[AT] Chevy transmission question

[ken knierim]

On Sun, 2005-11-06 at 14:00, Indiana Robinson wrote:
> 	This is going to sound really stupid to some of you 
> younger guys but my Chevy experience is more back from 1948 
> to 1977...   :-)   I have had mostly Fords, Dodge and IHC 
> over the years. Nothing against Chevy, it just happened 
> that when I was looking in more recent years I never ran 
> across a Chevy at the right price and at the right time.
> 	The question... My 83 Ford 1/2 ton and an old wagon I have 
> parked as well as my 90 Lincoln I drive all have an 
> overdrive automatic with a position on the selector. My 
> son's late model F-250D 4x4 has a push button overdrive on 
> the end of the shifter... I am completely unaware of 
> whether GM made such a tranny or not. I would assume that 
> they did but I just have never been involved with one. If 
> so how are they identified?
> 	I am getting back to my 1966 Chevy one ton "project truck" 
> this winter and since it has a 250 I am thinking of 
> dropping in a 350 I have in another 1 ton and I got to 
> thinking about hanging an auto tranny on the back of it. (I 
> am getting lazy in my old age) This will be driven empty 
> most of the time and will have a bed a little like a 
> wrecker bed made as short as I can make it. It will have a 
> gooseneck hitch and already has the frame shortened to the 
> rear shackles with a heavy tag hitch mounted close (done in 
> a previous burst of energy). In spite of those hitches it 
> will not be doing a lot of towing, mostly just localish 
> tractor shows. Since the rear end is geared low I thought 
> the overdrive behind the 350 would give it some decent 
> milage running empty and still have the advantage of the 
> low gearing when loaded or towing and the overdrive locked 
> out. I think I recall that all Chevy engines and trannies 
> bolt up OK. I do a bit of metal fabrication so making 
> mounts and a drive shaft are not a problem. If I chicken 
> out or get lazy on the drive shaft there are several places 
> in Indy (30 minutes away) that do a good job reasonably.
> 	Just not sure which tranny to look for...
> Thanks. 


Put in a 700R4 and add a tranny cooler as mentioned. The 700R4 I put in
my '79 Camaro replaced a TH350 pretty much directly. I was able to use
the rear mount from the Camaro by sliding it back and using one bolt per
side instead of 2... the transmission is about 3 inches longer than the
TH350 so the mounts had to be slid back. The driveshaft also had to be
shortened. 

That probably doesn't apply if you're replacing a different engine but
the parts probably existed to put a TH350 in there.

Ken