I am working on a build with a 5.3 lsx and a 4l60e transmission.
The motor is a gen 3 and I think the transmission is around 97. It is a single piece case and has the PWM stamping on it.

The converter that I got with the transmission is a short stub version similar to what I think you would get with a 700r4 and would need a adapter for installing on a gen 3 motor.
Now I also have a converter that came with the 5.3 and it appears to slide on to the 4l60e and has the longer stub so it shouldn't need an adapter.

Would this converter work with this transmission? Is it missing something even though is seems to slide on correctly?

 

No, the converter that came with any LS engine will NOT work with the LT-style '97 transmission. Your picture confirms it is an LT-style 4L60E.
You will need the crank spacer or the pilot extender on the LT-style converter. You likely need to elongate the converter holes in the flexplate too.

 

Thank you for the reply.

Out of curiosity, what on the LS converter makes it not work with the LT trans?

 

The LT-style and LS-style 4L60E have completely different input shafts which means the drive spines inside the converters are different too.

 

Must be the spline length or something. The LS converter seemed to slide on as far as the LT one and spun by hand the same. Or maybe the small spline section wasn't engaged.

 

Look at the pics in post #2:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...s1-4l60-e.html

That shows you how radically different the LT and LS style input shafts are.

We recently had a thread where a good mechanic unknowingly put an LT-style converter on an LS-style trans and couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't move. I had him remove the trans and disassemble the pump and check other things. Took him a while to figure out that he somehow had the wrong style converter.

 

Thank you, that makes sense now.

One other question, do these adapters just align the stub to crank for bolting to the flywheel? Or do they see load during operation?

 

The sleeve just extends the pilot on the converter so that it is properly centered and supported. It sees no load. I would use red Loctite on it so that it doesn't get loose and vibrate.