Paddle Shifters
I was talking with my buddy today about F-bodies (as I'm trying and failing miserably to find an M6 in my budget range) and the auto trannys. Seems like I can find a dime a dozen auto cars, but very, very few M6 cars and the ones I do find are either 1: too expesive, 2: beat to hell and back, or 3: way out of my range of travel.
Anyway, in our discussion, I brought up the fact that I'd buy an auto car if I could make it paddle shifted (as I plan to take the car and learn to road-race through HPDEs). He told me it had been done. Maybe not on a 4th gen F-body, but definitely with the 4L60E trannys and the 4L80E trannys. He knows of 2 cars that have had it (he's driven one of them).
He mentioned TwistMachine and their paddle-shifting kit. You replace your steering wheel with a generic "racing" wheel and install the paddles behind it. Then you hook up a little converter box to the transmission and reprogram the car. Then you can use the paddles all you want.
If this system works, I might consider picking up a dirt-cheap LT1 auto car (which I know I can find in my price range) over trying to wait for an M6 car that might never appear.
Has anybody used this system or any other system like it before?
Thanks!

I'm looking for a road racing setup. Seems like you could do it with a 4L60E easily if you could just setup a paddle shifter setup. Looks like lots of guys have done it with old camaros and such. Why not do it on a 4th gen F-body?
http://www.tciauto.com/Products/Shifters/paddle/
You can use our TCU and paddle shifter, which will provide you with manual control of all gears without moving the shift lever.
The valve body isn't available to the general public yet, so call TCI and inquire about the engine braking 4L60E valve body.
Bob Harrison


