Power Glide or Th400...Want an OD...Will This Do The Trick?
 

Ok well now that i have your attention heres the thing. Currently useing a T-5 tranny and trapping 130 in the 1/4, car is roughly 3000lbs at race weight. Now looking at either a power glide or a th400 as my next tranny. However both trannys ending in a 1:1 ratio isnt going to make the freeway driving any fun. So a friend suggest to me useing the Th400 as a glide with od. So basically crossing the traps in second gear (1.48:1) instead of 3rd (1:1) Now on paper this thing seems to make sence.

Wanting to cross the traps at 6500rpm useing the power glide id need a 4.30 final drive gear and a 28" tall tire, top speed would be 125.9mph now im guessing that makes sence since going from a standard tranny to an auto id be loseing some mph so that would be fine and dandy. Except ofcourse still no overdrive.

So useing the th400 and wanting to cross the traps at 6500rpm and in 2nd gear, so i could use 3rd as an OD, id need a 3.0 final drive gear and a 29" tall tire and it should put me across the traps at 126.3mph and leave me 3rd gear to cruise back on the highway with. Now i know i didnt take into account converter slippage and I know the Th400 is gonna take more power to turn than the glide and what not but I just want to know why i should or should not do this. Im certain im not the first person to think about this, actually i know im not cuz a friend suggested it to me. Id like to know other peoples takes on this. Should I do it? Why? What physics crap am I not taking into account? Drive train strain with only a 3.0 ring and pinion launching and putting that power to the ground? What are your guy's takes on this? Thanks in advance.

dude, where you been? nice to see you back :)

:D ive been broke as f*ck man so my cars been just sittin, currently unemployed :( :( so havent really been active in the car thing, just planning for the future :D :D how ya been?

Ups and downs... Things are good for now. got my new exhaust on the other day :)..thats all there really is to my life right now lol.

http://www.projectcamaro.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=7085
(If you feel ambitious) haha

I hear ya bro

Ahh i remember when a Y pipe and a single 3" was all i needed :banghead: im having super exhaust issues :banghead: that i dont even wanna begin to explain

lol.. I hate doing exhuast after that. Just on fbodies tho ;)

hey, nice to see a race car around here again. have you thought about a built up 700R4?

Welcome back man, we missed you. To be honest all that stuff you wrote just confused me so I wont be able to help you out. Sorry

I thought about it for a second...then i realized the 700r4 has to be the worst auto tranny GM has ever invented. First off i cant find one strong enough to go behind my current motor nore what ever my imagination does in the future. Right now i think the strongest one i saw was rated to 550 horses. For the same price i can find a th400 or glide rated to 1000+. Secondly the gearing in that tranny is absolutley horrible. 3.06 to like a 1.63 i believe. WTF am i going to do with a 3.06 first gear...Id have to start in 2nd but i dont think 2nd has enough gear for me to start in so either way im screwed. If i were to get an OD tranny it would be a th200 but even then, the gearing is still a dilema in itself.

So ... ya :D

Its really quite simple (you have no idea how many people cant grasp it tho :banghead: )

Here, a power glide with 4.30s in the rear and a 29" tall tire [1st gear(1.76x4.30=7.568)] [2nd gear(1.00x4.30=4.30)]is almost exactly the same as a th400 with 3.00s in the rear with a 28" tall tire[1st gear(2.46x3.0 =7.38)] [2nd gear (1.46x3.00=4.38)]

So 1st will be a lil slower and ill make up a little of that in 2nd, spin the same RPMS and have a 1:1 with a 3.00 final drive gear to save gas

Wheres arch when you need him :D

And ive been around bro i lurk mostly, lookin for posts in the 3rd gen section, by the time I get to em everybody already has helped tho so thats why you dont see me too much. Ill try to post a lil more tho

do the 400 it won't be a true od unless you open it up and change it all out, or why not a pg with the gear vendors od unit?

I know it wont be a true OD but itll be good enough. Why not the gear vendors unit...cuz this is cheaper. Atleast you agree with me and see where im coming from you have no idea how many people cant seem to grasp it

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/fo...5&pagenumber=1

just don't do the muncie suggestion unless you have a great scattershield (I see those guys never grenaded a manual and sneezed clutch dust for a month)

i have a lakewood scattershield

im pretty much dead set on an automatic tho, i cant find any standards in my price range thatll hold up to that kind of power...except the TKO600 but the gear ratios are garbage and im on the raw brink of its power rating anyways...that and im tired of changeing my clutch :lolsign:

soo u wanna run a th-400 like a pg with a gearvender overdirve unit? if i were u id get the g-force tranny... ive heard guys running over 700hp on there t-5