The factory transmission is the 700R4. This tranny has been a favorite among performance vehicle owners for years. It can be built to perform easy shift changes for everyday driving as well as for supporting performance cars with 450 foot-pounds of torque. The 700R4 has an automatic overdrive feature that allows cars with high rear-end gear ratios to be driven at highway speeds without problems.
Originally, I had quit driving the car due to the transmission slipping. When I decided to revive the Firebird, I knew this would be something that would have to be addressed. After the Firebird had been stored for nearly seven years, the 4-speed automatic transmission was completely rebuilt by Kenny at Permian Basin transmission.
This is actually where the “Phoenix of the FireChicken” began. I evaluated the options and the decision was made to completely rebuild, as opposed to putting a band-aid on a 25 year old tranny. The 700R4 kit included: the gaskets and seals, HQ clutches, forward bands, high volume filter, drain plug, and Trans-Scat valve body mod. I think it fell short of the tight “Corvette shift” as promised, but so far it has performed well.