200R4 swap questions

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Mopar to ya

Mopar to ya

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Some of you followed my older thread about me needing an overdrive to bring my rpm range down in the final gear. I have a 318 moderately built and a Dana 60 with 4.10. What it all boils down to is 3200 rpm at 55 mph and 4000 rpm at 70 mph. That's bad enough on a 318, but I have a 408 Stroker on the engine stand waiting to go in and they don't like sustained high revs. I can't justify a Keisler that I really want. I was leaning toward Gear Vendors, but someone brought up a 200R4. I found a bell housing conversion kit. I have a friend who owns a transmission shop who can rebuild / build a used 200R4. My question has to do with the electronics portion. I know they went away from the TCC solenoid and used a computer command control unit to control the converter clutch after 82 or so. Does anyone know what kind of electronic headache I am in for or what I need? I like the gearing of this tranny and I think it is the way to go. A .64 final drive would be sweet!
 
That was me that brought up the 200R4. From what read/been told by my tranny guy all it needs is a 12 volt source to work. They are easily found in mid 80s g bodies.
 
Where did you find the bell housing kit? More info if you could please?
 
jaws said:
Where did you find the bell housing kit? More info if you could please?
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At Wilcap. $575 plus shipping. www.wilcap.com/mopar.html

I am looking for a core 200R4 to take to my friends transmission shop and let him build it for me. I figure $300 for a used tranny and about a $1200 build and I am golden for near $2000. All I have to worry about now is electronics in the new tranny.
 
Mopar to ya said:
At Wilcap. $575 plus shipping. www.wilcap.com/mopar.html

I am looking for a core 200R4 to take to my friends transmission shop and let him build it for me. I figure $300 for a used tranny and about a $1200 build and I am golden for near $2000. All I have to worry about now is electronics in the new tranny.
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The electronics only need a 12 volt source to work and the a used tranny can be gotten from the junkyard. The Pick-a-part around charges $100 w/o core ($90 with core).
http://www.wilcap.com/downloads.html
 
1970Duster said:
That was me that brought up the 200R4. From what read/been told by my tranny guy all it needs is a 12 volt source to work. They are easily found in mid 80s g bodies.
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I'll have to talk to my buddy on Monday. Is it a bolt on replacement then? New bell housing adapter and in it goes? Splines match and all? I imagine I'll have to cut my brand spankin' new driveshaft again.
 
Mopar to ya said:
I'll have to talk to my buddy on Monday. Is it a bolt on replacement then? New bell housing adapter and in it goes? Splines match and all? I imagine I'll have to cut my brand spankin' new driveshaft again.
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pretty much, you'll just need the ring to be attached to either the converter or the flexplate (not 100% on this, have to ask again, but I think the ring gear needs to be on the flexplate though).
 
I am getting excited, though the only local trannys I have found are around $350. I'll just have to keep looking. This is the way I want to go and I'm getting damn excited!
 
Following is a post I made on a similar subject back in 2008. Of course, you'll upset all the Mopar purists that have to have their cars be 100% Mopar.
I haven't pulled the trigger on this yet due to a couple of economic setbacks along the way, but still thinking really hard about it when the funds are available.
Contact Art Carr directly at California Performance Transmissions (www.cpttransmission.com or toll free 800-278-2277), Huntington Beach, SoCal. He's been building great transmissions for many years.
BTW, you're also going to need to rig up a TV cable to use the 200-4R. Art's got all the heavy-duty parts to build you a tranny to live behind your 408 stroker.


"I've been thinking about a 200-4R behind a 360 magnum crate motor in a '69 Dart for the past week or so. Talked to several tranny companies about it and finally contacted Art Carr at California Performance Transmissions last week. He estimates total cost including converter and installation at about $3300. This does not include a new 8" longer driveshaft since the 200-4R is 8" shorter than a 727. It's also lighter and doesn't have as much HP loss through the transmission. The gear ratios are better than the 727 and it does not require trans tunnel surgery to fit. Art says he has a customer in PA with one behind a 406 stroker that runs 11.80s and still pulls down 25 mpg on the freeway.
Somebody tell me something bad about this setup......"
 
ocdart said:
Following is a post I made on a similar subject back in 2008. Of course, you'll upset all the Mopar purists that have to have their cars be 100% Mopar.
I haven't pulled the trigger on this yet due to a couple of economic setbacks along the way, but still thinking really hard about it when the funds are available.
Contact Art Carr directly at California Performance Transmissions (www.cpttransmission.com or toll free 800-278-2277), Huntington Beach, SoCal. He's been building great transmissions for many years.
BTW, you're also going to need to rig up a TV cable to use the 200-4R. Art's got all the heavy-duty parts to build you a tranny to live behind your 408 stroker.


"I've been thinking about a 200-4R behind a 360 magnum crate motor in a '69 Dart for the past week or so. Talked to several tranny companies about it and finally contacted Art Carr at California Performance Transmissions last week. He estimates total cost including converter and installation at about $3300. This does not include a new 8" longer driveshaft since the 200-4R is 8" shorter than a 727. It's also lighter and doesn't have as much HP loss through the transmission. The gear ratios are better than the 727 and it does not require trans tunnel surgery to fit. Art says he has a customer in PA with one behind a 406 stroker that runs 11.80s and still pulls down 25 mpg on the freeway.
Somebody tell me something bad about this setup......"
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I've known Art for years. He's a good guy and stands behind his product. The 200s that I've installed from him don't use electric lock ups on the converters. (I want to say it's strictly a hydralic thing after it shifts into OD). They have survived behind some pretty stout motors without a hiccup. You do need to make sure that you have the TV cable geometry and adjustment correct, it's picky. (Sounds a bit like a Torqueflite).
 
It is tricky.I guy I know has a 496 Pontiac in a 65 Gto,holds up fine.Built by Arts own hands.650 hp conservative .He sold the name a while ago.He is under another name ,I do not know .
 
hi, if you check tci products, they have a constant pressure valve body you can buy for the 200r4 for around 250.00 from summit. it takes the worry out of the tv cable adjustment. makes it more like a kickdown cable. Put one in my 700r4 in my iroc. Works great. Hope this helps.
 
smilingdave said:
hi, if you check tci products, they have a constant pressure valve body you can buy for the 200r4 for around 250.00 from summit. it takes the worry out of the tv cable adjustment. makes it more like a kickdown cable. Put one in my 700r4 in my iroc. Works great. Hope this helps.
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Yes it does, thanks!
 
Was following this post and doing research on the same conversion in place of putting my 727 in my Duster.
So far the costs are pretty high...Wilcap was bought by Speed Gems and upped their prices it seems
$1,200 for the conversion kit (flywheel/adapter) (link)
$695 for the Quick 4 Stand alone (link)
$3,400 for a 700HP rated 200-4R Transmission (link) - could be other places to get a core and rebuild locally though so +/- $1500 i'd say
$??? for cables/linkages/converter/cooler lines

~$3,700 to $5,300+ in parts makes this definitely out of my budget for now. I do love that it doesn't require extensive cutting to get into an abody like other OD options. Will have to stick with my 727 for now but keep an eye out in junkyard dives for a solid core
 
I don't like the look of the Wilcap's or any other plate type adapter. It's crude looking. I have been running an Extreme Automatic's Stage 2 2004R with a 3800 rpm stall, 3 - carbon fiber disc converter behind a 408" based (485hp) Magnum for about a decade now. It's the best automatic transmission I've ever driven. The gearing is optimal, it's light, efficient and has been very reliable.

The transmission uses a Reid Racing Bellhousing with a custom adapter ring that bolts to the pump after the cast bellhousing is cut off. It's clean, strong and relatively reasonably priced.

The lock-up is plumbed to only activate in 4th gear and I use a simple toggle switch to turn it on and off. No computer is required, only 12V's. Quality torque converters can be so efficient these days, that locking it up in 4th gear on the freeway only drops the rpms by about 350rpm.

I'm putting that motor and transmission into a '57 Dodge D100 Sweptline on a shortened '99 Dodge Dakota Frame, and replacing it with an 820hp 408" Magnum with a Paxton Novi Supercharger. I was told Extreme's Stage 3 2004R will handle north of 1000hp, but I went with a Stage 2 PerformaBuilt 4L60 run by Holly's Terminator Max ECU and the Sonax 6 pinion gear set which takes it from an OE “wide ratio” 3.06/1.63 to a “close ratio” 2.84/1.5. Very close to the 2004R's nearly ideal gearing, and replaces the too low 1st gear ratio that causes the wide gape between 1st & second.

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200R4 3 (Large).jpg


68 408 Paxton.jpg


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4L60 Bell.jpg

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