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need real life feedback on a 700r4

5

55Willy

3/4 ton status
Joined
Jun 2, 2001
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Location
Keizer, Or
I am looking at another burb and the facts go like this:

1987 /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif
4x4
GMC
High Serria (Silverado)
Front buckets
front and rear A/C
3rd Seat
Grey Cloth Interior
tinted windows
White paint
running boards :P
106,000 miles
new cd player
tow package


only and I mean the only thing slowingme down is the the fact it's a 1/2 ton... Yeah axles are cheap but is the first style 700r4 really that bad???

My use for this:
daily driver, pavement pounder, tow rig.


If I slap a huge ass cooler on it could it survive???


-Jeremy
 
By 87 it was all good, but a tranny in an 87 is now 16-17 years old...its gonna need a rebuild sooner or later....I have a 700 and love it. It lost 3rd and 4th gears about 2 years ago, got it rebuilt the way i wanted it for $1050 or so and couldn't be happier
 
I don't have any first hand knowledge, but from what I have read on here it can be built to be a good tranny. However it will never survive the same stuff a th400 will. For what you plan on using it for, towing the willys', you would be better off using a th400 or 4l80e. If you build it right, put a good cooler on it, and take it easy you should be fine with the th700. If you want the toughest auto tranny you can get th400. By the way, I am sure the willys' on a trailer will weigh more the most boats. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I know everyone else on here hates 700s, but I've got two, use one everyday, tow with it, more than I should,Ask thatk30guy! It works great! I have a 6.2L mated to a 700 in an 83, and it has never given me a problem! I abuse it too! In my opinion, it's how you treat it, not the tranny itself! Yes a th400 is probably stronger in the long end, but you pay for it daily in gas milage! Later! /forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif
 
i have a 700 in my K5 and love it. the secret to a good one is getting it rebuilt by a guy who drag races and rebuilds transmissions. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
The 87s and up are good trannys. I know quite a few people who have the orginal ones in their trucks and they are holding up just fine.
The one I have in my 89 has been towing since new and it has never been rebuilt.
How the one in the Sub you are looking at is depends on the owners. If they maintained it and changed the fluid regularly
it should be fine.
If the fluid is brown and burnt and hasn't been changed in 100K miles..... Well that will ruin any tranny. Even the mighty 400.
If looks like it is in good shape and you buy it. Put a good cooler on it and change the fluid. make sure the TV cable is adjusted properly. Dont run too much tire for the gear ratio. And it should last quite a while.
Stay away from "Shift Kits" and those kind of things. They just seem to cause problems in 700s.
 
I would stick to a 700R4. If you go to 400 you are going to lose valuable mpg's, it's not worth it. It would be better to to have a 700r4 built, i did in 2 of my trucks and i love them. There is so much stuff you can do to one of these. The best guy for this is Don @ the tranny clinic in colorado springs, co. He built the tranny in my 87 k5, my 90 burb, and my 96 sierra. It cost me 1500 installed with a nation wide warranty, you cant beat that price. Plus he treats every vehicle like it is his own. In my 87 i get 16-17 average, and in my burb i get 15-16 average, you wouldn't even come close with a th400. Also the 700r4 has a much lower first gear and a little lower second which is better for towing. That's my $0.02. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
The thing I keep seeing is that all of you are running a $1500 REBUILT tranny's. I'm talking stock stuff here. No race shop tranny shop top of the line. besides If I was going to drop $1500 into a tranny it wouldn't be a 700r4, it would be a NV4500 swap.


Side note.


It cost me $64 to rebuild my th400 and about 3 hours working with my uncle helping him.


-Jeremy
 
I wasn't suggesting a swap, more like buying a vehicle with one in it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
My wife has a 90 k5 with 150000 miles on it and it has the stock 700r4 no shift kit. On that truck we run 33's 4.10's and a locker in the rear. It sees mild towing(5000-6000 lbs), some wheeling maybe 8 trips a year, but we live in the mountains and it always shifting and being run hard, ive ran it at the drag stips acouple of times. The tranny is fine no need to replace it yet. Biggest thing is it will break one day but why fix it until it does, hell you might have another 50000 left on it. With 700's there is no exact sience to them.
 
Like a 89 with a 4" lift and a Diesel? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif


there were two more in todays paper and tomorrow is the new truck traders. So I'll see. I need one soon cause i have no idea how long this jeep is going to last. And those that know the plan know why I'm needing a burb ASAP.


-Jeremy
 
Maintain it well and it will treat you well. Just like most stuff, in the end how long it lasts is mostly decided by how well you treat it... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I've owned several vehicles with 700's. The only I had troubles with was a 82. It blew the front seal out. All the rest have been great. One has about 260,000 on it. One thing I always do is to not run in overdrive unless I'm on the highway. In town or hills I run in 3rd.
 
I am not too educated on Trannys but I have had 700rs and I have had no problems.

By your description it sounds like a really nice truck /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif I really love white trucks I think it is a great color and grey cloth is just as good.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
And those that know the plan know why I'm needing a burb ASAP.


[/ QUOTE ]
How is she doing by the way. Does she have cravings and cry at the drop of a hate yet? /forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
In reply to:
How is she doing by the way. Does she have cravings and cry at the drop of a hat yet?

Yeah, eating for two will do that /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
I have a 83 6.2L Diesel with a 700R. It had 240K on it when the tranny finally gave up, even then it had help. Also, the original owner used the Blazer exclusively for towing a RV trailer. I had a guy replace the motor cause I was lazy and it was in the middle of the winter. Anyways, the guy did a crappy job and left the cooler lines rubbing on the power steering pully. I didn't check things out when I picked it up and the pulley rubbed though the line while on a long trip at night. Once I finally figured out that the line had busted, it was to late. When I pulled the dipstick out, smoke actually came out, no fluid was on the stick. Got it home and changed the fluid and filter, the dern thing actually lasted about another 20K-25K miles before giving up. I then had a local guy build me a tranny useing a 87 up core, heavy duty clutches, larger servo and believe it or not he talked me into a non lock-up torque converter. The converter is built for RVs and has a smidge more muliplication built in along with a little less stall. I thought I wouldn't like it. I was wrong, I love it! He nailed the shift firmness I wanted exactly. The converter is great, thing feels like it picked up 50FTLBS from idle when tipping in the throttle.The rebuild ended up costing 1200.00, 350.00 of it was the torque converter and 200.00 was labor. The tranny has about 25K on it now and it's still doing great. I'm usually pretty picky when other folks work on my vehicles. I've usually had bad luck when farming out work that I should have done myself, but this tranny job was a exception. I beat the crap out of the tranny and it keeps on working perfectly. Anyway, I've had three vehicles with 700Rs and have a friend with a 700R behind a 454 making around 500-550 HP in a 70 Chevelle. He has done quite a bit of 1/4 mile passes and has around 20K on the tranny and it's still going good{same guy built his tranny}. The first ones did have problems and had alot of weak spots. As a few other guys have said, after 87 they got alot better.
Long butt post, I know. I tried to give as much detail as I could for ya! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
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