at what power level do most guys run into problems with their 4l60,s?
i plan on doing H/C to my TA with the ocational 125 shot and a pair of drag radials.
will a 3800 stall and tuning "strengthen" the trans at all? how about a manual valve body and ratchet shifter with a trans cooler?
im trying to have a strong 4l60 without spending close to 2 grand for a rock on. is it possible?

 

Short answer, no.

Cheap and strong 4L60E don't go together. You gotta pay to have it done right.

 

Strong and 4l60e shouldnt be used in the same sentence....

I would atleast do a Trans-go hd2 shift kit... and trans cooler (A MUST) servos, etc..

A guy on ebay I have dealt with SERVERAL times is a great seller..

His name is Oregonperformancetransmission

I would also get a zinc seperator plate, accumulator pistons, foward cluth piston..

He has all of those parts and the total would be around 300 for all of that, and around 200 for installation.... So for around 500 you can be ok for a while...

 

I would just go ahead and spend the money on a Rock_on, save you money in the long run.

 

However, with all of those things done to mine it lasted for around 1 1/2 years with a whipple, and then twin turbos... Then BLEW UP.....

 

2000 dollars sounds like the best deal you are going to get considering a shift kit is only increasing wear and any upgrades that would improve the durability of this trans would require a total rebuild.

 

for around 300-400 in parts you can build one hell of a 4l60 but you pay someone to do it and your adding on another 200 or so. i'm building a 4l60e out a 94 z-28 and will have it completely built for less than $400 and i guarantee it'll hold 450 horsepower all day everyday for several years.

 

if i have a 4l60 with 65k on it what would be the most important internal parts i would need to replace/upgrade to make a reasonabley strong trans?

i know i want to get at least a 3800 stall, and a trans cooler, either a shift kit or tune, and probably a deeper trans pan.

i understand a manuel valve body wont strengthen the trans at all but using one would it replace anything that would be prone to failing?

 

i'd put in a beast sunshell, new sprags, all new clutches and steels, new band, all new seals, a trans-go shift kit and corvette servo. i'd check the electronic components but at 65k you should be ok with reuseing the originals. bushings and bearings are cheap for these so doing those isn't a bad idea the bushings should be ok but if its built to perform behind any motor at all then you will want to have things in tip-top shape. there are other things like pinless accumulator pistons that you might want to look into as well.

 

Don't forget about the 5 pinion planetaries and hardened reaction tube!

 

for your sake, i hope it lasts years.
i think at 450 wheel power, you are gonna abuse the 2-3 clutch pack in there before you know it.

 

there is no 2-3 clutch pack. you have a forward clutch (on in all forward gears) and a 3-4 clutch. the 2-3 shift is basically consists of the band releasing and the 3-4 clutches applying. I'm going to sell it when its ready and I don't think it'll be in anything that powerful but I believe it will handle that kind of power for along time.

 

you are correct. i call it a clutch pack, redneck terms i guess. i was thinking about sloppy shifts from 2-3, but it is the 3-4 clutches.
i still dont think they will handle all day every day abuse with that much power, but thats just me.

 

i got to thinking about it and your probably talking rwhp and I'm thinking flywheel #'s which is the way gm rates a transmission's power handling ability. its basically 360 rwhp which isn't too far out there. i may be a little under rating it at that.

 

I say dump the 4L60E, either 4L80E if you feel you absolutely need OD, or TH350 or 400 and stop worrying about "is today the day?" I had my stocker crap on me (however it took way mad abuse for well over 600 passes with the bottle spraying thru shifts, so it was a good one) and then had a Race built trans crap on me after 125 or so passes. TH350 now and even driving it from Long Beach to S. Arizona, over 600 miles I didnt sweat it. At or over 20mpg with 3.50 gears and stock size tires and a super inefficient 4000stall. Enjoy.

Charlie

 

ive thought about a turbo350 but i have two 4l60 now. one in my car and a new (10k) one sitting in the garage thats why i wanted to build one up. i could build the new one while keaping the one in the car until i was ready to do the swap and have no down time.
do any of you know if i were to order a 4l80 could i send them a 4l60 as a core?

 

do the 4l60e and the 4l80e share the same case?

 

no not even close to the same.