ls1guy1968

Alright so here's the setup I'm planning on 5.3 lm7 ported ls6 heads ls6 or very little bigger the one with like a .566 lift or something and a gto intake my question is will a 4l65e or 4l60e be able to hold up to the power/torque online they say the 60 is only a 360 lb rating and the 65 is 400 but the 60 is behind the new ls3 camaros if I'm not mistaken
Eventually I will build one up really nice but for now all stock no stall or anything any help would be very appreciated guys
Also since no one answered this in my other post a camaro ls1 waterpump will fit on a lm7 correct? Just making sure thanks!

74novacustom

Can it, Yes.. Will it. who knows. They can be built with big money to hold a ton of power. but for how long. I had 1500 into mine and broke the input shaft within 3k miles.

71monte-carlo

Good question, I'm thinking of sticking with my th350. I can get a 4l60e for 500 but don't know if it'll hold up. I may be good either way tho cuz I'm staying stock

superdave84

The automatic GTOs that came with the LS2 had 4L60es and they are 405 hp stock.

cobalt964

4l80e will hold up.

BLK02WS6

iTrader: (2)

I would go with a 4L80E myself...

HexenLord

I went with the 80e. If it'll withstand a turbodiesel truck, it should withstand a 5.3.

bczee

iTrader: (12)

Yeah.. the 4L80e will hold up.. but back to the question..

Yes but it depends on how much you plan to throw at it and how long you expect it to last. There are some weakness that can be done as upgrade to help take the increase power. The Sun Shell is one of the weak point that tends to strip out under power. Clutch pack and many more.. Also adding a B&M or Trans-go shift kit will help it take a beating.

BC

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

I agree with Bczee.

4L60E's are quite reliable with moderate power and even longer if you aren't drag racing. All the 1500 trucks and any 2500 non HD truck received the 4L60E, not to mention the F-Body, Y-Body and GTO's representing the performance contingent.

The main enemy of a transmission is heat and sloppy (soft factory) shifting which builds heat. Invest in a good cooler and keep the transmission temps below 185 - 190 degrees and it will live a long time. I've been using the same junkyard transmission with a GM remanufactured sticker on it since I built my Thunderbird and I drive that car like I stole it on a daily basis. The only thing I've done is use a junkyard plate / fin style cooler from an HD truck and install a new filter before I installed the transmission.

The 4L80E is a heavy duty (plus large and heavy) beast which might require tunnel modification or fabrication on many car chassis.

wayfastwhitey08

the builder and components involved in the build have alot to do with how well it will hold up.

that being said...

my cousin's 08 ccsb with a 5.3 had a 3-4 failure at 50k, covered under warranty, rebuilt by GM

second failure right after 100k. rebuilt by a local shop with shift kit and unnamed upgraded clutch packs, sun shell etc.

the truck only had a hand-held tune and was stock, however it did continually see trailer duty. roughly every other day to every third day, usually just a 16' tandem with various debris trips to the landfill.

with that information in mind, you should know it was rebuilt probably another 10 or 11 times, just about every three to six thousand miles until it was retired at about 170k on the clock. all under the builder's warranty until the truck was "stolen" from the builder's shop before the builder could rebuild it again.

truck destroyed sun shells, clutch packs, everything inside and out. even cracked a case once and even had the TCM replaced, rewired and reflashed multiple times.

yeah, it should have went to a different shop but the ordeal was to make the builder get it right, and so long as the warranty is still active, if the turn around is one to three days, then it wasn't a huge loss of time.

truck was recovered after it was stolen, but that's not the point of this long winded response.

my mother's 03 xcsb 4.8 sierra has had the transmission out once for a loss of all forward gears, and that was probably 10k ago and it's pushing 200, and it lived a very similar life to the 08 for at least the first 150k (it was originally my cousin's)

you win some, you lose some.

oldgoat69

I guess it all depends on the use of the car. You never stated which body you are using. A 4L60E will go where a TH400 came out with very little effort. Granted a 4L80E is much tougher but much larger, so you should take that into account. So far the 4L60E I am using performs quite well behind a blown 6.0.

cobalt964

I have built a 60e with the "goodies" and for the price you should just start with a 80e. the 60 I built I used a beast sun shell, Torrington bearings, Kevlar clutches, hd monster billet servos for 12 and 34, extra wide Kevlar band for overdrive, gm hd 5 gear planetary, hardened main shaft, so on... so on... sure it took the abuse, but I had 2grand in parts in the thing not counting labor.

ls1guy1968

I'm just trying to make it last for maybe 3 or 4 years hopefully. It's going behind a 68 mustang believe it or not but I will eventually go to the 80 when money allowd

74novacustom

I purchased a 4L60E for 300. Put 1500 into it. 3k on it broke the input shaft on a 380ish hp daily driver.that was another 450. then lost some forward gears not to long after.

THen swapped everything over to a TH400 for strength for 800. Ended up smoking that one too, But this was crappy builder related.

THen spent big money on a Hughes TH400 with custom converter and LS flexplate. Works amazing but lost real driveability.

Now i just bought a low mileage 4L80E for 420. that will hold a ton of power with a cheap shift kit and make it fun to drive.

Just do it once.. 4L80E

Heavychevy87

Agreed sir! I've thought about going that route

ls1guy1968

I would like to go to the 80 but I'm concerned about it fitting in the tunnel. People say on here that the 60e is about the same size as a th350 which my dad ended up having lying around and it fit nicely into the mustan tunnel how much larger with and height is the 80 not as concerned about cutting compared to having it too low

rkreigh

RPM built me a 4L65E tranny rated for 800 at the tire. been holding up very well for 3 years of pretty steady street abuse with sticky RA1 tires and hoosier drag radials

couple tips. when you hammer the car, leave it in D, the hard up shifts from 3rd to 4th and even worse downshifts from 4th to 3rd are hard on it.

don't "60 ft the car" much lower than 1.6 or so depending on weight.

for sure watch the tranny temp.

the 4L65E can be built even stronger, but the price tag gets pretty extreme!

tranny programming has alot to do with it as mentioned. sloppy "soft" shifts can clobber the tranny.

I've been VERY happy with the work done by RPM. many other good builders too. I wouldn't ask a stocker to do it though, you'll be rebuilding it soon enough if you do.

not nearly as beefy as the 480LE, but it doesn't add as much weight or soak up as much HP to drive it either!