200R4 update

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I have to ask...do you feel it was worth the hassles? I want my car to be a cruiser and this seems like a good solution to the overdrive want/need without hacking the floor to hell and back. Sounds like it's a handful to drive!!:burnout::D
 
By chance did you have any issues with the starter hitting the 200-4r bell housing? If so, what did you do to resolve the problem?
 
jedrattle said:
I have to ask...do you feel it was worth the hassles? I want my car to be a cruiser and this seems like a good solution to the overdrive want/need without hacking the floor to hell and back. Sounds like it's a handful to drive!!:burnout::D
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It was not that much of a hassle. A little trimming and a homemade cross member is all. The headers were the biggest issue. I drive down the highway at 75 mph now and it sits at 2800 rpm. I get on the gas and burn the tires until I decide to stop. Well worth it in my opinion.
 
UOP said:
By chance did you have any issues with the starter hitting the 200-4r bell housing? If so, what did you do to resolve the problem?
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It just touches the housing. I was afraid it would be an issue and I would have to grind a little away from the nose cone and the bell housing, but it worked just fine. I let it touch. It's not as if the nose is a moving part. The starter mounts to the plate which mounts between the engine and the tranny. There is no flex or movement at all.
 
Did the TV cable bolt right up? Could you explain how you handled that, I just picked up 200-4r and want to get all my ducks in a row before diving in.

Thanks.

Mike
 
I bought the TV cable and bracket from Art Carr. I modified the bracket by cutting off an ear and drilling a hole so I could mount my accelerator cable onto it as well. I was not particularly pleases with the bracket because after we got everything bolted in, the cable ears would not lock onto the bracket. I ended up running a zip tie around the cable inder the ears to keep it from pulling back through. Adjusting is simple. Everyone talks about how hard it is and how you will ruin the tranny if it isn't adjusted properly. All you have to remember is this ... when the throttle is wide open, the TV should be wide open. Not hard. It's easier with two people. Have someone hold the throttle wide open, tug the cable until it won't go any further and tighten the stop. Here are some pics. I added the accelerator cable hold down to the top. You can also see the zip tie holding the cable in place. I drilled a hole in the carb base to accommodate the anti-pivot foot on the TV cable bracket. It works very well. You can also see the high tech homemade throttle cable extender, too. We found a piece of scrap metal, ground it to shape, drilled holes and painted it black.
View attachment TV cable and bracket.jpg

View attachment TV cable and bracket 1.jpg

View attachment TV cable and bracket 2.jpg

View attachment TV cable and bracket 3.jpg
 
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I've got a Lokar bracket now. I guess I can get a longer TV cable and make something work. Do you have a lockup converter on yours?
 
I used Mopar Performance connectors that didn't fit real well. I had to trim. I can't put an X or H pipe in because of fitment, custom cross member and driveshaft interference.
 
Mopar to ya said:
It was not that much of a hassle. A little trimming and a homemade cross member is all. The headers were the biggest issue. I drive down the highway at 75 mph now and it sits at 2800 rpm. I get on the gas and burn the tires until I decide to stop. Well worth it in my opinion.
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Do you think this is doable with an engine still in the car?
 
magnumdust said:
Do you think this is doable with an engine still in the car?
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What? Putting in the transmission? Anything is possible with enough patience, but I would pull the motor. It would be faster and easier. The adapter plate fitting would be the hardest thing, though if you buy the Wilcap adapter it is supposed to be cut to shape already. If you are running headers they would surely get in the way. I would pull the motor and tranny and test fit everything while it is out of the car. My headers hit a raised bump on the side on the motor, the adapters bolt near the starter got in between the plate and tranny and needed trimming, and the mini starter hit the headers as well. All easily fixed with the assembly on the ground, but damn near impossible if it was in the car.
 
I bought it new. It was built and made for an A body. The spring perches were all in the proper spots, etc... It was a drop in install - really a piece of cake. I ordered it with a rear disc conversion and cross drilled rotors. The hardest part was bending new brake lines, and that was easy.
 
Mopar to ya said:
What? Putting in the transmission? Anything is possible with enough patience, but I would pull the motor. It would be faster and easier. The adapter plate fitting would be the hardest thing, though if you buy the Wilcap adapter it is supposed to be cut to shape already. If you are running headers they would surely get in the way. I would pull the motor and tranny and test fit everything while it is out of the car. My headers hit a raised bump on the side on the motor, the adapters bolt near the starter got in between the plate and tranny and needed trimming, and the mini starter hit the headers as well. All easily fixed with the assembly on the ground, but damn near impossible if it was in the car.
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hmm ok, well i'll have to think about this then. I mean i have my old motor out so that could be used for out of the car mockup/fitting and i'm gonna switch the shorty headers if/when i have to do anything with the hedman long tubes. :banghead:

What about the tunnel mods? in one pic it looks like you had to grind/clearanc the beginning of the tunnel. W/o the engine do you think there is room to get in there for that?
 
magnumdust said:
hmm ok, well i'll have to think about this then. I mean i have my old motor out so that could be used for out of the car mockup/fitting and i'm gonna switch the shorty headers if/when i have to do anything with the hedman long tubes. :banghead:

What about the tunnel mods? in one pic it looks like you had to grind/clearanc the beginning of the tunnel. W/o the engine do you think there is room to get in there for that?
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I did the tunnel mods, which were pretty minor, while I had the motor and tranny in. It was easy to see where to trim. It was only a small cut and we bent the pinch weld down a bit. It was not a hard job, I just couldn't get to it more that 2 or 3 hours a day a couple days a week. I am very happy with the results. You will have to be handy with fabrication to make the cross member, though.

The only cut on the upper cross member.
View attachment Cutaway upper crossmember final front.jpg
 
Couple questions for ya, what did you do for the speedo cable, and how did you do the neutral safety and backup? Your floor shifter probably handles the neutral safety/backup now huh? I went ahead and got the Wilcap adapter and have the transmission in and am headed to the driveline shop tomorrow. I need to make up some trans cooler lines and a bunch of other things but it's going good. I'll have to post some pictures later.
 
rednesss said:
Couple questions for ya, what did you do for the speedo cable, and how did you do the neutral safety and backup? Your floor shifter probably handles the neutral safety/backup now huh? I went ahead and got the Wilcap adapter and have the transmission in and am headed to the driveline shop tomorrow. I need to make up some trans cooler lines and a bunch of other things but it's going good. I'll have to post some pictures later.
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You will love it! I used my old intake and carb, but I moved the cable mount to accommodate the tv cable mount. I mounted the throttle cable hold down on top if the tv cable bracket and had to make a small extension to reach the carb. There are pics in the later pages of this thread. The B & M floor shifter has the neutral safety and back up switch in it. We used bent steel cooler lines that we made ourselves and then used rubber hoses at the radiator. Once it was all installed I measured flange to flange and had a drive shaft made. Make sure youre tv cable is completely pulled all the way at wide open throttle. Ask any questions, I'm happy to help.
 
rednesss said:
Couple questions for ya, what did you do for the speedo cable, and how did you do the neutral safety and backup? Your floor shifter probably handles the neutral safety/backup now huh? I went ahead and got the Wilcap adapter and have the transmission in and am headed to the driveline shop tomorrow. I need to make up some trans cooler lines and a bunch of other things but it's going good. I'll have to post some pictures later.
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Ah, speedo cable. I kept thinking accelerator cable. I would have adapted a 200R4 cable, but instead I went to a custom dash and an electronic gauge and sender.
 
Gonna try and put one of these in a 66 Dart. No attempt to steal your thread, should have it in soon to see the damage to the crossmember(Alterk makes this null) and hopefully very very little to the tunnel. Need to get my cherry picker's cylinder rebuilt. Thanks for the inspiration, you're part of the reason I'm headed this way(GM trans).

Thanks,
Ryan
 

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I ended up cutting out the entire reinforcement for the tunnel and welded in a piece of 4" by 1/4" plate that I bent up in a buddy's 60 ton press break. It wasn't a perfect fit, but damn close, I used structural panel bond adhesive along the top half of the arc and then I used a little brushable seam sealer all along the edge to keep any crud out. I welded the ends to the crossmember with my MIG, should be just as strong. With my frame connectors welded in, I'm not going to run any lower crossmember like the factory one. I think it's pretty strong already.

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Here's my crossmember I made for it, it bolts into my frame connectors.

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Everything's in and she turns the back wheels. Did it with the engine in the car, the only thing I wasn't able to get put in, is the very upper passenger side bolt between the tranny and the adapter. Just can't get my fingers in there, 5 out of 6 ain't bad.
 
Awesome thread...you guys make me wanna spend more money. I'd like to have something like this behind the 383 I'm prepping for my Scamp
 
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