AUTO TRANSMISSION SWAP PARTS LIST-HELP NEEDED

Having ruled out one van and strongly considering another, I contacted a recommended place that can do the tranny swap. Limiting the search to auto only vans makes finding one even harder, so I'm trying to get a grasp on conversion.

The potential van is a Chevey First Gen V-6, 3 on the tree.

He said that he couldn't give me an exact quote (he is guessing 8 hours or so) without knowing what parts I would need. He mentioned things like linkages and their length, shifter type/length, where it hooks to the carb?, brackets, etc and other things it needs.

He also said it would be a huge help if there was a thread or photos showing the process. If anyone can post a good thread from the past and a complete list of what parts I need to seek, that would be great. I am trying to determine potential cost but mainly the cost of additional parts beside the shifter and tranny.

I would likely go with the 200-4R transmission. Beyond that, what else do I need? I would be fine with using the column shifter unless that is impractical.

Thanks for the help!

[i]get a custom tranny mount made - or one from a later van -like 70-88 models with a trans mount x-member- Thats the biggest problem - You will need differeny motor mounts from ger 2 chev vans or again custom motor mounts - there are some threads on doing a 700R4 and just looke for them - the 200R is same and will fit / work well for you. trans man will need to hookup & adjust any trans / to carb linkage for you also thats available from most any trans builders just search the net & summitt & jegs for thats stuff-Happy Vannin

donivan65 wrote:Does that van really have a V6 in it? A 2004R might not need the driveshaft cut down,,,,you will probably need a new front yoke for it. You need some kind of rear trans mount,,,,you need some kind of Throttle Valve Cable linkage to hook it up to the carburetor. Your exhaust might need to be moved to clear the transmission. your engine might need to be lowered to keep the transmission level and clear the floor,,,,,

Yes, V-6. Would the 700R4 change anything? Of course, I could go with a Powerglide, but that seems to be a waste of "upgrading" the transmission. Still would make the other half happier..

Donivan, I spoke with the owner and he corrected me. The van has an inline-6. He isn't sure what it has for a tranny, but he said it's a high reving one as it does 70 with ease and doesn't sound like it's going to blow up. It could have been upgraded when the motor was rebuilt by the previous owner.

He has all the parts from a Powerglide auto, including column, so if any of that is compatible with a 350 Turbo or 200R, I would like to know. I now understand that those work with the inline 6's.

[i]any of these trannys are compatable- yet- The TH 400 is a little overkill & over the years many have said not to run it with any small V8 as it takes too much power- i believe that - The powerglide is an oem tranny for the 6 & early v8's and the Th350 will work great alos & have the 3rd gear =Happy Vannin

Lee,
Ask him if he can take a couple of pic's of the tranny. If he can get a shot from the bottom at the pan we can tell you exactly what it is....

Dan

Thanks, guys. This is slowly starting to make sense to me. The owner had a friend send me shots of the undercarriage, so it would be a day or so before I could get another.

With that being said, unless anyone suggests otherwise, none of the above factors is really any reason NOT to move forward. I'm obviously ahead of myself.

I was trying to get a grasp on what I might have to do ($$$). If I understand correctly, I just need to know exactly what the bolt pattern is so that I can see exactly what trannys will work.

Thanks for all the help. I am still working on getting a photo of the bolt pattern and making the deal. The shipping right now is the deal holdup on my end. Paying a little more for a van and adding pissing in the wind money for shipping is a tough pill.

Quick related question: The proposed van comes with a Powerglide tranny and all the linkages, etc as well as a auto column w/original wheel. In general terms, are those Powerglide accessories (linkages, cross member, etc) straight up compatible with the other,more desirable trannys.like the 200 and 350.

I'm trying to convince the wife that paying a little extra and getting those parts is going to save us a bit on the back end with upgrading to 3 speed auto.

And, if worse came to worst, if we dropped the Powerglide in in the short term since it comes with the van, would we be in a lot of labor time if we later turned around and put in a better tranny. (She thinks this will be a project that doesn't get done and she IS NOT excited about 3 on the tree for any duration.) Stay single...

Extra info: van includes both axles, all the outside parts from a Chevy V-8 that his friend dropped in his truck (water pump and those types of parts) for anyone that might need something should this work out and I can make back a few dollars. I would not ship the axles for fear of damaging the van in transit and filling my garage with more crap.

Thanks, Don. I may mess up terms and confuse others, but the tranny came out of another van as far as I know, so it should all the parts that were associated with a Powerglide.