jakeshoe

I REALLY don't like to sleeve 400's but sometimes you have no choice. Yes you can bore it .040 over but you will still not have anymore material than whatever the original wall thickness was unless you put a thick wall sleeve in. Be aware that when you sleeve the 400, the adjacent cylinders need to be bored also to make them round again, the siamesed design of the 400 cylinders makes this an issue.

The LS1's are because of the aluminum block, 5.7 displacement, car intake, etc. The 5.3 liter truck engines can be had relatively cheap, I can get them for $500 for a pullout motor (no harness, computer, but with intake, accessories, manifolds) I can buy the 5.3's with a 4L60e for about $1500-1700 and all the parts needed to do a conversion. Just a bit more for the 6.0L truck motors. I got a 6.0L and 4L80E for $1950 plus tax a couple of weeks ago. It's going in a customer's '69 Firebird.

It must be from an LSx series motor. Should have a removable bellhousing. One from a 2000+ truck application would also work. You would likely have been better off to buy a complete setup. That's the best way to approach an LS1 swap.

The 4L60Es used behind the Gen III motors (except early 6.0L) uses a different converter alignment hub than the older style motors due to the difference in the crankshafts protusion from the block. The Gen III motors crank is near flush with the back of the block, where older designs it protruded from the block more. The 4L60E applications used a flexplate that was "bell" shaped instead of flat. The 4L80E applications (since the bellhousing was still integral to the case) used a flat flexplate but with a spacer to space it back to the old style position. This spacer also acts as a locator to index the converter to the crankshaft centerline.

The question was about swapping a 4L60 trans in place of a 4L80E behind a 6.0L motor. If you are using a wiring harness originally intended for a 4L80E trans it differs from the 4L60E version. There are 3 wires that must be "re-pinned", one of which you will have to add onto the 4L80 harness to operate the 4L60E. A 4L60E has a 3-2 downshift solenoid, a 4L80E does not, thus the one wire difference. The 4L80E has an input and an output speed sensor, the 4L60E's only have an output until the very late models, 2005'ish or so. You will simply not connect the input speed sensor on the 4L60E. You will have to reflash the PCM to run the 4L60E. The question was not about swapping from a 4.8 or 5.3 to a 6.0L. No wiring changes necessary, just a re-tune/flash of the PCM.

If you have a 6.0L with a 4L80E and want to use a 4L60E, you have to change the flexplate, use a 4L60E converter, and repin the main connector at the trans. You'll have to add one wire to run the 4L60E. 6.0L and 4L80E for a retrofit into a customer's car.

The 200-4R is a very good unit up to about the 600HP level (with mods). It is a better design than the 700-R4/4L60E's IMO. The 200 can be built to withstand ~800 HP fairly reliably, however once you get over the 600 HP level, it needs alot of expensive hard parts that make the 4L80 a better choice in MOST applications. I build TH350's, TH400's, 200-4R's, 4L80E's, and occasional Glides for performance use. Notice the units I do not build for performance applications.... I do have a 700R4 in the shop currently to be built but it is for a stock application, but towing use.

Buster, I know the weight of a 4L80E, and can weigh a 4L60 if needed but I know the 4L80 isn't as heavy as most people claim or think. What you see is many people who read somewhere that the 4L80 is a gazillion lbs and perpetuate the myth all around the internet, but most have never touched a 4L80E, or would even know what one is if they saw it. I rebuild GM racing automatic transmissions and the 4L80 is one of the units I specialize in. The other myth is that it is huge. It is a bit longer than a TH400 and 30 lbs heavier. The bellhousing and main case area are about the same diameters as a TH400, so if a Th400 will fit, a 4L80E won't be too bothersome to install. The TH400 is about the same weight as a 700-R4 or 4L60.

A 700-R4 is the same as a 4L60 (GM's nomenclatured changed although the transmission did not), a 4L60-E is the later model electronically controlled version of the 700-R4. Below ~400-450 HP they work reasonably well. Particularly in a lightweight Z car for street use they would be fine, above that and I would recommend using some other transmission.

What is the weight difference between a 4L60E and a 4L80E? I think many of the members of the 3rd and 4th Gen Camaro websites, as well as the ImpalaSS forum and any other site that might disagree that the 4L60's will hold up to "anything you can give it". They break them regularly, the trucks guys break them regularly in stock applications. I saw this often at the GM dealership where I worked.

Les, The "real" Art Carr owns CPT, ot California Performance Transmission in Huntington Beach. Don Wang of DRW Transmissions is familiar with the 200-4R's. Dana of Pro-Built Transmissions (good guy). http://www.700r4l60e.com/ Those are off the top of my head. Good luck with it.

Mike, I'll have to check availability and pricing. Ansel, With a mild 305 you could use either the 700-R4 or 200-4R. I personally would do the 200-4R in the Z car due to size, driveshaft length, and gear ratios. Price varies according to who you get it from. I build these units but I try to only do turn-key installs, that way there isn't any issue with installation and setup error.

The 200-4R has a .67 overdrive ratio, not .75. There are aftermarket OD ratios available. If still available there is a .50 ratio OD for it. Insane top speed.

I will 2nd the info provided by Paul. He is absolutley correct. It sounds as if your machinist may not even have torque plates. If he doesn't have them for a SBC, he doesn't do performance engine work. Find another machinist.

I agree with the above, I've dealt with JTR (Mike?) on several occasions having done a couple of S10 V8 swaps and the Z, always top notch to deal with. My suggestion to use Summit was aimed at getting a manual in the poster's hands quicker. Summit usually stocks what they advertise so they may have stock when JTR is out.

Warren, I definitely understand your frustrations and I know that Chris is a super busy guy as I deal with him (and Michelle) often. I'm not here to say Chris didn't fudge it up. I've been on the waiting end of parts from him too but as best as I can remember it was always a specialty part that just isn't available elsewhere, and if so not for a reasonable price. What did you order? If you ever need any trans parts I don't stock much for the 200's or 700's but I keep some stuff on hand for TH350, 400's, 4L80's, etc. I have core parts for most of the GM RWD stuff here. I can get about any part same day or next day from my local trans vendors at wholesale price. I have basically begun to build racing trans almost full time and may very soon be doing it absolutely full time. So if you need anything, shoot me an email and I'll see if I can get it for you.

Warren, NY has been receiving record snowfall and is in a blizzard condition so it may be more of a UPS issue than one of Chris's doing. I've had to wait on parts from Chris before because he had to actually machine them on the CNC. What did you order? I usually deal with Chris on a weekly basis, he is usually worth the wait.

The emulator doesn't burn the EEPROM, it simply takes it place so that you can tune "on the fly" instead of having to take out the EEPROM, burn a new tune to it, re-install it, try it out, take it out, re-burn, re-install, etc.. The EEPROM programmer is a different piece of equipment. This was the way you had to tune the older ECM's before they had flash memory.

The piggyback device you speak of is called an EEPROM Emulator. I tplugs in in place of the EEPROM and you can tune until you get the tune right, then burn the tune onto the EEPROM and plug it in.

You need to put a new circuit board in the wiper motor, common failure on those trucks. I think parts stores carry them now.

Chris is super sharp and a good guy BUT that is his failing. His delivery times are sometimes poor. He is VERY busy. He has the same problem most business owners have, finding good reliable help that can actually take his place. He is stretched too thin. He runs the CNC machines, takes orders, builds transmissions, and all the while comes up with new innovative products. Busy guy.

Warren, Chris is running a special on the drums right now for $349 I think. Call in and talk to him, tell him Jake sent you. The Kolenes aren't "bad" just that I have built transmissions for up to 1500 HP and never "needed" them yet. They are more of a heat treated steel. They are nitrided which is a hardening process for the surface of the clutches. See here: http://www.key-to-steel.com/Articles/Art117.htm Anyway, scuffing them with scotchbrite won't take the nitriding completely off, it just knocks down the roughness. Keep this in mind, A friction clutch such as a stock tan type and the Alto Red material are paper based material. A steel clutch plate is exactly that, it is steel, much harder and more heat resistant than any "paper". If you heat spot or warp a steel plate, the paper frictions are also deteriorated. A coated steel may make the steels stronger, but why is this necessary when they are already more resistant to failure than any friction material you will use in an auto trans? There is more to this than what I stated but that is the main theme in a nutshell. Paper holds oil and steel doesn't, oil cools and cushions... Just wanted to add that to muddy the waters.. You'll notice the Kolenes feel rough, this tears up the paper. A bit too much friction. Just a light scotchbriting will knock off the high spots and the Kolenes work fine.

I would use one of Chris's (CK) billet forward drum setups instead of the hardened Art Carr piece, even at 400 HP. I like to stay at 6 clutches in the directs with stock thickness steels personally but there are different theories on that. I just like to keep the thick steels in there. The GN servo will probably be OK, but I would also go to a billet piece if you are right at the 400 hp/tq level just for piece of mind. Not a big difference but a 10 vane pump actually has more volume than a 13 vane...Less vanes taking up space in the pump cavity... Either works fine though, just something to think about. I rarely use the Kolene steels on any trans. I think they are generally an unnecessary expense and they need to be prepped. Be sure to lightly scotchbrite them and wash them good before use. You definitely want to dam the cutout in the case. I like the deep pans and use the 700 filter or a sump feeder that you can make from copper tubing. I dam the cutout even on a deep pan setup. Other than that you should be set.

Ah, I see your low support puller in one of the pics, so you are rebuilding it yourself. I assume you've done your research then. What all are you planning for the internals? Since you are using the stock pan, be sure to "dam" the cutout in the case where the park linakge goes through with some sheetmetal to limit fluid slosh out of the pan on accel.

Warren, What is the power output (approx) of your engine setup? Reason I ask is because of the stock servo installed on the side of your 200-4R. Not only stock but it looks like a stock low performance servo based on the cover configuration. The 86-87 Buick GN's had a larger servo, commonly known as the "694" servo because of the 694 number on the cover that can be read from the outside. It was a larger diameter servo that provided greater clamping force the 2nd gear band. The 2nd gear band is one of the weak points of the 200-4R but is easily upgraded during the rebuild to a much better unit (Alto Red Eagle wide band). The servo also must be upgraded for any type of power. The stock GN servo seems to work well up to about the 400 HP/TQ mark, and then an aftermarket billet servo is required. Just based off the pic I would suggest upgrading the servo (the billet will look good too ) There are some other tricks out there with the servo that could possibly have been done but it's pretty unlikely.