pwerglide in s13

[bent240LV]

i was wondering if anyoen ahd any info on putting a powerglide or turbo 400 trany into an s13 with an s14 sr20det motor. i ahd searched and not found much. i curious if anyone has done this and what adapter plate they ahve used. thanks

[raging panda]

I'm almost positive nobody has ever done it. Why would you want to is my question? The SR trannies are very robust, handling 600+ horsepower if im not mistaken. Not so sure about the automatics, but I would think that theyre pretty good too.

[bent240LV]

well i have heard the exact opposite that they break pretty easily and told by a few shops that its nissan biggest problem is tha the trans are weak

[Toahk]

Maybe the auto trannys

[BoyWonder]

Maybe an S15 6 speed transmission.. I've seen/heard of people dropping them in favor of older 5 speed models.

[SeVa-S13]

The 6spd rumors are just that, rumors. Unbased.

[Nismo_Freak]

i was wondering if anyoen ahd any info on putting a powerglide or turbo 400 trany into an s13 with an s14 sr20det motor. i ahd searched and not found much. i curious if anyone has done this and what adapter plate they ahve used. thanks

Talk about lag...

[bent240LV]

Lag....from what???

[Nismo_Freak]

Lag....from what???

The turbo you will be running to even consider running something like a domestic slushmatic. You're limiting the number of shifts yes, but you don't have the wide powerband of a sprayed V8... instead you have a very peaky 4 cyl. turbo engine that requires RPMs and actual load to create boost.

[karay240]

raging panda, I'm not sure where you heared that the transmission on the SR20's was durable, but they're not. The ones from the S14 are, in fact, the most durable out of the three (13-15), but I seriously doubt that they'll hold up to 600hp for too long. Many tuners utilize the RB25 transmission (same internals as the Z32) for added durability. I've seen adapters for a near direct bolt-on (not in the states, yet).

[raging panda]

interesting. I didn't know that they did that. Do you have any links to that? I was just going off the top of my head thinking about all those guys in the South with the 500-600+ hp on their stock SR engines, I thought that they were running stock transmissions, but maybe not.

[NeedCAforS13]

they ARE using stock trannies down here on 500+ whp stock internal SR's (secret services, enjuku, etc.)... Paul (movingviolation240) has ~400whp s14 and he drives his daily with a stock transmission. Its starting to make some whining noises, but I think they're pretty beefy:)

Sean

[DGA]

Even though TH400 is a very stout transmission, thay can not handle over 400 hp & ft-lbs of torque without some build up. They are great for high horsepower aplications when they are built properly. Some Supras run these things. I have a TH400 in my '69 chevy truck, and taking that thing out has showed me that those things weigh about 350 lbs. I believe that the SR motor weighs about 450 lbs. So I am not sure if you want to strap this thing on the SR. Think about all the fabricating that you would have to do to the transmission tunel to enlarge it. If you decide to go this way consider this, TH350 is slightly weaker, but it is more efficient than the TH400. Have it built for high horsepower applications. GM might make sub par cars, but they make first class transmissions, weather that being front or rear drive.

[bent240LV]

thanks for the info DGA, im not very informed on the differences of the TH350 or 400. whats the difference between thoose and a powerglide?? i was just hinking about doing this because you can get them pretty cheap even mildly built for around 1400 from what i have seen.

So can anyone find some more information on adapting the RB25 trans to the SR20DET?? thanks

[Chuck Hanlon]

The powerglide is used in a highly modified state for drag cars that must run extremely consistant ET's, such a supercomp classes. Parasitic drag/ HP losses are lower in these modified trannys, and they will handle anything a nissan can give them, season after season. Given the correct stall speed converter, you will be able to fully spool up your turbo and get a great 60 foot time, if you can get traction. The competition units are all aluminum and are fairly light. This is not as ridiculous as some apparently think it is. If you are into serious drag racing, the PG might work well for you. Be prepared to spend big bucks on one though. Check in Hot Rod for suppliers. As far as adapters, there are several companies that will make oddball combos for not too much. Can't think of the names now, but I have seen the ads.

[Megaseth]

TH trannys came stock in most cars. i think they still use them, not sure though. your best bet if you arent running super high HP is to just use a stock transmission. but you will find that all the serious guys use autos when drag racing. no manny transmission can shift as fast as an auto or on a dime like they can when done right.

[bent240LV]

well im looking at some where around 600+ hp so i am seriously going to consider the powerglide over the th350 or 400 seems better. they really are nto to much $1500-2000 that will be a good investment and probably help with ET's any more info wll be usefull thaks

[karay240]

I'm thinking that it's going to be $1500-2000 plus a lot of custom work to make it fit the SR. . . I'm not sure, but I don't think that they make an adapter specifically for the SR.At Underground motorsports, we're toying w/ the idea of a 2 speed, but it'll be for the RB. Probably won't, since we're trying to maintain drivability on the street, but it depends whether or not the transmission holds up.I know it wouldn't on a normal skyline GTS, but the 240 is lighter, and easier on the transmission. . . we'll see, though.

[Chuck Hanlon]

Check out transmission-specialties.com. They have a PG rated at 850HP with transbrake listed at 1499.00. They also do custom trans adapters. Worth a look?

[DGA]

If you want all the goodies, go to JEGS.COM. They cater to all the domestic race/stock parts stuff. They even sell full transmissions and for $1500, you should be able to get yourself a TH400 that can take well over 600 HP. My suggestion would be to take one from the junk yard for cheap and just have it built to take over what you hp goals are. That should run you about $1500 ever since every transmission shop is more than familiar with these units.One of the guys I worked with had a '69 Camaro that made about 600 hp to the wheels, and the cool thing was that his engine would rev past 12,000 rpm (That is right 12,000 rpm), and he had a TH350 bolted to that thing that was built by some shop in California that builds these things for 3000 hp dragsters for about $3000, and they even guaranteed his transmission for life. I know that this is 2 as much as you want to spend, but be sure in this though, if you have a TH built by a place make sure that they guarantee their work for life. Odds are that your engine will blow up before a TH would.All in all my hat goes off for you for your endevour. Good luck.

[Megaseth]

^ the problem is, working on the TH trannies was some what of an art. most of the guys back in the day used to know their ****, now many people dont know the fine art of tuning and rebuilding one. and the ones that do, know they are good and in demand, so they charge a lot.

[bent240LV]

so waht are the main differences between the TH and say a powerglide?? is there much of a difference? someone said earlier in the post that the glide was much lighter and i think smaller. any truth to this

[Chuck Hanlon]

I don't know the weight differences, but it is substantial. The PG is by far the favorite transmission for the fast drag classes. Properly built it holds the power, has lower losses, gives extreme consistency. Can somebody look up the weight differences? This is not the group to have that info on hand, is it.

[bent240LV]

do you know of any forums where there might be peopel who know more about the than here? thanks for all the great info people

[Chuck Hanlon]

I have e-mailed tci for the weight of the transmission. As it is close to midnight on friday night, I don't know when I will get a response. As soon as I get it. I will forward. TCI is a company with a very good rep for transmissions. As far as forums go, no idea.

[s13sr20chris]

you werent planning on driving your 2 speed 240 on the street were ya? that would suck. i think in a max effort drag car an sr with an old powerglide(think ranchero) built of course, a ford nine inch, some lift bars, a big honking turbo, nitrous, etc...could all be a great combo. i would caution that just slapping in a powerglide may be counterproductive without the other mods to continue towards complete drag car status. know what im saying?

[bent240LV]

yes i understand the counterproductive thing. im not quite sure its as bad as many people think though. i dont think it take a lot of hp to use the ppowerglide. if my goal is 600hp i dont think i will have a problem. im sure the advantages out way the disadvantages in puttingin a power glide. also there is a supra around town who runs consistent 9 second passes and he is using a powerglide he drives it on the street on the weekends.

[bent240LV]

also im sure like with anything, is you plan correctly then it will work out good. like correct converter gear ratios and torque converter im sure it will be at a great advantage to me to use a powerglide performance and price. i have heard of a lot of peoel breaking trans on sr20 so im trying to come up with alternative. i will let everyoen know what comes of it and possible offer aapter plates if anyoen is interested of course it wil be backed with some time slips.

[Megaseth]

i think what he meant was not in the HP figures, but the powerband. 600hp on an SR requires a rather large turbo, which means the power band is around 3500/4000-6000/6500. most autos dont shift that high. you'll need to let the guys know if you go with one about your plans and what you plan on doing,

[s13sr20chris]

i dont want to put a damper on your plans bro. i dont think any of us does. i would love to see someone breaking ground like that in nissan drag racing. i saw a rwd honda crx with a mitsu 4g63 and a powerglide once. i remember that it was fast, but not how fast. i hope you do it and it works great. just plan it out thoroughly and know what you are getting into. thats all. by the way, stay away from the turbo trannys. they are for street rods and stuff in my opinion. go 'glides. feel free to bounce ideas off me when you get into it.