CarsandWomen

iTrader: (19)

Im looking at a 4L80e conversion, im planning on pulling one out of a junk yard and having Circle D clean and inspect, install transgo hd2 kit and a pro tree brake, possibly with a RMVB. But i dont want to have them open it up and tell me it needs a full rebuild

how many of you guys have done this, what did you do, and how did it turn out? what type of tranny was it etc. etc.

Jays_SSZ28

iTrader: (2)

I pulled a 1999 4L80E out of a Chevy 3500HD tow rig. It had a six digit odometer that read 60,1?? miles.

Put it in my truck and it ran fine, just had no reverse.
I pulled it apart and found a cracked reverse servo piston, bad wear on the bushings, especially the center support bushing. That caused the input shaft tip to wear two grooves where it goes into the forward drum. It also had 500+ psi in reverse.

I put a bushing kit in it, a used forward drum, new boost valve, new rear band, used reverse servo with a longer pin. I replaced the spring steel cushion plates in fwd and direct with th400 style waved steel, added a friction to direct.
Everything else was like new and reused.
It's now in a 3500 dually with a 454 and has been driven fully loaded and towing a camaro 2600 miles, without the car 2600 miles, various short trips loaded and a lot of other time totalling approx 30,000 miles and it's still working great.

Last month I bought another 1999 for $200 just because it was a good deal.
This one had a spun bushing in the forward drum that ate up the drum, and it had a few direct frictions pitted. I sold that one as a rebuildable core for $550.

fastfishel

Anytime you buy at a junk yard it is luck of the draw. I love buying at yards. But I have bought trannys and took them home and they were trashed and I have got them and put them in and ran for years. Most reputable yards will give you a 30 day warranty but to know what your getting without a tear down all you can do is pull the pan. If you know what you are looking for you will have a good idea after you look at fluid, pan magnet, and debris in pan and fluid. Hope that helped you.

L-EATER

iTrader: (2)

I am in the process of building a 4l80 I got from the boneyard. It is a 1997 model with unknown miles. Upon pulling the pan I immediately noticed the fluid was a little dark (not bad) but there was almost nothing on the pan magnet.

After tearing it down there is no question it was good enough to just put in and run but you really have no idea unless you tear it down. I did find a couple worn bushings and a bad bearing. My advice would be go ahead and have it rebuilt then you are done with it.

CarsandWomen

iTrader: (19)

^^^Id love to but that costs money lol, lots of money. Most people would say "ya gotta pay to play" but i work in Oil & Gas service and between Obama and BP that **** is a damn catastrophe, as a direct result of our idiot president im not getting many hours right now and my 4l60 is out of the car so im trying to sell it to upgrade

98_LS1

iTrader: (38)

I bought a 4l80e off a guy on craigslist. It was removed from a '01 van w/ over 160,000 miles on it that was wrecked. I purchased a rebuilt trans and brought that one in as a core. When they inspected it, they said it was the cleanest 4l80e core they had ever seen. They said it would have worked fine for sure. Luck of the draw I guess, but I was too scurred to just run it and risk possibly trashing my new FTI converter.

BODUKE

Maybe if those idiots at bp had not fucked up in the first place by causing the worst ecological disaster maybe you would have your hours.

CarsandWomen

iTrader: (19)

True, but it was bound to happen sometime for some damn reason now my hours are coming back with a vengeance, 60 hours this week and weve now got like 8 less parking spaces for all the parts lol. I just wish we knew why

BODUKE

Glad your hours have returned! A junk yard tranny should be gone through before running it.

robsquikz28

iTrader: (246)

I had a t56 from a junkyard with everything attached to it. I pulled everything to make it a complete kit. It was during cash for clunkers! I had it checked by my local trans guy, THE trans was perfect he said
Then I sold the complete kit for way more than I spent.....$250 total with inspection

01SuperSport

iTrader: (7)

You never know man it'll suck to get everything installed without opening the trans and not having it work

CarsandWomen

iTrader: (19)

oh ill open it, going to install a transgo HD2 and prob a T brake. I just dont wanna get one thats been destroyed

Photochop

iTrader: (74)

I might as well have. I bought a used 4L80 that had been rebuilt from a guy on here with a manual valvebody. All is well so far except that the gear selector shaft seal leaks like a SOB. I tried replacing it myself, couldn't get the thing out, and ended up taking it to a trans shop to be changed out correctly. Don't believe them when they say it doesn't leak a drop of fluid!

BaddillaK

iTrader: (13)

bought a 4l60e with 70 or 80k from a local yard for $500 and they pulled it. Put it my truck, all i did was change the fluid and filter. It handled a fullsize truck bolted and cammed for a while and traded it in like that. buy from a good yard and you'll probably have a good expierence.