Useless stuff.... Lol

I'm in metro Detroit area

 

727 will share bell housing pattern with the small block mopar and the modern Hemi, but you will need a conversion flex-plate for it (so I've read). So I'd go with that route, just get one built up for the power you plan to make "someday" You can always add a Gear Vendor's OD to it down the road as well if you so decide. Good luck!

 

I'm kinda leaning toward a TH400 with a SBM JW Ultra Bell. I think the TH400 will be cheaper and stronger than the 727... I have a buddy with this setup behind a NA new gen HEMI in a 70 road runner.

 

hmmm, I've got a mind to do a EZ headed 400 for my coronet someday too....

 

+1 vote for TH400 and Gear Vendors. That combo rules

 

If you're gonna go chevy, why not just a beefed up 4L80E? Longer (slightly) overdrive gear and all in one unit, and given the price of a GV, cheaper overall even up to 1000hp. *shrugs* Just an idea That's what I have planned for the Van... along with the Viper V10 that's going in it... = my electronic fuel injection conversion

 

The 4L80E would be a great choice, but the car is already together (minus drivetrain) and rotisery painted. The 4L80E would require me to cut the floor... Plus, with a 29" tire and 3.54's, I dont really think I'll need OD. I'm kinda leaning toward the glide, but not sure if the car is too heavy for one to work good. It'll be around 3600#'s.

 

My car weighs 4,000 lbs and I had a (built) powerglide in my car for a while and it held up to the power, never broke it. However, I street drive my car a LOT and that is where the glide becomes a liability especially if the nature of the street driving involves lots of stop and go. The glide was designed for very light weight passenger cars and it has to apply a band to completely stop the low gear drum before engaging high and then again going back to low. So if you're constantly shifting back and forth between low and high in a heavy car you will eventually burn up the clutches. The very low numerical gear ratio of 1st gear (mine was 1.80) exacerbates the problem as does the weight of the car. I can tell you that pulling the trans out and apart to replace clutches gets old after a few times. That's when I smartened up and went to the TH400, a MUCH more robust transmission that was designed by GM specifically for heavy street cars. The TH400 does not stop/restart the drums as you shift from 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Once engaged each clutch pack stays engaged as you shift to the next higher gear, so not only is this easier on the bands/drums/clutches but by the time you get into 3rd gear you have 3 clutch packs engaged (instead of just one in the glide). Expensive lesson for me to learn... but well learned.

 

Wow Nigel, thanks for all the info. That was valuable. Who did your TH400? I kinda wanted to build the trans myself.

 

My TH400 was built by Don Stanley at http://www.tsiracing.com/ and I also have a Gear Vendors overdrive, which is fabulous.

The powerglide is popular with racers in lightweight drag cars and there is lots of aftermarket upgrades for the hard parts (input/output shafts, planetary gears, etc.) and they can be built to withstand tremendous levels of power, but those cars are very light and not street driven which is how they can be made to survive. Even though the gears and shafts can be upgraded, the basic internal and operational design remains the same as it was when GM designed it back in 1950 and that's it's Achilles heel in a heavy street driven car. When GM started building heavier cars with big block engines producing lots of torque which would be street driven they discontinued the powerglide and designed the TH400 because they knew the glide's basic design would result in lots of warranty expense for them.

 

I also use a midified distributer and a crank trigger.
fast XFI setup

The new 2.0 has lots of great tools

I would go with the crank trigger instead of the dual sync