will a 383 kill my trans?

grumpyvette

Administrator
Staff member
"grumpy ?will upgrading from a 350 to a a 383 kill my trans?
I'm a bit concerned that the extra power might fry my transmission?


the abuse or lack of abuse your engine will be transmitting to the transmission and drive train has FAR more to do with your driving style than any increased engine displacement, or put a different way, a 350 driven like you just stole it is far more likely to cause problems than a 383 you drive like a normal daily transportation vehicle.
the 383 will allow you to reach about the same power levels at about 400rpm-700rpm lower in the rpm band, heat and torque and sudden shock loads kill transmissions, having an extra 40 ft lbs of torque available is usually not nearly as detrimental to transmission durability as running the car hard or doing silly stuff like tromping on the throttle while sitting on wet pavement or gravel where by doing so your submitting the trans too both rapid heat increases and sudden shock loads, or by using slicks which significantly increase traction.
I know one kid that destroyed two transmissions by revving the engine in neutral and dropping the transmission in drive at higher rpms , if you abuse a transmission like that even a 283 can quickly screw up a transmission


having a trans cooler and traction bars also helps reduce transmission failures, as both heat and wheel hop are reduced

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=662

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=4067&p=10823&hilit=traction+bars#p10823
 
yes your correct I was referring to most stock automatic transmissions,the main problem with most automatics is heat build up and thats partly due to the design characteristics where a smooth transition during shifts is desired.
a manual transmission by design has a clutch that slips limiting shock loads that can potentially damage internal components and a manual transmission in most cases allows periodic clutch replacement separate from a total transmission rebuild while an automatic trans has internal clutch packs that generate heat and can cause micro debris to come loose,that can cause problems with lubrication, and internal valves controlling operation and shifting.
as a general rule most manual transmissions tend to be rather durable if kept properly lubricated with the correct type of fluids,and have the fluid levels kept at the correct levels.
now obviously the clutch in most manual transmission cars takes a good deal of the abuse and if the tires loose traction that acts like a fuse dissipating much of the potential shock loads that would normally cause the internal parts to shear on impact loads
I d also point out that most stock G.M. automatic transmissions are designed to operate at temperatures under about 180F and with torque loads not exceeding 400 ft lbs and shift at well under 5000rpm, all of which obviously is designed more to match the requirements of a typical transportation vehicle rather than a performance application. once you start trying to control an engine well above those performance levels you need to upgrade the drive train, which is more easily done in most cases with a manual transmission because you both manually control loads and shift points and have a separate clutch assembly. obviously there's some transmissions that are designed to take much higher torque loads than other designs and there's a great many aftermarket parts available to significantly improve the strength of many of the more popular transmissions.
theres no way you can expect a 700r4 too be built to handle loads like a properly built 4L80E or TH400 can, simply because the parts in the larger transmissions WERE designed to handle more torque, AND THOSE PARTS ARE larger and stronger BY design.
(ESPECIALLY THE ALLOY STEEL,HEAT TREATED AFTERMARKET COMPONENTS)
example heres a stock 700r4, showing stock parts fail well below levels the aftermarket parts handle, you can in some cases double the torque loads a trans can handle by upgrading selected components
TorqueDrive2.gif

after having seen a couple big block engine swaps, in camaros, chevelles, novas and corvettes, that twisted more than a couple 700r4 transmissions into scrap along with several half shafts and u-joints,and 10 bolt differentials, Id strongly suspect that what power level your dealing with, might need some defining here, and if you stick a stout sbc or larger big block on a stock or lightly rebuilt 700r4 your sure to lower its durability!
yes Ive seen a 700r4 in a car that ran high tens, but ive also seen more 700r4 trans turned to scrap, so if your starting out fresh id suggest you do some research into your particular applications requirements, personally I purchased a 4L80E that I will convert to full manual control with a 3500 rpm stall converter for my big block corvette engine swap.

related info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Hydramatic

http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki ... nsmissions

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/highperf700r4.htm

http://www.superchevy.com/tech/0311sc_g ... nsmission/

http://reviews.ebay.com/The-Right-Stall ... 0010268586

http://www.rodauthority.com/tech-storie ... sion-tech/
 
Back
Top