m6 to 4l80e questions
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: Central PA
m6 to 4l80e questions Hi guys. I apologize in advance if this has been talked about and I'm sure it has. Just looking for some info/advice for this swap. I currently own an 02 camaro and am looking for options on this build. I was going to just have tick build my t56 and go that route, but am considering a 4l80 swap. Years ago I swapped in a hughes built th350 in my blown 95 firebird and it worked really well, minus not having overdrive. 4l80 seems to be a much better route to go, but I dont know much about this swap. What all am I needing for this? Should I find a used one or buy one already built from a reputable dealer? My car will see the track a few times a year, but is mainly driven on the street. Not a daily driver but sees a good many miles when the weather is nice. This car will be getting some decent power in the future with a blower and built motor. Shooting for a 10sec car, probably in the 600 hp range. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Any tips on where to buy and what I need. Thanks ahead of time!!
You'll need a trans, converter, dip stick, cross member, drive shaft, shifter, tuning, and wiring to get the trans in and operational. I believe on the f bodys you also have to clearance the trans tunnel a bit to fit an 80e in. As far as where to get one, not much help there. Either way you'll want to build it, so I'd see what a local guy wants to build one and see what kind of reputation they have, then call a few of the mail order builders and forum vendors and then go with whom you feel comfortable with. By the time you find a rebuildable core and have it built by someone local, (which does make it easier if you ever have an issue you can take it local and not ship it off) it's probably a wash cost wise.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-cla...eat-deals.html seems to be a pretty good deal on an 80e and controller.
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TECH Junkie
Joined: Jul 2015
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No. Only thing you will need to do, if you want your speedo to work is, tie vss into the front wheel sensor. And if you are using the same size wheels all around.....you won't even need to touch the computer.
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Are you sure? Its been atleast 10 years since we did that on a 4th gen but going off memory I had to change the speedo setting alot when we used the front wheel.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3,012
Likes: 48
As long as the circumference of the front tire is the same as what was used in the rear, no changes should be necessary. I just did this to my car a few months ago.
This how I did it. I had to change the gear ratio.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...350-th400.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...350-th400.html
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: Central PA
Interesting guys. So I wont need any type of controller if I'm running a manual valve body and nothing done to the computer? And just use one of the front wheel speed sensors as my speedo sensor?
TECH Junkie
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3,012
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Yup, and it will be easier to use the driver side sensor. But again, this is ONLY if the front tires are the exact same circumference as the rear. If not, then you will need to adjust.
I was just looking for such a topic. I'd heard about the 4L80E over the past few years and started looking for one in 'working' shape. Found one a week or two ago. Came out of a wrecked 97-98 Chevy Pickup with 115,000 miles on it. Right now, I still have the transbraked built TH350 using a PTC torque converter, which put me at 10.6 in the quarter with a 1.5 sixty foot on street tires when I was still dialing it in. That got me kicked off the track (no roll cage, no single layer fire jacket). Now, I want to enjoy it on the freeways again so I'm contemplating my options. No matter what, it's going to be a manual valve body w/Transbrake. I'm not sure if you need to modify the trans tunnel if you're not using the harness connector on the tail shaft. We'll see.
What I'm really curious about is if I can just buy the rebuild kit and install it successfully. There's videos on youtube that make it seem straight forward, but I don't know how comprehensive the instructions are about what seals/O-rings go here versus there. I'm about to order the transbrake/manual valve body now. I've been an engine mechanic since my late teens and I've rebuilt several manual transmissions but every time I pull the pan off an automatic and see those hundreds of 'worm holes' and the mazes (btw - Who was the first person to design those paths?! Lol...) I usually put the pan back on and call the trans shops.
What I'm really curious about is if I can just buy the rebuild kit and install it successfully. There's videos on youtube that make it seem straight forward, but I don't know how comprehensive the instructions are about what seals/O-rings go here versus there. I'm about to order the transbrake/manual valve body now. I've been an engine mechanic since my late teens and I've rebuilt several manual transmissions but every time I pull the pan off an automatic and see those hundreds of 'worm holes' and the mazes (btw - Who was the first person to design those paths?! Lol...) I usually put the pan back on and call the trans shops.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,615
Likes: 1,327
From: Iowa
If you're putting an 80e in a car that already has a 411 pcm, it makes 0 sense to me to go with a manual valve body, and try to butcher up the wiring by trying to use the front speed sensor and then being stuck with having to have comparable tire size.
You can buy an adaptor harness for a 60e to an 80e, you can buy standalone harnesses, you can just wire a harness in yourself...none of them are terribly hard.
You can get a mail order tune for the segment swap of the trans and it will work fine.
Use both speed sensors, use the stock pcm, update the wiring to match the 80e, get a tune to control the 80e via the stock computer, then physically get all the mechanical bits lined up.
And to clarify using the front speed sensor, if you are thinking about doing a hack job...the front tire needs to be whatever tire size the tune already thinks the rear tires were, and the rears must match the front, and you need to keep the same rear gear ratio.
You could tune the pcm to have a 1:1 rear gear ratio, and whatever tire size your front tire is...if you want to use the front sensor
or just do it the right way and use the sensor on the trans
You can buy an adaptor harness for a 60e to an 80e, you can buy standalone harnesses, you can just wire a harness in yourself...none of them are terribly hard.
You can get a mail order tune for the segment swap of the trans and it will work fine.
Use both speed sensors, use the stock pcm, update the wiring to match the 80e, get a tune to control the 80e via the stock computer, then physically get all the mechanical bits lined up.
And to clarify using the front speed sensor, if you are thinking about doing a hack job...the front tire needs to be whatever tire size the tune already thinks the rear tires were, and the rears must match the front, and you need to keep the same rear gear ratio.
You could tune the pcm to have a 1:1 rear gear ratio, and whatever tire size your front tire is...if you want to use the front sensor
or just do it the right way and use the sensor on the trans