i need to fix or replace my tranny so i have heard nothing but good things about the th350, and nothing but bad things about the wonderful 4l60e.

i wanted to know what i have to do to the computer(obd1)/car to fit a th350? I would also like to have prices incorporated where u can please, thanx for any info.

 

no opinions at all!

 

after just rebuilding my 4l60e and comparing parts to a th350,im not sure it's a smart swap. the 4l60e has bigger planetaries then the 350. Also the output shafts are basically identicle.

There are many places that can build a killer 4l60e,and probably for the cost of the entire swap.

 

I have done the swap. I like it except for the loss of OD. I am considering doing a 700R4 swap back into the car but not soon.

For the speedo i used Dakota Digital parts SGI-5a and Sen 01. I loaded a M6 file into the PCM and all is fine. It actually works fine with the A4 program. It will just show DTCs but the SES light does not come on.

you can use the stock style TA but you will want the B&M kit sold in Jegs/Summit. If you use an aftermarket TA then you dont need that kit. I used the stock DS b/c I got a 9" tailshaft on the TH350.

I know this thing does not have the guts out of the hole like the 3.06 1st in the A4 but it is doing ok i guess....for me the hardest thing was getting a TC that I like, I was in love with my ST3500 from Yank and have since put 2 different TCs in this TH350...

 

A friend of mine has a built TH350 w/ manual valvebody in his 10sec car and has been putting close to 100 runs a season on it for about the last 4 years; and has out-lived through 2 engine builds. Still holding up fine.

That's interesting to hear that the 60 has bigger planetaries than the 350... if that's the case then why does the 350 hold up so much better?

I've always wondered to.....will a manual valvebody help longevity?

 

I don't know what the ratio is for the TH350, but I know you can get a low first gear to aid out of the hole. My TH400 has a 2.75 1st gear vs. 2.48 or whatever the normal is.

 

I think you should stick with the 4L60E or go with a TH400...

 

Are you willing to give up OD? If so and the car is geared towards the track, then go th350 or th400

if not, build up that puppy...

 

It's simple...350's hold up "better" because it doesn't take a whole lot of knowledge to build one. A 700/4L60E is much more complex, and it takes a little more to get them to work. As far as overall unit strength, the 700/4L60E are equal to a 350. Most of the problems with the 700/4L60E are burnt 3-4 clutches, or the 2-4 band. If built PROPERLY, a 700/4L60E will last atleast as long as any 350.

No, a manual valvebody won't necessarily help longevity.

Frank

 

I don't know if they make a Gear Vendors for a 4th gen, but if you really wanted to spend the $, you could get a built 350 for alot cheaper than a built 60E, and probably longer lasting, and if you're still after O/D, get the GV. Not only does it offer an O/D like the 60E, it has the option of splitting each gear, making a TH350 a 6spd auto. The GV's are about 2500, but they can handle 1200hp. just a thought perhaps

Jason

 

Um...I can build a 60E that's capable of holding up in the mid 10's for $1000. I can't justify putting a TH350, that's not any stronger in something, and then adding the WEIGHT and price of a GV unit.

Frank

 

For $1000?? How do you manage that? Do you have a hookup on parts and will you do it yourself?

Jason

 

I've been building automatic transmissions, professionally, for 14 years.
Just so you all know, transmissions are the biggest money maker in the auto repair buisness, right behind brakes, and oil changes. MOST 4-speed, stock, automatic rebuilds run in the $1000-$1500 neigborhood. For that, you get around $200 worth of parts (estimate on the high side). You pay more for the knowledge to build them, more than you're paying for actual parts. To build a good racing 700/60E, I'd have $500-$600 in parts. Since I build transmissions by day, already, I don't need to make a killing on what I build on the side. You're paying the extra $500-$600 for the knowledge to build it, and make it last.

Frank

 

so basically it's just the valvebody differences and electronic stuff that make it more suseptible to failing? Not the actual parts?