It's not a stretch of the truth to say that one of the best parts of owning a classic truck is actually driving it, and one of the major components on the short list of making a classic truck a joy to drive is an overdrive automatic transmission. One company that firmly believes in the importance of matching a quality transmission to your vehicle is Gear Star Performance Transmission. While many companies have a limited selection and will sell you what they have in stock without any consideration for your vehicle's horsepower, rearend gearing, or the type of driving you'll be doing, Gear Star Performance Transmission takes all of these factors and more into consideration when preparing a transmission for your prized ride.
When we decided to upgrade our '56 Chevy project truck to a small-block Chevy mill, we also decided it was a good time to select an overdrive automatic we've grown to love in our late-model rides. A call to Gear Star Performance Transmission was met with friendly and knowledgeable advice that directed us toward a GM 200R4 automatic overdrive transmission. Because we were keeping the horsepower well under 450 and would mostly be pleasure-cruising our Chevy, the 200R4, with its preferable even gear splits (starting with a 2.74 First gear that feels much better than the 700R4 transmission's comparable, sometimes too low 3.06 First gear) and compact size, was a good fit for us. An added bonus is the relative bargain these pleasantly priced units offer compared to other vendors' transmissions that wouldn't be as well suited to our needs. Added peace of mind comes from the fact that every Gear Star transmission is built and dyno-tested by one master builder from start to finish, and it's backed by the best available warranty (24 month/24,000 mile) in the industry.
Before we started our installation, we rounded up all the pieces we would need-besides the Gear Star-built 200R4 and their slick installation package-from Classic Performance Products (crossmembers for the engine and transmission), Lokar (shifter), and PowerMaster (starter). Follow along as we complete the initial installation of our new drivetrain and get our pickup that much closer to some enjoyable highway and daily cruising.
The GM 200R4 transmission...
The GM 200R4 transmission is a compact overdrive unit used from 1981-87 in models ranging from full-size Cadillacs to the Buick GNX. This transmission is the same overall length and uses the same output spline as the short-tail GM Turbo 350, and was manufactured with the Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac bolt patterns. The compact transmission is perfectly suited for daily drivers and cruisers with up to 450 horsepower when prepared by Gear Star Performance Transmission.
The economical GM 200R4 kit...
The economical GM 200R4 kit from Gear Star Performance Transmission comes with everything you need to fit a reliable overdrive transmission in your ride, even a free installation kit, which includes a dipstick, dust cover, mount, Lokar throttle pressure cable, trans cooler, wire harness, and trans fluid.
Because our truck was originally...
Because our truck was originally equipped with a six-cylinder engine, we bolted in a set of factory V-8 front engine mounts to use as a reference point for mounting the V-8 that will eventually go into our truck.
For our installation, we elected...
For our installation, we elected to go with a Classic Performance Products (CPP) tubular engine and transmission crossmembers, which utilize the sturdier side of the engine block mounts first introduced on the Chevy small-block in 1958.
Using a lightweight "dummy"...
Using a lightweight "dummy" block, the mock engine was bolted to the original front motor mounts, and the CPP crossmember was mocked into place as a reference for where to drill the holes to solidly mount it to the frame with the supplied hardware.
Once the CPP crossmember was...
Once the CPP crossmember was in place, we removed the original front mounts. Note that the engine now sits a little lower and even with the framerails.
With the mock-up engine in...
With the mock-up engine in place, we measured rearward from the back of the engine to the approximate location where we wanted to mount our Lokar shifter.
The Lokar shifter mounts to...
The Lokar shifter mounts to the transmission case via this pair of aluminum plugs (one on each side).
After threading the Allen...
After threading the Allen head set screws into the shifter side mounting plates and the aluminum plugs, the preassembled shifter assembly is bolted to the top plate.