has anyone been successful rebuilding their 700r4

[dmmotes]

If anybody has rebuilt their own 700r4 and has some words of wisdom for me I would greatly appreciate it. I think I am going to attempt it. I just have a hard time spending $2000 on a reman to put in a truck I only paid $3000 for. Any tips would be very helpful.
Thanks Don

[BobND]

I have done about a dozen of them, with good success, although I am far from and "expert".

Here is a repost of my reply to someone else a few days ago:

"If you have the original '83 transmission, there's been a LOT of improvements since then.

There are pump kits available to increase the number of vanes for better pressure, and less noise, as well as a host of other improvements.

There are aftermarket clutch packs for the OD clutch that add more plates, as well as valve body improvement parts.

Usually, you will find that the steel valve body plate has been well worn by the checkballs, and needs to be replaced.

A good tranny shop that sells parts, and is willing to visit with you can walk you through some of the upgrades that are a good idea.

Many of the seal rings in the tranny were originally Teflon, and it's almost a necessity to have tools to intstall them, and a sleeve (tool) to hold them compressed before installation.

Many performance tranny rebuilders instead use old-fashioned cast iron seal rings that they believe seal better (and are easier to install).

Clutch clearances are crucial to long life. Pros mix and match various steels and lined plates to get just the "right" clearances they are comfortable with.

If you can find an "expert" willing to advise you on this rebuild, you can easily build up a transmission better than the original.

I have a book at the shop listing various factory and aftermarket upgrades and improvements over the years, I don't remember who it's by, offhand, but I could post that later, if you are interested."