200-4R Behind a 340 and Reid Bellhousing Build
There are various 200-4R builds on here. Some with Magnum engines, some with adapter plates between the engine block and trans, and some like this build with the bellhousing cut off and using an adapter ring to utilize a Reid SFI bellhousing. But I figured I'd start my own build thread with this particular combination listing the parts, part numbers, measurements, etc. The trans is (obviously) a 200-4R that came from some mid 80's GM vehicle. It started as a junkyard trans I picked up for $75 and I had a local guy build it for me. I supplied some parts and he supplied others. I did some of my own research and decided on some certain parts that I felt I wanted for my combo regardless if I really needed them. With less power, I wouldn't have had to spend the extra money, but for my HP level, I felt it was a good idea. So I ordered a billet forward drum and the adapter ring from Extreme Automatics and also picked up a Vasco 300M input shaft from them while I was at it. The input shafts can (not always) break around the 550hp mark with the 200-4R. The 300M input shaft is WAY overkill but I'll never have to worry about it now either. I also bought a Hughes deep pan with 700-R4 pickup (HP3880) , TransGo HD2 kit, Lokar firewall mount dipstick (1211744), etc. I left all the valve body mods and whatever else to the builder. I had him put in a manual lockup harness to lock the converter when I want to by the flip of a switch, not whenever the trans wants to lock up. I plan on only using it on the highway so that's the reason. FTI built the converter for me. Even though it's a custom built converter, they had the best price, best warranty, and a good reputation as well. Circle D was one I talked to but that converter would have cost me around $1200 for the same one FTI was going to build, but for much much less. And Circle D wasn't sure of even how to make it. I ran into this same issue with Dynamic converters and I gave up on them. Plus FTI had a better warranty anyway so I went with FTI. It's a 9.5" 4500 stall lockup. The converter spacing typically is 6.00" IIRC for a normal GM setup. But with the Mopar conversion, it's somewhere around 6.5". So they built the converter at 6.25" spacing and sent .25" spacers to take care of the rest if there was still a gap to the flywheel. The Flex plate is a JW 564-93009-LC which is the lightweight version. The crank adapter is also JW and is the 80012 part number. I don't plan on actually swapping until winter so this will be a slow thread.
There are various 200-4R builds on here. Some with Magnum engines, some with adapter plates between the engine block and trans, and some like this build with the bellhousing cut off and using an adapter ring to utilize a Reid SFI bellhousing. But I figured I'd start my own build thread with this particular combination listing the parts, part numbers, measurements, etc. The trans is (obviously) a 200-4R that came from some mid 80's GM vehicle. It started as a junkyard trans I picked up for $75 and I had a local guy build it for me. I supplied some parts and he supplied others. I did some of my own research and decided on some certain parts that I felt I wanted for my combo regardless if I really needed them. With less power, I wouldn't have had to spend the extra money, but for my HP level, I felt it was a good idea. So I ordered a billet forward drum and the adapter ring from Extreme Automatics and also picked up a Vasco 300M input shaft from them while I was at it. The input shafts can (not always) break around the 550hp mark with the 200-4R. The 300M input shaft is WAY overkill but I'll never have to worry about it now either. I also bought a Hughes deep pan with 700-R4 pickup (HP3880) , TransGo HD2 kit, Lokar firewall mount dipstick (1211744), etc. I left all the valve body mods and whatever else to the builder. I had him put in a manual lockup harness to lock the converter when I want to by the flip of a switch, not whenever the trans wants to lock up. I plan on only using it on the highway so that's the reason. FTI built the converter for me. Even though it's a custom built converter, they had the best price, best warranty, and a good reputation as well. Circle D was one I talked to but that converter would have cost me around $1200 for the same one FTI was going to build, but for much much less. And Circle D wasn't sure of even how to make it. I ran into this same issue with Dynamic converters and I gave up on them. Plus FTI had a better warranty anyway so I went with FTI. It's a 9.5" 4500 stall lockup. The converter spacing typically is 6.00" IIRC for a normal GM setup. But with the Mopar conversion, it's somewhere around 6.5". So they built the converter at 6.25" spacing and sent .25" spacers to take care of the rest if there was still a gap to the flywheel. The Flex plate is a JW 564-93009-LC which is the lightweight version. The crank adapter is also JW and is the 80012 part number. I don't plan on actually swapping until winter so this will be a slow thread.
