[BHyatt]

I got my 2004r at the local pick-a-part. I went on the day that they have a yearly special where anything you can carry 20 yards was $39.99. I pulled the Transmission from an 89 Cadillac along with the torque converter, wiring harness, flywheel (not really needed) and the brake light switch (for future wiring of automatic converter lock). All of the reading I have done, which includes the sites linked previously, suggests looking for the newest models possible since GM made a lot of updates through the years to insure durability. I have been pleased with the performance but my experience has been limited since I have been working on other areas of the truck. The shifts are going to need some fine tuning since they occur a little early at Wide Open Throttle. I plan to make some changes to the Governor that should correct this.

The swap was easy TH350 to 2004R. Simply slide the transmission crossmember back to the holes already in your frame for mounting the TH400 transmission. I even removed the mount that connected the TH350 to the crossmember and swapped it over to the 2004R. The factory 2004R mount was taller and had a single stud that went through the crossmember while the factory mount matched right up to both the transmission and the crossmember. The 2004R uses the exaxt same transmission yoke as the TH350 and your factory drive shaft will work perfectly. The mount is moved closer to the year of the transmission but, the overall length of the transmission is the same.

It is important to know that there are two different housing designs available for the 2004R. the one you want is referred to as the Buick-Olds-Pontiac-Cadillac housing as it will be a direct bolt up to your engine. If you plan on digging in the junk yard this will be important to know. By my experience scouting the local yards nearly every 2004R I found had this housing.

I pulled a TV Cable from a 80's Caprice ($5.99) along with the cable bracket. The Caprice had some sort of Throttle Body injection and the bracket placed the cable too far behind the Throttle Linkage on my Quadra-Jet. I ordered a bracket off of Ebay from Summit ($25.95 w/cheaper shipping than Summit.com) that allowed easy connection of the TV Cable. The factory cables have adjuster built into them just like all of the aftermarket ones do that allow for adaptation to different applications. When you look around at all of the vehicles these transmissions were installed in from the factory you realize that once they are installed on any V8 the distance from transmission to Carb./TB is going to be nearly identical so there really is no "magic" cable length. The more you look at it the more you begin to realize that there is a lot of mystery created to add value to aftermarket "special" parts.

700-R4 compared to 2004R? Simple answer: Buick Grand National. Look around at the GN websites and see what kind of power these folks are putting to the ground through a stock 2004R transmission.