From James Butler, butler@ELVIS.COMM.MOT.COM

I've done this on my '79 Camaro, and while the cars aren't the same, you might appreciate some of the problems that I had. Remember that the context here is a GenII F-body, so issues related to floor shifters and such will be somewhat different for you.

1. Connecting an existing floor shifter: We had to fashion two brackets to connect the cable to the 700R4. The first bracket is that which fastens the cable housing to the tranmission case; we did this by getting a 700R4 bracket from a later-gen Camaro and combining it with the bracket from the original TH350 to yield one which would affix *my* GenII shift cable to a 700R4 case. The second bracket is that which connects the cable to the transmission shifter shaft; we cut up the original and rewelded it together so that the cable's throw would properly select either PRND432 but not 1 (first). If you want to select *all* of the positions and you want to keep your original shifter, you're on your own (NOTE: There is a kit to convert GenI and early GenII shifters for operation with the 700R4, but I haven't seen it personally). B&M's got some parts if you want to go with a non-original shifter, and maybe others do too.

2. Getting a usable dipstick: We wound up getting a dipstick tube from a Caprice, shortening it 3" or so, and then using my original dipstick. We looked for a while before coming up with a workable combination. Clearly, we had to find one which had the proper physical shape, but when we found one it was too long, hence the shortening by the proper amount to reuse the original TH350 dipstick.

3. Connecting the TV cable: Supposedly there exists off-the-shelf brackets that can be used to mount the TV cable to the manifold, but *I* never found one that worked correctly for *my* application. Other than some generic brackets that are on the market (B&M has one in their blower catalog and Edelbrock's got one in the carburetor section of their catalog), and a few other GM brackets which only fit some specific manifold/carburetor combinations, there's little available. We fashioned one by cutting up a GM piece that we bought and welding it to some other appropriately formed pieces which enabled it to then be bolted to a carburetor stud and maintain the proper geometry with the carburetor. Oh, and don't forget that you've got to connect it *to* the carburetor, and *that* requires that the throttle shaft *happen* to have a bellcrank on it that's got a hole the *right* distance from the shaft so that the *throw* is correct, and..., and... This isn't an impossible task, but be prepared.

4. Setting up the transmission's shift points: Even *after* you manage to get the transmission in and everything connected, you *then* have the fun of finding out, for the first time, where RPM-wise the transmission builder (or rebuilder) set up the transmission's upshift/ downshift/ shift firmness/ shift timing, which may or may not BTW be appropriate which your engine's power band/ torque converter / rear gear combination. I've spent and continue to spend time working this out (note that I don't like to row the shifter, so I've working to get the shift points where I feel they should be when Drive is selected).

5. The type of converter to use: I was inclined to use a lockup torque converter, which only seemed natural since the 700R4 is setup to accommodate one, but after trashing two of them (and finding out later from rebuilders such as Art Carr that they're rather notorious for living short lives behind stronger engines, but your mileage may vary I suppose) I quickly came to the conclusion that my life and wallet would be much better off with a non-lockup. Too, while I had the lockup, it was a constant battle to configure it so that it would lock/ unlock at the best time; I'll let you think about this one (note that the lock/ unlock issue is unrelated to the converter failures that I had, as those converters were definitely unlocked during WOT).

6. Connecting the linkage so that the backup lights/ keylock steering wheel work correctly: This was yet another kludge job requiring a MIG welder.

7. Setting up the rear mounting on the crossmember: In my car, using the stock 700R4 rear mounting position, we had to cant the crossmember so that it would clear one rear corner of the transmission. That is, one side of the crossmember is bolted to the subframe slightly forward of its other side. This wasn't really a *problem*, but it was certainly one of those unexpected issues. A different tailshaft housing is available for the 700R4 which positions the rear mounting pad at the same distance from the engine as the TH400, which presumably allows one to use the TH400 crossmember mounting position. If you need this part number, drop me a line.

8. Driveshaft: You'll have to shorten the driveshaft to fit the 700R4 since it's longer than a TH350. Note that the TH400 tailshaft housing mentioned above does not, though its use, eliminate this issue; it's unrelated.

9. Adjusting the pinion angle: The 4L60's rear mount will position it a little too high... higher than a TH350. Some rags mention that the crossmember's pad can be re-welded to position the tailshaft lower and at more correct position for retrofits, but we didn't do that and two problems occurred. First, the header's collectors were thus too close to the floorpan, and second, the driveshaft angle was about 2deg off. We wound up bending the headers down somewhat to clear the floorpan and shimming the rear axle (and consequently the pinion) to the correct angle.

Jim