt/4" lift/33's
 
I have come from the other side of these arguments, my mud rig HAD an sm465 that I swapped to a th400. I hate the auto it was the worst thing I did to the truck. I do not have the power I once had from my built 350 the tranny sucks it up. in mud I have to run my truck in 1stgear lowrange so the auto is kinda pointless.

most love the th400 205 combo, I will sell mine if somebody wants it (too much money in it to give it away but the thought has crossed my mind)
 
cast another vote for sm465....

I had a auto.. turbo400 - rebuilt - shiftkit... it would rip your head off when it shifted.. was cool.. line up.. floor it... and if not stuck come out the other side.... however.... since I have gone to a sm465.... I WILL NEVER GO BACK!!!!

I dont know what people are talking about as... you cant shift in mud... I do.... also yeah nice when you stop in the slop and then need to go... can rev that puppy up.. feather the clutch and HAMMER TIME!!! :haha:
 
'Glide is good for competition bogs but out in the woods were your slogging through the deep stuff for hours on end give me a SM465 I actually ran a glide in my bogger (gutted k20) for 3 bogs removed it sold it and replaced it with a saginaw 3-speed which worked out better for me. and I agree with rootbreaker about the shifting it's never been an issue for me given the choice for the mud a manual trans is what I'd want. and for all the doubters the truck in my avatar has a 4-speed and I have a box full of 1st and 2nd place trophys from the mudboggs In this area while running that truck
 
It also depends on the kind of mud you are running. I don't run mud in the woods. We just don't have it much, and when we do its not very deep. At least not for 40s. The main mud I run is a drained diversionary dam. About 25 to 30 acres of mud that has been underwater for at least 3 months it is sticky and sloppy and nasty stuff. You cannot shift in my type of mud, you will lose all your tire speed. There are alot of guys that run 4 speeds out there and I have never seen any of them succesfully shift in the middle of a run. Of course some of them start out in 3rd gear, that takes some practice to do well. IMHO you should keep your drivetrain and save some money for some 3/4 ton axles then bigger tires with your drivetrain you should be able to run 37s or 38s with the stock 3/4 ton axles. That will make more difference than your tranny. And don't get a wimpy mud tire get a swamper radial they will last pretty good on the street and kick butt in the mud
 
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