MeanWS6

After two years of trans problems (4L60e), I am about to go with a TH400. Guys have any regrets on the TH400? I am concerned about losing 4th gear at highway speeds . . .

HELP ME MAKE MY MIND UP - I have been going back and forth for too long and would like to drive the car again before I miss yet another season due to trans problems

black 2001Vette,Nightmare

My situation is very similar to yours...going on my 3rd rebuild. First stock tranny went out...then level 4 tranny went out...now the level 5 rebuild has gone out!!!

I'm going to try one last level 5 4L60E reduild, using a different tranny shop, and see if the results are any different. Haven't used this guy before, but after talking to him, and finding out he warrants his trannys for 1 year, as opposed to everyone else's 6 month warranty...I'm going to give it a shot!
If this one goes out on me too...I'm going to seriously consider switching to a TH400 my self! It's ridiculous to have all this engine work, and not be able to enjoy it!!!

I'll post the results after the six month trial period.
It'll be nice to have a tranny that lasts for more than 3 frigging months for a change!!!

Anyway, good luck on your search, mine's parked also...AGAIN...while the summer slips right on by.

BigBake

I don't think you will ever get the full potential of a motor with a 4L60E behind it. It just slips too much, everyone wants to throw out the power loss through a TH400 becuase of rotational mass, but I think the 4L60E is just as much if not more of a power loss because of slippage. I am sure the first few passes on them are great but eventually it starts going away. I got a TH400, and I am looking forward to the install, not looking forward to the loss of a gear.

Zduce4

I have had the hand in workin on a friends 4L60E and he is fed up and goin to a TH400 this wil be the 5th and final tranny hopefully screw the 4L60E

john kilgore

there is a th400 with the lowest rotating mass of any automatic trans.

chrdij

iTrader: (1)

Why not go with a 4l80e, its nothing but a th400 with od, minus the computer controls

nbm00ws6

iTrader: (4)

I've posted this before but don't know if you guys got a chance to see it. But I did some research on the cost and benifits of doing a built 4l60 compared to a 400 turbo. Rossler can build a 4l60e that will hold up, I see it every week in John Lawson's C-5 that has a Cartek 427 and cuts 1.4/60fts and has lasted now going on two years. Rossler can make one last but it's not cheap(ya get what you pay for with him). Now a 4l60 built to last/hold up to 500+rwhp will cost around $3500 to $5000. I went with a Rossler 400 turbo which included transbrake,reverse manual valve body,computer hook up for speedo,core charge,and deep pan for around $1500. I then bought a gearvenders overdrive unit for $2200 and installed it. So I now have the 400 turbo and it's ability to handle my forced induction car at the track and the od for those cruises into the country with the t-tops out. So the break down in cost was about the same abd the od unit is very nice and can handle 2000hp in it's stock form and can be modified to handle more if needed. My od works off a old time floor dimmer switch used to dim your headlights. When I want it in od I step on the switch and when I want the od off all I have to do is step on the switch again. There is a bunch of computer stuff you can use on the od unit to make it shift by itself but I don't need it for my use.
Tom

chpmnsws6

iTrader: (70)

what about a 4L80e ? have a beefier tranny and keep ur OD. now, will it fit?

zippy

4L80E is much heavier and takes more power to turn let alone quite a pain for a swap. i agree that you'll never get all out of your set up witha 4L60E, but then again you won't get all the fun of driving your car since you won't want to drive it as much with a th400. i'd rather have something a bit more drivable and work out the bugs. i do agree with the rossler part, i'm a big fan of their stuff and it seems to hold up well.

iateyourcat

Did you notice any HP loss with the GV and TH400? I have one in my SS and I'm only seeing 435HP at the wheels with a C5R 427 with new TEA heads & fast intake/TB.

theblur98ss

iTrader: (71)

I have a T400 and I do miss overdrive when I'm on the highway. I ended up swapping out the 4.11's for a set of 3.50's to ease the pain a bit. Other then that I have no regrets. I knew what I was getting into ahead of time. The positives outweigh the negatives in my mind.

MeanWS6

well, I posted this i another post, but here is what I decided to go with:
Now that this is out of the way, I am gonna work on designing my 427

Ok, after a hundred posts on the TH400 (thanks everyone , hopefully we can get a trans FAQ together ) I think I put together the “perfect” TH400 for my mods (see sig). Will be driven on the street, not daily but on the weekends or if I take her to work or something. Looking for better 60ft times and a trans I will NEVER have to replace again. Will also be spraying a 150shot.

PLEASE let me know your input, what you would change or add.

- TH400 with trans brake
- Manual valve body
- 34-element HD sprag
- 2.75 upgrade (or should I go with 3.00???)
- JW ultra bell
- Deep Pan
- TCI Flexplate
- B&M 24,000GVW cooler
- Gear Vendors OverDrive Unit (with this I will NOT need speedo kit??)
- 4000 stall (not sure what name brand, is this too much for spray)
- Custom driveshaft
- Lokar Dipstick
- Spohn Torque Arm
- Autometer Trans Temp gauge
- Autometer Pro Shift lite /w pills
- Cheetah SCS 70073B TURBO ACTION GM REVERSE GATE PLATE
- GM M6 console

I am I missing anything???

Fast SS on TNT

iTrader: (1)

Good list. Few things to add!
ARP Flexplate bolts
Billet input shaft
TH400 Transmission mount (Local parts store)
I used washers to mount the tranny on the crossmember evenly. Run a weld down them.
Deep Pan is fine, BE CAREFULL!
Custom Driveshaft (Denny's, Madman, Inland etc.)
28K GVW B&M tranny cooler (24 GVW works, but why not go bigger...cool tranny=long lasting tranny)
2.75 upgrade is fine
Match the TC to the cam you select/nitrous (3800-4000 works fine)
Gear Vendor is up to you, I would get one if I planned on driving the car a lot more then to the local hangout, or street races. Anything outside of town, and it goes on the trailer.
Can't go wrong with a Cheetah SCS...love mine, and the transbrake button is built in.

I got a kit from Madman Racing that was 90% complete of what I needed (shifter, gauge, tranny mount not included)
I also have braided tranny lines with AeroQuip fittings....looks nice, and is top notch quality!

Oh, and you asked about regrets? I regret how much abuse my front end is gonna get everytime I release the transbrake and carry the wheels.

BradWS6

iTrader: (3)

I couldn't be more happier with the TH400. I went through a few 4L60's. I race too much to not have something dependable. I'll get the Vendor overdrive unit in time, for I have 410 gears, and going on the highway is out of the question. "Big D" did the convertion. Here's what we used.

TCI TH400 W/Trans Brake
TCI 4000 Stall
TCI Flex Plate/ARP Bolts
BMR Cross Member
Cheetah Sifter
Stock Trans Dip Stick
Stock Console A4
Adams Custom Steal DriveShaft( Mc Henry, IL)
Alston Torque Arm (Antioch, IL)

Sorry about your trans. If you want to see my set up, let me know.

john kilgore

if you had a 3.00 in first you could run 3.5s in your rear end and have a 4.30 effective in first making your piece streetable?

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

I would go T400 or 4L80E if it's a recurring problem. We really need a 4L80E conversion sticky so we can figure out if the stock pcm can be tuned to control the 4L80E if you set it up as needed.

I had a number of good years with my FLP in my car when it was a flat 11.0 car @ 3600 raceweight... I never went 10's with it so it was never pushed that hard IMO.

With the new setup (10.3@136 shakedown) I went T400 and am running a 3.50 gear. Only other trans I would consider running in the mid 9's/low 10's range is a 4L80E. No way I would ever buy a $4-5K 4L60E.

MeanWS6

psj - I agree, and I suggested it a few times, that we should create a TH400, 4L80, etc swap FAQ sticky. As more and more of us are putting more HP down than even a built 4L60e can handle these swaps are becomming increasingly popular