BIY transmission holding bracket

EVER CONSIDER BUILDING, RATHER THAN BUYING A TRANSMISSION HOLDING FIXTURE?

http://nastyz28.com/forum/threads/home-made-transmission-fixture.234676/
THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF RELATED INFO IN THESE THREAD's
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/tbucket-200-4r-transmission-project.7230/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ience-converting-a-4l80e-to-full-manual.5579/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/4l80e.11645/#post-54467

https://www.ebay.com/i/132415307603?chn=ps

IF your planing on rebuilding a transmission, it helps a good deal to have a decent work bench AND a transmission holding fixture,
you can buy a transmission holding bracket off ebay for between about $130-$300 but if you own a decent welder and can fabricate and weld this is certainly within the range of projects most of us could design and build


just a bit of info, if you want a new transmission,core for spare parts,
I called the local "U-PULL-AUTO-PARTS"
and the salvage yard quoted me $220
for ANY AUTO TRANSMISSION I CARE TO PULL
and I asked again, any auto trans regardless of make/model/year?
and was told yes..
but that trans does not come with a warantee its looked at as a core
so Id be looking for a car/truck, source ,that had been in an accident as it had to be running to be driving,
if the car/truck you pull it out of,
is undamaged it MIGHT be in the salvage yard,
because the trans failed.
Id also look to see if theres indications,
the car/truck had been under water or in a fire,
that might have damaged the transmission

Ok guys, I was looking in my shop the other day and saw my three TH400's sitting on the floor. I grabbed one and monted it to my engine stand by the bellhousing. I called up my transmission builder and told him to come over and take a look. He said that's a great way to mount the trans, but if you want to rebuild it you have to use a transmission fixture. He looked at my welder and some steel I had laying around and said,"Dude, you should build one."

This is what one looks like if you buy it.

So I woke up the other day, grabbed my coffee and went out in the shop. I looked under my bench and located some scrap 1.5"x3" eighth in thick rectangular tubing. I looked at my trans and got some measurements. I cut the ends at 45* angles, but you could probably just square the ends.

The inner width between the legs is 9 5/8" wide. The legs are 12 1/4" long. and the overall width of the top piece is 15 5/8". Now it really doesn't matter what you overall width is, just that you maintain the 9 5/8" inner width, so you can slide the fixture over your trasnmission as shown below.

As you can see, the fixture slides over the top of the transmission with ease. Now, you have to make a way to hold the transmission in place on the fixture. So, I proceeded to drill some 1/2" holes into the sides of the fixture, 1" in from the end of the tubing. Then I bought some 5" long 1/2" bolts to go into the side of the transmission. I also bought some square nuts and welded them to the back side of the fixture legs.
Now I had to figure out a way to mount the fixture to my HF engine stand. I was debating about making a mounting plate to bolt to the engine plate, but I decided to get some 2" black iron pipe. The OUTER diameter of the pipe if 2 3/8", and that's the same as the INNER diameter of the top post of the engine stand. I cut a piece of the pipe 11" long, I then proceeded to notch the end to fit OVER the rectangular tubing. I clamped the rectangular tubing to my work bench, using the 1/4" thick top plate as a reference edge. I then slid the pipe over the side of the tubing, making the CUT out part 4 1/4" from the TOP of the fixture. I then squared the end up with the edge of the bench top. I then burned it in using my Lincoln 140T welder.

Click to expand...

Grumpy said:

could you post the measurements/ materials and info used on the custom made, trans hold bracket so others could fabricate a duplicate?

Click to expand...

Absolutely! Here you go...




I didn't tack weld the nuts to each side of the tubing, but I suppose you could. The 2.5in distance from tube to plate could also be increased - I kept it as short as possible since the weight is hanging out there. But reality is the transmission isn't really that heavy. This is overbuilt because that's what I h

the longer I work on cars the more it becomes obvious too me that having,
a decent drill press,
(or ideally a mill)
shop TIG or MIG welder, and
a metal cutting precision angle saw
is MANDATORY

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...hine-tools-like-a-mill-lathe.8340/#post-67349

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...op-needs-a-decent-drill-press.970/#post-50726

https://www.ebay.com/i/132415307603?chn=ps

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...or-a-metal-cutting-miter-saw.3184/#post-29740

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-are-you-looking-to-acquire.10920/#post-47972

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-t-do-stupid-stuff-get-decent-equipment.1669/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/mig-or-tig.72/





http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ransmission-holding-bracket.13252/#post-69092

I own a serious MILL and welder, so its not like I don,t have options or the skills to build a simple transmission holding bracket,
but I had one of my friends over last evening and we were discussing, what materials we might need,
to grab before we jump off the proverbial dock, head first into the project and after adding up the cost of materials
you might be surprised to find the cost savings may or may not be as significant as you might imagine.
obviously if you don,t have access to a MILL, drill -press, welder and know where you can purchase the materials required,
you may be far better off simply purchasing the tools.
you may have access to a great deal on the materials or have the basic components already in your shelf stock, in that case if you have the fabrication skills and tools its a no-brainer to build rather than buy!


https://www.700r4transmissionhq.com/identifying-a-700r4/
Home › Identifying a 700R4
Identifying a 700R4
To the untrained eye, nearly all GM automatic transmissions look the same. They are all made out of aluminum (with the exception of the very early Powerglide), they have the same bellhousing bolt patterns, and they have very similar case designs. There are some things that you can do to make sure that you are properly identifying the 700R4. It’ll look most similar to the 2004R at first glance. If you need to start from scratch, try this old article from Hot Rod.

get a couple of detailed transmission rebuild manuals ,
and watch a few instructional videos before you start,
and personally Id look for an experienced mentor, if you can find one


ID START gathering instructional info HERE
https://www.monstertransmission.com...VBI9bCh2rkQG8EAQYAyABEgJiMPD_BwE#.X3H2MmhKi9I











http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...t-info-and-related-700r4-info.857/#post-70096




https://www.monstertransmission.com...VBI9bCh2rkQG8EAQYAiABEgLu4vD_BwE#.X3H2fGhKi9I

https://www.amazon.com/1987-1993-Tr...77Y1RX233FE&psc=1&refRID=02NA02K4V77Y1RX233FE

https://www.amazon.com/ATSG-700-R4-...E1HE68HDYPH&psc=1&refRID=4R99SBRB7E1HE68HDYPH

Last edited: A moment ago



If you find a 4L60, you’ve found a late 700R4. They are the exact same transmission. However, the 4L60E is physically similar, but not easily substituted for it’s earlier counterpart. If you see the term MD8 stamped on the passenger side of the case, right by the bellhousing.


Using the pan bolt pattern, as well as the number of bolts, is the easiest way to achieve insure proper 700R4 transmission identification.

700R4 Identification- The Easy Way
The easiest way to identify a 700R4 underneath of the car is to look at the bolts. If you have a clear view of the transmission count the bolts. Did you count 16? If you did you have found a 700R4 or a 4L60. Remember, 4L60 was just another moniker for GM’s popular overdrive. You want to make sure that you don’t have a 4L60E on your hands though. In most cases if someone has told you that you are looking at a 700R4 and you count 16 bolts you can be reasonably sure that you have found what you were looking for. But to be sure check to see if the long “TV-Cable” is attached to the Transmission. If there is none look at the tail shaft. If the speedometer cable is mechanical than you have a 700R4. If it has wiring coming from it you are looking at a 4L60E. Sometimes when people don’t really know what they are looking for, they will search for MD8 transmission. MD8 is stamped on the passenger side of most 700R4 cases.

700R4 Identification- With the Identification Tag:
Lets say that you have found a transmission at a swap meet, on Craigslist, or at the salvage yard. Many people want to know exactly what year the transmission came from, and what vehicle it was in.

The first digit of the Identification Tag will be the model number. It is not intuitive. The first units were for the 1982 model year. So you would expect the first model year ID number to be either 2(for 82) or 1, right? It’s not. It starts with a 9 and then jumps to 3.


You’ll find the plate right at #1 on the image.

The model years are as follows:

Year Manufactured:
0=1990
1=1991
2=1992
3=1983
4=1984
5=1985
6=1986
7=1987
8=1988
9=1989 or 1982

• 
  
  
  • The second group of digits is the Model indicator. It’s two letters.
  • After the model the next area of the tag is the transmission type. It is one letter. In this case M is letter code for 700R4. 82-85 are missing this entirely. Try using the method above to figure it out.
  • The fourth area is the plant that the transmission was manufactured in. It is one letter.
  • The fifth line in the code is the serial number of the transmission. If the serial number is ground off it’s likely that it was rebuilt by GM at some point.
  • The sixth line is the date of manufacture.
  • The seventh line is the shift in which the 700R4 was built.

http://www.monstertransmission.com/Identify-Your-Transmission_ep_106-1.html
dentify Your Transmission

GM Transmissions

GM Power Glide
2 Speed Transmission
1962-1973




GM Turbo 200 and 200C
3 Speed Transmission
1976-1987




GM Turbo 2004R
( 2004R Transmission)
Overdrive Transmission
1981-1990



GM Turbo 350 and 350C
(TH350 Transmission)
3 Speed Transmission
1969-1986





GM Turbo 400TH400 Transmission
3 Speed Transmission
1965 and Newer




GM 700R4 (4L60) not 4L60E shown below
700R4 Transmission | 4L60E Transmission
Overdrive Transmissions
1982 and 1992
(700R4 & 4L60)
1993 and Newer (4L60E)





GM 4L80E
4L80E Transmission
Overdrive Transmission
1991 and Newer



https://m.roadkillcustoms.com/popular-automatic-transmission-identification-chart/

http://www.hcdmag.com/700r4-transmission/

https://www.700r4transmissionhq.com/






heres the first place I looked (below)too get basic material cost on-line,
your almost certain to do slightly better locally,
so if you can fabricate your looking at less than $100,
and at most a couple hours time, too accurately measure ,cut and weld -up,/build the trans holding bracket
http://www.onlinemetals.com/basket.cfm


Ive seen advertised that these basic transmission holders, cost up to $400 PLUS
heres a guy listing the same tool new for about $170 plus shipping ($200)
https://www.ebay.com/i/132415307603?chn=ps

I bought my Kent Moore Transmission Holder for $225 I recall in 2009.
Just had to repaint.
I like Pontiac SD421 Blue so thats what color it is still.

Pretty good deal..on ebay today.