Full manual 700

[Works4truckparts88]

Truck in question is 1988 K1500 scsb, 350-700r4-241.
Haven't heard many people talk about manual valve bodies for the 700r4. Anybody on here have one, driven one, or know someone who has? Like it? Problems with the constant trans pressure? Shift harshness?
I'd like the control of every shift, and don't really want a manual trans for off-road when I could let the torque converter slip for me. I drive a stick focus daily so shifting doesn't bother me. I do have a th400 2wd, but I'd have to go into it and swap outputs and I'd lose OD. I do drive the truck on the highway regularly but not every day.
The biggest reason I'm asking is I suspect my throttle valve is bad (new-ish cable but sticking and very stiff, and isn't shifting right) and I know it's the achilles heel of these trans. I'd rather upgrade to get more control, eliminate the weak link, and as opposed to swapping still have original equipment so no new drivelines or crossmembers. I mean I'd have to replace the VB anyway to resolve the TV getting stuck right?

 

[Schurkey]

I'd expect a manual-shift '700 would be harsh as hell, especially in winter. But I've never driven one.

You're preparing to remove the valve body anyway. Fix the throttle valve. See if the separator plate is beat-up at the check-ball locations. Make sure the accumulators and accumulator springs aren't worn-out or broken., including in the Aux. valve body.

How long has it been since you replaced the filter and flushed all the fluid?

MY '88 '700 has torn-up the planetaries twice since I bought it in '97. The second-to-last thing these need is an excessively rough shift. A low-pressure, slipping shift is about the only thing worse than a too-firm shift.

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[Works4truckparts88]

I'd expect a manual-shift '700 would be harsh as hell, especially in winter. But I've never driven one.

You're preparing to remove the valve body anyway. Fix the throttle valve. See if the separator plate is beat-up at the check-ball locations. Make sure the accumulators and accumulator springs aren't worn-out or broken., including in the Aux. valve body.

How long has it been since you replaced the filter and flushed all the fluid?

MY '88 '700 has torn-up the planetaries twice since I bought it in '97. The second-to-last thing these need is an excessively rough shift. A low-pressure, slipping shift is about the only thing worse than a too-firm shift.

You must be registered for see images attach

This trans was a craigslist find, I put a new filter in when I installed it. previous one lost a bearing and chewed up the planetary gears and clogged the governor, this was a "last another winter"-200$ type fix. Obviously I would go through it (its a K-case) before abusing it like that but I couldnt find much info on this trans with manual setup. I was under the impression they might be a little weak to handle it. Ultimately your probly right, best to just fix whats broke and leave whats not. try not to reinvent the wheel lol

 

[Silvio Iacuone]

If you are going to do a manual valve body 700r4 for off roading, you may as well do a manual 4l80e so you have the extra durability.

 

[Supercharged111]

I cracked the case on my 4L60, I suspect due to maxxed out line pressure from improperly deleting the MAF. If a manual conversion involves leaving the line pressure cranked, expect to break something.