Hey everyone,
Well sooner or later, my transmission is going to blow, it is running perfect at the moment, however when the t4 gets bolted on it wont be able to cope for long. So the problem is whether to stick with the jatco or convert to trimatic. But from what I've read the trimatic costs 3000+ , honestly there is no way I'm going to pay that much :roll: . Hopefully my car will become a streeter (3000- 3200 stall , 3.9 diff gears) and once it is completed (fingers crossed) it will run a low 12. So i will be giving it a bit of stick but, usually i don't get stuck into it 24/7. HSVSUX how is your auto going? Sorry to be rude, but i was wondering how much did it cost you? Addtionally is it true that dfectv is running a auto turbo 700 gearbox, is this an option? I've rung a few places in Brisbane but they don't think the jatco can handle 300rwhp over an extended period of time, but i think bluely 1 has 400rwhp and was running 10's, sorry to bore the shat out of everyone, but it's a pretty costly and big decision 4 me
Anyones opinion would be sweet.
Transmissions are expensive on either way you go.
I'd save up and do it once properly and go the full monty on a Tri-matic.
The Jatco can take some abuse but after a while it will **** itself :roll: and I don't care who builds it either so in the long run you will probably waste your money rebuilding your Jatco.
There have been once off 10 second quater times with a Jatco but they blew up not long after and the owners up graded to a Tri-matic or 2 speed Powerglide.
I have a Jatco built by Raceglides and I also have a mate with a Jatco built by Yarra Valley both our auto transmissions have held up to 12 second quarter times however my mate intends to go faster and go a "Big " turbo and external wastegate so low 11's are on the cards and he does'nt think his Yarra Valley auto will cope with the power.
So he will be upgrading to a stronger transmission soon and I will too if I manage to destroy another Jatco, I've killed 3 so far.
Expect to pay around the $2,500 mark for a modified Jatco maybe a little more depends who build's it and it includes the Hi-stall convertor, Transmission coolers will be a little more and run 2 to be safe.
I got quoted for a Tri-matic built by Raceglide's $5,000 drive in, drive out but you can cut costs by doing most of the hard yakka and souceing the parts required for the Tri-matic conversion.
Yes Defective that maroon Calais has a Turbo 700 4 speed auto installed, and no VL's never came out with that transmission from the factory it's a custom instalation but I'd say a heavy 1 too.
Look it's your decision mate but if I could do it all again I would have saved up and got a Tri-matic as the amount of Jatco's I've been through would have paid for the full drive in and drive out job and once it's done right it should hold up for a long time with correct maintenance and driveing
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
scoota pm or email me i know a guy in brisbane that has been doing autos for years and may be able to get you a good deal on whatever you choose to do.
i think the th700 conversion is an interesting idea as they can handle a decent amount of power and the conversion kit is available from some rod shop (forgot the name hehe). if i remember right you'll get about 250rwkw from them reliably.
apparently jatco's can handle a heck of a lot but a lot of people dont build them right. my understanding is though if you keep it very smooth shifting it wont last as long as a firm shifting box as there is less wear and tear (slip) by it shifting firmly than smoothly.. something like that
good luck.
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
$5000! WHOA
I read in street commodores that JPC did it for $4200, how hard would it be to fit all the necessary components yourself and save $$, i know that the jatco is pretty crap, but i cant justify 5000 on a transmission.
scoota vlt: i was about to come in and ask the very same question since i'm now looking to spend about 20k on my VLT which i've just bought about 4 weeks ago. i was originally going to keep the Jatco 4 speed box until it blew since the previous owner rebuilt it and had it toughend up about 1 1/2 months ago.
i guess i have to find out how much horsepower my car will have after i do the mods before i start looking at changing the box? that way i'll know whether or not i'll need a new one. i probably will though since 20k should get me some hp so i'm thinking maybe i should take the Jatco out while it's in perfect condition and sell it which would help pay for about a third of the Trimatic.
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
Hi there scoota_vlt.
I run the Jatco and have had a good run, my car only runs a 12.3 @ 118mph........but I give it absolute heaps on the circuit, I downshift to the point of locking the rear slicks under brakes etc. I have done maybe 400 - 500 hard laps of the local track with it. It cost around $2200AUD from Yarra Valley including 2800 Stall. it has done well considering that its been in the car since 97! I think the big thing is to run synthetic trans fluid (Redline) in them and adjust the bands as often as you can (I adjust the bands and change the fluid every 4th race meeting) also run an external "engine oil" style filter and change that regularly as well. Oh I forgot dont use 4th unless cruising, the **** that comes off the 4th gear parts under heavy use gets into the rest of the box and shaggs it. 2 good coolers are mandatory. I rekon if you have around 400 engine hp they are a good option........After all that I am going MX-7 !! 8O
is the trimatic that guy's use in VL's the same as ones used in VH V8 etc. and if it is why are they so expensive to put in a VL when you can buy them really cheap like under a grand.
what sort of manual boxes would u guys use to handle 500+hp?
and I should have trimatic for sale soon....will cost whateva I can find a M20/M21/m22 for...
