Forward or reverse valve body?

85toyo · Jul 19, 2013

I'm getting ready to have my TH400 built and I'm still undecided on what valve body I want to use. I've never driven a automatic offroad so it's going to be completely new to me. What would y'all suggest? Stock, forward manual or reverse manual.

crawlin85cj · Jul 19, 2013

Reverse had me all screwed up. It was foreign and I couldn't get used to it. I prefer forward manual.

yankster · Jul 19, 2013

I prefer reverse manual valve body. That quick first to neutral has saved me more than once.

zayne2427 · Jul 19, 2013

I like reverse but it also depends on which shifter you use

85toyo · Jul 19, 2013

I plan on using a winters shifter.

John Galbreath Jr. · Jul 19, 2013

I use stock on both of mine with cut gate B&M Street Bandit shifter. D and R are within the same gate for that quick reverse save.

Here are the instructions on how to modify the gates in the shifter.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/shifter/

crawlin85cj · Jul 19, 2013

Winters with a rock gate. Reverse is easy to get to from any forward gear.

RustyC · Jul 19, 2013

I run a forwad TH350 with a standard winters shifter. Even with the forward pattern I can go from first thought 2nd,drive,neutral and into reverse quick enough to get the front back down.
I cut the reverse tab/gate on the shifter to do this. You will love a winters shifter.

85toyo · Jul 19, 2013

Thanks for the input guys.

If I decide to stay with the stock shift pattern is it going to be worth it to get a manual valve body? From the searching that I've done there hasn't been a clear answer to how well the stock valve body will hold a gear. Some say it's the same as a manual and others say it will shift at high RPM :dunno:

crawlin85cj · Jul 19, 2013

Manual all the way

al1tonyota · Jul 19, 2013

I'm learning of something new here! So you can get a forward patern manual vb??? Like prn123 or prn321

KyTrash · Jul 19, 2013

al1tonyota said:
I'm learning of something new here! So you can get a forward patern manual vb??? Like prn123 or prn321

YES, you can. ;D

crawlin85cj · Jul 19, 2013

al1tonyota said:
I'm learning of something new here! So you can get a forward patern manual vb??? Like prn123 or prn321

My 3 are forward manual. TH350 and TH400 are PRN321 and PG is PRN21

85toyo · Jul 19, 2013

The two main brands that I'm finding are TCI and Hughes. Both are within a few dollars of eachother. Is one better than the other?

cjunknxs · Jul 19, 2013

I have forward pattern th400, tci manual valve body with engine braking, with winters shifter and I like it so far.

cjunknxs · Jul 19, 2013

The instructions kind of suck for the TCI but a friend and I (mostly my friend) figured it out and it works. On a th 400 It is more involved than just swapping the valve body out. You have to pull the pump, clutches, shaft, remove a ring from the shaft, remove a seal on the drum and replace 12 spring with 16 stiff ass springs (press required). Then line all the clutches back up when reinstalling

85toyo · Jul 19, 2013

cjunknxs said:
I have forward pattern th400, tci manual valve body with engine braking, with winters shifter and I like it so far.

I had not thought about engine braking until you mentioned it. Can you tell much of a difference with it?

Sawzall · Jul 20, 2013

I have reverse without engine braking. It works OK but I have good brakes. The down side without braking is you could explode the transmission if you release the throttle and then stab it in too low of a gear. The next transmission will have engine braking.