daxavier

Greetings. First of all, this will be my first post on LS1Tech. I've been on Camaro5 for a while. Most of my experience with builds has been cosmetics, audio/visual, and bolt-ons. I'm ready to take my projects to the next level. I have virtually no automotive mechanical experience (save for the regular maintenance type stuff) but am pretty handy mechanically in other areas.

I am looking to build the ultimate BOV. I built an 04' Nissan Frontier SC with no real plan, ending up with a really pretty, mildly functional wheeler. It is woefully bad on gas (10 around town, 13 if I baby it) and not very large in the way of storage. My next build will be as well researched as possible, and hopefully better as a DD. I am looking at the 89-91 K5 Blazers, as they are inexpensive, have solid axles, and are tough as nails. They come with large fuel cells, and a decent amount of space for storage. As I want a very resilient (read reliable) setup, I am looking to do an LS based swap. I have landed on the L33 as a great base engine. I plan to have the block honed and then rebuild it myself (between this site and some books I should be able to figure that part out). It will receive some minor upgrades: rockers, springs, Z06 cam, port/hone the heads, and a good tune. This brings me to my questions.

I am looking very hard at where I splurge weight-wise, as every pound I spend on the truck is one less pound of gear I can carry (or risk sacrificing fuel economy). I will already be saving weight with the 5.3l aluminum block. One place I am willing to spend some weight is a bullet proof transmission. The L33 was used with the 4l60e if I am not mistaken, but have read numerous posts about it being weak and laggy. I am looking at the 4l80e with some upgraded internals, as it is said to have O/D and is meant for much more power than the 5.3l. First of all, am I on the right track with the trans selection? Is the 4l60e really bad enough to avoid for longevity purposes? What does it take to mate the 4l80e to the L33? I could save some of the weight in the 4l80e by changing the torque converter. Any suggestions on a replacement converter? Any suggestions for a 4x4 transfer case behind the 4l80e? Is there a way to link the trans to the stock shifter, or do I need to add a floor shifter kit? I have searched extensively, and not found great answers to these questions. Any info you guys might have, or threads to check out would be greatly appreciated. Can't wait to say, "I built that," instead of "look what I had built."

Thanks again.

Rafedial

iTrader: (7)

I have an '05 L33 and 4L80E combo.
All I used was a 02+ GM 6.0L truck flexplate WITH the oem crank spacer that comes with it. You'll need longer crank bolts because of the spacer also.

My torque converter is stock OEM (~1200 stall). I did check the alignment of the converter-to-flexplate and had to add 0.125" spacers. Your combo may be slightly different here. Must measure this clearance before running.

I can get you some part # for this stuff...hold on...
GM Part #'s
Flexplate: 19260102 (new current #)
Spacer: 12563532
Longer crank bolts: 19257940 (need 6)

That's all I needed to put the 80E behind my L33, instead of the 60E.

daxavier

Thanks for the reply. Did you consider any other converters? I've read that there are lighter ones, and found a couple online, but I have no idea what any of the stall numbers mean. Are they related to the number of teeth on the back of the motor? If I knew what stall I should be looking for, I could better determine what makes sense. Also, did you upgrade and of the internals on the 4l80e? Should I?

Rafedial

iTrader: (7)

I did not consider any aftermarket converters. This was a budget build/swap for my 94 Camaro. The stall numbers/rpms refer the point the converter is hydraulically coupled to the trans/pressure is highest. You will typically by a higher stall converter if you engine makes most of it's power in the the higher rpm range and using it for racing duty. Offroading/crawling rigs will typically use a lower stall converter.

The internals of my 4L80e are just a stock type replacement. I did use a Transgo Hd-2 shift kit, and their valve actuator repair mod. 80E are solid trans even with stock internals.

Black98s10

With the 4L80E being a electronically operated trans and your truck not being setup for it, you will have to run a standalone wiring system for the trans. You might be able to snag the whole wiring system out of a salvage truck, adapt the engine/trans harness to your truck.