Transmission –<\/p>\n
The 700R4 transmission is a fully automatic 4 speed transmission with a lock up torque convertor that, when engaged, locks the transmission completely and gives the same fuel economy and performance as a car with manual gears.<\/p>\n
During the life of this transmission various updates were made correcting problems as they were discovered. With these updates the 700R4 is a strong and reliable transmission.<\/p>\n
I think the Corvette auto transmission is brilliant. The shifts are so smooth it’s hard to know they’ve happened. The 4th<\/sup> gear is called overdrive, it’s a big gear designed for high speed although it will lock in with light throttle at a low 61kph. At this speed the revs of the big V8 motor drop to just above idle – incredible ! This gear is a real help to the fuel economy, compared to the previous C3 Corvette Stingray’s which only have a 3 speed auto transmission.<\/p>\n I discovered information about the update kits and decided that it would help keep the transmission healthy for a long life. I researched the various update kits and found one that was highly recommended by Corvette enthusiasts – the Transgo Shift Kit. This comes in 3 stages covering everything from normal street driving to drag racing with high horsepower engines. I didn’t want to loose the super smooth shifts so I had the normal street driving kit – SK 700 fitted at the next transmission service in March 2004.<\/p>\n Dave at GTS, 145 Scott St Cairns fitted the kit and gave the entire transmission a service, including inspecting U joints etc. There was an instant ‘seat of the pants’ feeling of improvement when I drove away afterwards. Hard to explain, the shifts are still super smooth but also firmer. I was very happy.<\/p>\n Unfortunately during the next few months the transmission began to show signs of some internal damage. I decided to have the gearbox completely rebuilt by a recognised expert on these transmissions – Neil Maxwell of Precise Automatics, Beenleigh, Qld.<\/p>\n I sent my Corvette down to him by road transport and he did a full recondition on the transmission, including installing a heavy duty drive shell, rebuilt pump, etc and set the valving up so that the gearbox shifted smoothly at low revs and firmly at high revs.<\/p>\n Neil said the new transmission was ‘better than out of the factory’ and should last a long time<\/p>\n