alright...my clutch is going out and im thinking of making my car into more of a drag/street car than an all purpose car. ive thought about this lately and it seems that an auto would be a better choice for racing. i have also heard that autos can be a lot easier on the rear. if i am way off someone please tell me to shut up...if not...how much you think i could get for a used T56?

 

Well, I'm an A4 guy, so I'll chime in...From what I've heard, seen and read about the M6 it is harder on the rears because of the usual hard launch they provide when you drop the clutch at 4000...On the plus side I've heard that the M6 tends to trap a little higher in the quarter...My .02 is that I've run 420rwhp through an A4 for 9 years. It was built once by Rossler in 1995 and after much abuse was just rebuilt 9 years later...now it will handle 650hp and should be very reliable. I still run the 10 bolt with the only upgrade being a Pro Auburn and GM 3.42 gears...and I haven't broken anything ( I did wear out the Auburn and replaced it with a Pro Auburn) With a Vigilante 3600 stall and BFG DRs I'm always in the 1.70s with a bunch of 1.60s...The nice feature of the 4L60E is the 3.06 first gear...with a 3.42 rear it leaves hard, but you can daily drive it and get respectable mpg...24 on the hwy!!! I just paid $2000 for my trans build, but if it holds together for another 9 years...its $$$ well spent...You can always go the TH350 and TH400, but if you want an automatic for street and strip I would do a correctly built A4
--Alan

 

As suggested in the previous post, an OD is a nice thing for a street car. How much hp you making? I ask because the T56 is pretty stout. What do you hope to gain by changing to an automatic? If the motor is too strong for a T56, it's too strong for a 4L60E, even if Carl Rossler built it!

I am running a Rossler Th400. Very nice tranny, but I not sure that I won't go back to the T56 or maybe do the 4L80 thing if people work out the bugs for that swap. I miss my OD!

Rich Krause

 

within a year i hope to have a new 383 with a huge cam...if i have to keep doing clutches and need a 12 bolt or 9" it will push that back 6 months to a year...i guess what im asking is will a 10 bolt ever hold (strengthened in any way possible) the power from a 383-to-M6 or A4-to-3.42 or 3.73 rear end with repeated track use and very abusive daily driving?...it will probably see spray too

 

Some of your questions have more definite answers than others. There is no practical way to strengthen the stock rear. I suppose those fancy covers help a little, but that's about it other than using a good quality ring and pinion. An auto will be easier on the rear than a manual tranny. But if you have a wild 383 with spray, the 4L60 is not gonna cut it. If you run without the spray and get a well built 4L60 you may be ok for a while.

Rich Krause

 

actually i was planning on a th400...ive heard that swap is a lot easier than the 4l60e because it doesnt require computer control

 

If you ever decide to sell you TH400 let me know.

 

Will do! you have first "dibs".

Rich

 

get a glide

 

glide would be GREAT! for a all out drag car.... with a nice big STALL...try and break it!?!

TH350 would be good also

TH400 for lots of torque......and long term durability

700r4 okay same with 4l60E can be built to hold 450-500 but pricey....2200-2500 for a awesome one plus about 650-800 for a stall....to much money for me...

no more 700r4 for me ever again...


T56 would be good...with a 9in or 12 bolt.... and excellent driving skills.

 

amen to that rich, I feel your pain already and its only been 3 weeks.
but those 3 weeks of bad gas mileage at 400miles per week on a small budget hurts even worse at $2/gallon

 

A 'glide is fine for the right application. Light car, big motor, lots of gear, very loose converter. It would be a rare fourth gen that could use one, even set up as an all out drag car. As one who has owned a car with a 'glide and driven it on the street, you clearly don't want to go there.

BTW: I think that the "best" tranny for a drag car is a Lenco or a G-Force, or an equivalent. They use planetary gearsets like an automatic but a clutch instead of a converter. The are "clutchless" trannies, you bang from gear to gear without using the clutch, which is only used for the launch. The Lenco is even streetable. A really neat setup would be a five speed Lenco with a very tall rear. You could use 1-4 at the track and 5th would be an OD. The problem is the cost. I would require a custom clutch setup and modified belhousing. It would be a total custom install. The total cost would be in the $10,000 range and it's also quite bulky and heavy. I think it would really be the ultimate setup for a 4th gen street/strip car though.

Rich Krause

 

One of my "built" 700's will carry you deep into the 10's.

Any quicker than mid 10's, I'd go with a 400.

350's aren't any stronger than a 700, and they don't have O/D

'Glide? You're kidding, right? Do you know how much a race 'glide costs? The stock planetaries in them aren't going to take what a stock 700 will...LOL 'Glides take alot of money to build...And...As already stated, they're for lightweight, low geared, high HP cars. Heavy cars need atleast 3 speeds.

4L80E's are waaaaay too big/heavy. They have alot of weak areas also. I do use some 4L80E parts in my "race" 400's, though.

Frank
All-Trans Transmissions

 

Frank since you build trannies I am about to get a th400 fro my 3rd gen. In your experience what difference in power loss if any from a th350?? I heard very little?

also will the B & M conversion kit for a TH350 (tail shaft support trailing arm) work with a TH400, it is around 70 bucks.

and what converter choice is good (brand) for a TH400??

Thanks

 

It does take a little more HP to turn a 400...I'm not sure of the exact number, though.

No...The 350 kit won't work on a 400. The best way to do a 400 swap is to use something like a Spohn or BMR kit that
have a torque arm that use a crossmember for the front mount.

My experiences with torque converters show that ProTorque (PTC) is the best I've seen (or used). A1, ATI, and TCI also build good converters.
PTC's number is 631-218-8700.
http://www.protorque.com/index2.htm

Frank