GNCLONE

I currently have a 4L60 behind my LQ9. This is the second stock tranny that has started to slip. I'll admit I do a lot of "testing" so I am not gentle on transmissions.

I am on a tight budget, I have a choice of a new, mildly rebuilt turbo 350 the company says it is good for 400 hp. Price is right at a grand without converter. There is a local shop here that will go through my 4L60 with a mild stall converter for $1500. They seemed to believe it will hold what my motor puts out which is 415/415 or so.

What do you think?

frassetto

Maybe check out Craigslist, look for a core 4L80E (should be around $100-150), then call the same tranmission shop thats going through your 4L60E and see how much they want to rebuild the 80. Seems like people with the 80's are extremely happy and they can hold serious power.

JWStevens

iTrader: (1)

Those prices seem a little high. Around here a TH350 goes for around 500 with no core. 400HP isn't really a lot for a TH350 to handle. I would hate to lose the OD if I drove it very much though. The 80 is def tough. If I was gonna go to a 3-speed and was trying to save money I'd get a TH400 and forget about it.

wav3form

iTrader: (1)

Aren't the 4l80s a pain to install?

DarkFox118

iTrader: (7)

needs a converter harness, 80e compatible flexplate, 80e driveshaft and 80e crossmember.


and a tune. Thats' all I really know of?

Doesn't seem any worse than trying to put anything else in your car.

Also, I have a TH350 in my garage that needs a rebuild if you're interested. I can't ship it tho.

Jake's Performance

iTrader: (2)

Anybody that is selling a TH350 for $500 core inclusive, is selling JUNK.
First of all that would not be in any way upgraded, second of all, it takes 2-4 cores to build one good unit anymore if you are building a decent unit, third, it takes over $250 worth of parts assuming you have a good pump, case, etc. to build one.

The $500 TH350 is done by crackheads looking for their next hit.

JWStevens

iTrader: (1)

Well, I'm building a 700 right now and I paid 104 for a raybestos master kit, 48 for a z-pac, 90 for a beast shell and a superior shift kit, and 38 for a pump vane and rotor kit. A TH350 is cheaper than that. I don't run TH350's because they take too much to keep them together, but besides you do realize we're talking about only 400HP here right? I pay 50 dollars for TH350 cores and my trans guy is sitting right here and he said he gets 500 to build one and that includes cutting the direct drum and adding a clutch and a shift kit. He said 400 for a stock TH350, but he is smoking a rock right now too so..... I'm not trying to agrue just telling you what it cost here in podunk mississippi.

charlie_gonzales

iTrader: (12)

Another vote for a 4l80e

I've got one I will end up putting in my project

Jake's Performance

iTrader: (2)

A 400 HP TH350 still needs to be properly assembled. It doesn't really need any extra clutches. It does need two roller clutches, a master kit, a band, filter, bushing kit, thrust washer kit, hardened sprag race, etc. About $200 minimum in parts at my pricing. If you tear down a TH350 core, on average it will need a pump and half the time the case itself is shot. Like I said 2-4 cores for one DECENT rebuild to select a decent case, hopefully a good pump, a direct drum that's not grooved from the pump stator, a decent sun shell, and a decent set of planets. At your $50 per core that's $100-200 in core costs. Let see, I like to actually clean parts and cases, so we have shop costs for solvent, heat, detergent, etc.
Plus other shop expenses and labor.
$500 TH350 is for someone who either needs the practice and does it for free or is somehow cutting a corner. In other words, JUNK.

JWStevens

iTrader: (1)

You know I really hate to get into the typical arguing like every other thread on the damn internet which only ***** this guy's thread up and he gets nothing out of it so if you want to keep going, you can leave the last post after this one and say WHAT-EVER you want to say about me and all of the crack head transmission guy who work cheaper than you. If you want to keep arguing you can PM me and we'll just argue until you feel like you've made me give up or whatever it is you're trying to do. I called the other 3 transmission shops (crack heads I'm sure) in Vicksburg, MS. And these are the quotes I was given: S and S transmission said 350-400 for a STOCK bench build; A-tech transmission said 500; and Junior Mc'kay said 350-400. All of these are with customer supplied trade in cores and warranties. A-tech told me they keep TH350's on the shelf with a shift kit and a stock style converter for 650 with a trade in, and it doesn't matter what the cores condition is. I get that these are stock transmissions but upgrades would just be the additional cost of said parts. Call 411 and get there numbers if you think I'm just talking. Sorry for ******* up your thread man! I'm done...

slow67

iTrader: (2)

I went thru 2 of those "$500 Th350s" that all blew up behind a WORE the hell out 283. Finally put a stone stock junk yard th350 out of a 78 Camaro (without even a shift kit) and it lived 3 times longer than any of the others. It was still working fine when I pulled the car apart.

GNCLONE

Thanks for the opinions - I have a lot to think about.

I run a carburetor so there is no ecm and consequently any "computerized" tranny is going to set me back even more b/c of the need for a stand alone computer (I am on a tight budget).

I've had some bad luck with automatic transmissions and don't have the tools or know-how to go through one myself. Back in 2005 I had a 5.0 Mustang with maybe 300 hp - a trans shop rebuilt the AOD for $1000 and it lasted about 6 months.

mrvedit

“There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.” John Ruskin

I know that Jake participates on many forums (he has over 8000 posts on just the NastyZ28 Camaro forum), I read the transmission posts on these forums and everyone who has ever bought a trans from him has posted being very happy with the performance and the PRICE!

If a "bargain" transmission breaks (and it likely will in a performance application), it will cost $400 to remove/install, $200 to repair the torque converter, the parts and labor to replace the trans oil cooler, plus of course the price of another transmission. And according to Murphy's law, it will leave you stranded on your first date with a new girl, in a stormy night either in the middle of nowhere or in a bad part of town. I prefer to SAVE money and aggravation by paying a bit more for a quality product. Hey, just my opinion.

Jake's Performance

iTrader: (2)

I build these every day for a living, I employ a handful of other builders as well. I SEE and KNOW the issues with rebuilding them. I don't have to call around to see what the best price is or to know what it takes to build one. That's what I'm an expert at. Not some guy on a forum that thinks he actually knows something.
I think a TH350 is a great unit, usually underestimated, and would be a really nice unit to build IF it wasn't for the fact that the newest unit in the core pile is 26 years old, and the newest non-lockup is 33 years old. Most have seen a gazillion miles, several rebuilds (usually by the shortcut crew), and in general are just worn out not to mention some inherent design flaws that accelerates wear on certain areas.

The hack crew will throw a $1 "case saver" in the low support of the worn out case and call it good. Then a 350 HP combo or even a heavy one will blow the case out.
That's IF the pump isn't so shot that it will actually make the 160 psi of pressure it was intended to stock or anywhere close to it.
The worn out planetaries most builders will re-use, we don't. We also don't use the bell-mouthed sun shells, direct drums with grooves worn in the bore, or damaged pump stator.

The TH350 is a somewhat labor intensive unit to do right (they all are) but when I mean RIGHT, I mean replacing ALL the bushings. Remember how old the newest unit is.... It will need bushings, all of them, plus some extras and upgraded ones, they don't have a solid center support like a TH400. One of the inherent design weaknesses.

I'm not going to teach an idiot anything here, an idiot will believe what they want to, build it how they want to, or buy the low cost leader and wonder why the pan is full of bushing material in 1000 miles. The intelligent reader will understand that there is a real cost to properly building a transmission, especially when the core supply is 30+ yrs old and the biggest cost may not be the parts involved to do it, but the cores themselves.

Vince B

iTrader: (1)

I did a stock build TH350 for a friend of mine a few months back that was just wore out front to back. By the time I was done and called in a couple of favors from my local hard parts guys I had almost $500 in it. This included a case, pump, drum and a planet IIRC. Then included in this money out of pocket was a master kit, two roller clutches, bushing kit, filter, modulator, hardened int. race, boost sleeve and some other miscellaneous parts. So if the OP was quoted a $1000 this is a screaming deal providing they are doing most of this. You can make a "free mod shift kit" for these units to save a few bucks and most builders with any age know how to do this. I can see it being done for $1000 but there is not much room for any profit here. For the guys charging $500 for a th350 in some cases this might be to just get you in the door. When they get it apart that price might go up. Just an observation but I do know 20 years ago we always opened up units to make sure the case was good before even exchanging a unit on the th350 and th400 units. With the age of these units I personally would quote a bench rate plus parts.

S4885.3

Turbo 400