forcd ind

iTrader: (7)

i have a 2004 lq4, and one of the bolt holes is not drilled-its the p/s upper bolt hole-some trannies have a prov. for the center upper bolt, but my 4l80e doesnt, so i prob. should have that missing hole drilled & tapped
is their a reason for not drilling that hole, maybe goes into a passage oor something? if i didnt drill it, it would only leave 2 bolts in the tranny on the p/s, and 3 (normal) on the d/s

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

It is the hole that is right below the passenger side head right??? If that is the one you are talking about do NOT drill it, you will hit piston. I`m not really sure what you should do, I don`t know if it would be OK to drill the top center of the trans? I don`t think having only 2 bolts on the pass side will be a problem anyway.

5150mechanic

iTrader: (6)

I think if you ran the newer 4l80e converter cover then it will have the other two bolts that tie in the oil pan, a little extra support,,, but yes,, I think five bolts alone should be fine.

G-Body

iTrader: (4)

I know that the quartermile guys who swapped to th350/400`s are running with 5 bolts.

jay_lt4

iTrader: (4)

5 bolts is ok, running mine for 2 yrs now

BLWN1

iTrader: (6)

What size are the bolts?

jsmcortina

On my LM7 the bolts are M10 standard pitch.

I'm also concerned about running only 5 bolts - won't the tech inspector pick me up on having a bolt missing from the flex plate shield? It is only held on by 3 bolts. Naturally I'm not allowed to modify it to include additional brackets for the lower bolts.

James

dmracing

iTrader: (78)

You'll be fine the engine has no provision for this.

billyflantos

iTrader: (6)

I've hauled a$$ with 5 bellhousing bolts and 4 lug nuts............

TJ

iTrader: (10)

dont buy hardware store bellhousing bolts. the heads are TOO LARGE.
you can buy either car (13mm head) or truck(15mm head) from the dealer for a couple bucks a piece.

Pop N Wood

iTrader: (1)

Places like Mc Master Carr sell allen head bolts that work also.

Hotrod406

iTrader: (6)

I just drilled the missing one on my LQ4 and it doesn't hit the piston. It hits the head bolt hole. It's way at the bottom though, so it won't be a problem.

Go ahead and do it if you want to.

jsmcortina

How deep is the hole before you hit the bolt?

James

Hotrod406

iTrader: (6)

about an inch or so. The heads are off so I can see exactly where the hole goes.

TJ

iTrader: (10)

pics? ive never seen this done. doubt it needs that extra bolt. years of street miles and racing has proven 5 work. if not, GM wouldnt have eliminated the bolt in the 1st place.

jfg455

iTrader: (5)

You don't have any fluids coming out of the hole? I've heard of people getting oil out of the hole after drilling it and/or anti freeze.

knievel

iTrader: (11)

By looking at my engine with the heads off it looks as though it will run into a water jacket in the block if you were to drill it

jfg455

iTrader: (5)

+1 Thats what I was thinking......

jsmcortina

They added the top one in its place though. My 4L80E doesn't have the top hole (and nor does the flexplate shield.)

I think I'll hold off drilling until I have my engine apart. Even say a 10mm deep hole and a short bolt would add a little more support and stop the scrutineer from asking questions. I'm only aware of 2-3 LS engines being drag raced in the UK, so they probably don't know about the 5 bolt issue.

James

Hotrod406

iTrader: (6)

Why do I need to post pics? It's a hole with threads in it.

The main reason I did was so my engine stand would work better. I'll put some thread sealant on that bolt when I put the motor in. I'm not too worried about it. I agree that it's not needed. I ran 5 bolts on my bodydropped S10 because I couldn't reach one and I have 5 bolts in my Corvette because I didn't drill that one.