Shift kits

[heavychevy85]

to start off with i have a 700r4 jasper transmision it was in the truck when we got it. it dosn't have a whole lot of miles on it but he miles that are on it are plowing miles wich can be hard. well i was thinking about putting a shift kit in it but i don't know if i should or not so i was looking upon ur advise to make a choice

[75K30]

Is it shifting soft? Is there a problem that makes you believe that you need to increase line pressures?
What are you hoping to accomplish by adding a shift kit?
I am not against them, but the 700 can be deceptive. If you believe that you have a pronblem, maybe the cabel is not adjusted properly. Leaning on the loose side will make the trans shift early, and a little soggy.
Slightly more tension, and this thing will have great crisp shifts. Too far either way, will tear up the trans, and it will burn up real quick.
Proper tension on the cable is probably more important.

[gmctrucks]

Good info again. Way to go 75K30.

[heavychevy85]

well it seems to be shifting fine when warmed up and when u first start out 1st and second shift kinda hard but i thinks its normal but yeah i use this as a all purpose truck i even plow with it i was just lookin to get a little more performance out of my 700r4. i have to flush the tranny out this year before winter and i'm gonna put in royal purple synthetic trans oil so i figure this would be a good time to instal one cuz i have to change the filter anyways so please give me info on the shifting kits the good the bad the ugly

[75K30]

gmctrucks; Thank you for the kind words.......


heavychevy85
There is nothing bad about them at all. You are simply increasing the line pressure to increase better clutch engagement. This can mean that the clutches will not slip during engagement, and less slip equals less heat created during the normal shifting process.
Firm shifts are the result. I suspect that your trans is already equiped with some sort of shift improver kit. I am not aware of any transmissons that come out of Jasper without them. Many reasons why, but the main reason is that OEM stuff is a little expensive, and aftermarket kits can be bought for the same or less.
While a company that builds transmissions relies on margin or profit to survive, including a decent shift improver kit can offer better performance and if it costs less money to the builder, then this becomes a win win situation.
Again, i believe that your trans is already equiped with some sort of improvement kit, or valve body already.
Your trans has a tag, with a production / serial number on it, and you can use it to identify your transmission with Jasper. You will be able to determine exactly what you have. You may find that you currently have some good stuff in there, and do not need to invest any more money, or time.
Your hard shifts might support my theory, but could also mean that the fluid is fatigued. Contaminated fluid with many suspended particles, or broken down fluid that can foam and cavitate will act this same way. Fresh fluid can only do good things.
Good luck

[heavychevy85]

so just contact jasper with the serial numbers and stuff and if it turns out it has a slight shift kit in it just change the filter and new trans fluid in your guys opinon what brand of atf should i use for a truck that plows its balls off in the winter months thats also good for warm weather also thanks for the advise

[75K30]

Thats what I think man. You may ask what type of fluid they recommend for this application, but plain jane trans fluid works well for me.
I do run Royal Purple, but it is not because it is a major preferance or anything.

[heavychevy85]

thanks man have a good night im headin to bed

[heavychevy85]

just called jasper my transmission is a direct factory replacement they said no shift kit so what is the best shift kit for towing, hauling, and plowing

[chevyracer8262]

I like B&M they're shift kits are not hard to install, I used one in my 91 z71 setup for towing and pulled my 3500lb race car every week back and forth to the track without any problems. Just normal driving it would give you nice firm shifts and shifts you can count when pulling something. Also another easy and inexpensive add on would be to install a Corvette 2-4 servo on the side of the tranny to give you more clamping pressure on your 2-4 band for a stronger 2nd and 4th gear. Another option to add on would be a .500" boost valve to increase the fluid flow to increase the clamping pressure of all your clutch packs. as far as atf goe's i like to add 2qts of B&M fluid to the regular atf. I used this B&M fluid as an aditive in my drag car and it worked great I never had a problem with it.