M1008 700R4 Swap: Parts and Prices

[Croatan_Kid]

Well I had a great big, long, really nice list of parts and prices typed up and it got lost when I tried to post it Anyway, I'll try my best to redo what I had. I'll list the place I got the part from, shipping cost, who is was shipped through, the part, and the price. Prices are listed in USD and rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount for simplicity. For the record, this is just my personal swap to a 700R4. All of these parts may not actually be neccessary, but I like beefy transmissions. Especially in a truck that weighs close to 3 tons.

Monster Transmission (Free Shipping via FedEx)
-1650 Stall HD Tq Converter- $125
- Beast Sunshell- $52

GearHead Enterprises ($10 shipping via UPS)
- Polished Aluminum +2 qt trans pan w/ drain plug- $45

CT Powertrain Products ($11.50 shiping via USPS Priority Mail)
- Diesel Gov. Assembly- $45
- 54" TV Cable Assembly- $13

Oregon Performance Transmission ($15 shipping via FedEx)
- 13 Vane Pump and Rotor Kit- $40
- TransGo Shift Kit- $30
- Corvette Servo- $13
- .500 Boost Valve- $10
- Master Rebuild Kit w/ Kevlar band and clutches- $110
- 4th Gear Automatic Lockup Kit- $46
- TransGo Separator Plate- $16

Good Buddy of Mine
- Good '86 model 700R4 K-case- FREE
- Time and labor- FREE except for food, etc and letting him use my shop to paint his massive Jeep

E-bay Item ($10 shipping via UPS)
- 700R4/NP208 adapter- $25

The total spent is right at $620. All parts were ordered from E-bay Stores via PayPal. This is just parts, I haven't got trans fluid or any of my gauges (i.e.- trans temp) or any little stuff I'll need to make the swap. Also, on an interesting side note; I'll soon have a TH400 up for sale. If you have questions, need part numbers, or just have general curiosity, feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer any questions. I'll take more pics as we move along in the swap and testing portion of this ordeal.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Here's some pictures of my collection of parts.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Nice.


Hmmm...makes me want to go look for a deep pan for my TH400...

 

[CCATLETT1984]

while i still have the stock pan on my trans, someone welded a drain plug into it.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Drain plugs are soooo damn nice. I think since I'm keeping the TH400 I'll just pay a bit extra and get a deep pan with the plug.

Any time I work on one of my vehicles even if I don't get a whole new pan with a plug I'll buy a $8 drain plug kit and put that in. Dropping a trans pan that's full of dirty ATF is just not fun...
It's amazing that it's taken the makers this long to figure that out.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Well obviously the people that design automobiles never had to work on them. I tend to think ahead to save myself trouble in the future. Even if they just do it to persuade you to change the filter every time you add new ATF, it doesn't really make sense. Why not drain the pan first, avoiding a HUGE mess and cleanup, then drop the pan and change the filter? I have noticed that I don't see too many deeper aftermarket pans that don't have drain plugs on them. Something I'm reminded of is draining the rear end of a truck; why don't they put drain plugs in the bottom of the housings? You could save a gasket and just change the fluid. I suppose manufacturers don't assume that the general population has sense enough to do something like that or use it to their advantage, they feel the ecessive need to dumb things down. That might explain why a lot of vehicles don't have gauges, take our CUCVs for example. lol. Well....they DO have a voltmeter.

Anyway, the trans should be getting built next weekend. I feel that it will live up to and maybe even surpass my expectations. I won't use it to haul anything overly heavy. I mainly wanted overdrive to ride the highways and I've always wanted to have a 73-87 solid axle Chevy as a daily driver. I did for a while, I drove our 85 K-10 and it got about 10 mpg. So I get a diesel and I see potential for a DD, just not with 4.56s, no overdrive, and some lil bity tires. Solution: beefed 700R4, some 35s and eventually a turbo kit.

One thing I've been meaning to ask......am I gunna need a new flexplate to mate up to the R4 torque converter? I'm thinkin I won't because usually GM flexplates are drilled for two bolt patterns. Someone correct me if I'm wrong because I want to have all the parts I need on hand to make this go as smooth as possible. They're only like 40 bucks so it's not a big deal if I do.

I'm also planning on running a trans temp gauge and an auxillary cooler to protect my investment from sneak attacks from thermal meltdown

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Yeah...that's the one gauge my wife's 2002 Suzuki XL7 doesn't have.

The thing that gets me as I've been looking around for 14FF and D60 axle covers is the makers that WON'T make one with a drain plug. Okay sure, if you're going to use it as a rock plow/skid plate I can understand why you don't want a drain plug in it...but how about for those of us who don't wheel or don't wheel in places that can crunch a thick steel diff cover?

 

[Croatan_Kid]

I rrrrrrreeeeeaaaaaaallllllllyyyyy want a MagHytec diff cover for the rear! I just can't bring myself to part with that much money for a diff cover! It's just as well though, me and my transmission building buddy are gunna shave my rear end..... ....hahaha. You know what I mean. So I might as well just wait and get one of the modified covers.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Hah...yeah...anyone not in the know might wonder just what you're talking about there.

I'm not a fan of those Mag-Hytec's. There are other finned aluminum diff covers with drain plugs on the market for hundreds less. To me a dipstick and a little window aren't worth that much extra. Besides, ever see that 4-Wheel & Off-Road test about 4 years ago where they took sledge hammers and a bull dozer to a bunch of diff covers? The aluminum ones didn't fare very well. Steel works fine for me.

 

[mangus580]

Yes, you will need a new flex plate. The bolt pattern diameter is different. I found out the hard way!!!

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Awesome, thanks for the answer on the flexplate deal

Yeah, depending on the situation, aluminum just aint where it's at. I just said I wanted one, lol. I don't really care what mine is made of as long as it does its job and doesn't let me down. Now that I think of it, I've never broken anything when I've been out wheelin whether it was on my 4wheeler or in one of our various trucks. Unless I backed into a stump, my diff covers are pretty much safe

 

[CCATLETT1984]

Yeah...that's the one gauge my wife's 2002 Suzuki XL7 doesn't have.

The thing that gets me as I've been looking around for 14FF and D60 axle covers is the makers that WON'T make one with a drain plug. Okay sure, if you're going to use it as a rock plow/skid plate I can understand why you don't want a drain plug in it...but how about for those of us who don't wheel or don't wheel in places that can crunch a thick steel diff cover?

I have drain plugs in both my diff covers, they are made of a single piece of 1/4" plate bent and welded inside and out, with a 1/2" thick rign around the edge with coutersunk holes.
I got them from:
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com....html?osCsid=c012e3ae14272059375daf55c6c68cd6

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Yep, those are the ones I'm saving for. CK5 discount baby!

 

[CCATLETT1984]

my drain plugs are actually drilled in the bottom of the ring around the edge of the diff cover, so you simply unthread the plug from the bottom and the fluid drains out.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

What's the tooth count I'll need on that flexplate?

 

[mangus580]

Just go to your local auto parts, and get one for an 84ish K5 blazer with the 6.2 diesel in it. I think all the blazers with diesels had the 700r4

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Nope, some K5's and K10's came with the 6.2L and the SM465. However there weren't nearly as many as the TH700R4 so the parts store might not even show a manual transmission option.

 

[mangus580]

Sorry, I meant the auto k5's!! LOL

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Yeah, I went to Auto Zone and told him to look it up under an 86 K-30 with an auto, but I forgot they didn't use R4s in 1-ton trucks. So I used the 84 K-5/6.2/R4 and it worked out just right. NOW I have all the parts I'll need except for a trans gauge. Still gotta paint the torque converter and actually build the transmission and put it in. This weekend is gunna be awesome!

 

[cliffyp]

Digging up an old thread here. I'm about to embark on the journey you took and I was just gonna follow your parts list. How did the transmission turn out? Anything you'd do different if you were doing it again?