02redchevy

I don't want to speak for Andrew, but for the price of something like this set up.. It may not be worth it. It's not "cheap" to do this swap due to the adaptors/computer. Your best bet is to source everything which really isn't that bad.

My 8hp70 was from the junkyard for 500 bucks
The adaptor I got from SLG
The shifter/computer came from turbolamik.us
Driveshaft(I know I need to get pictures of it, but I've been busy) came via Andrew from the Drive Shaft Shop(SUPER nice driveshaft)

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

No Sir. My motivation here is to expand my Holley EFI tuning business. I believe these transmissions are going to become the new "hot" swap in the next 10 years or more. My goal is to be the "go to" guy for anyone that wants to integrate the 8HP and the TurboLamik with Holley EFI. I work closely with Greg, who is the North American distributor for TurboLamik and he is also a dealer for Domiworks and various other supporting vendors. He would be the one to contact for a complete hardware solution.

The only products that I currently sell are custom dual CV driveshafts from The Driveshaft Shop. I do this mostly as a courtesy and convenience to my customers. In fact, the driveshaft for the 66 Fairlane got ordered today. That is the car seen in some of the earlier pictures and the one that has the Dart block 454ci LS in it.

Andrew

02redchevy

Just to update this. Car is still driving great! This thing from a roll on of like 30-110 or so is a beast compared to the 4l80e it replaced. Having 3.00 and the OD of 0.67 is pretty freaking sweet on the highway and makes it a REALLY nice cruiser compared to 3.73s and the 4l80.
1st gear is still pretty low.. I will say it is nice taking off in it just to get the car rolling and then short shifting into 2nd. Automatic mode is working, I just didn't realize it wanted to see like 2200rpm before it shifted and it makes it feel like you're going pretty darn fast due to the gear spacing and if you're used to a 4l80e that shifted at like 1200rpm
I did screw around with the transbrake. One of the big things is it's currently connected to the brake pedal light(you can turn this off, I haven't yet). Well... when it's connected to that brake pedal light, so is the holley DBW so I get 10% max throttle LOL so BUT it did feel like it was working!

02redchevy

I really can't wait to see that car finished! It makes me want to go big cubed LS instead of a blown 6.0. I'll be watching your Godzilla swap closely as that might be something too
Car's name is "bastard child"
GM engine, mopar transmission, and a ford rear end

GPZ

So im building a 1975 Datsun 280Z with an all-aluminum performance 5.3L LS and a turbo. The rear end has a built IRS Ford 8.8 with 3.73 gears and an Eaton posi. Initially, I chose a 4L80E transmission for its power-handling capability and fitment with slight modifications in the trans tunnel. However, the 4-speed configuration isn’t ideal.



I’m now considering the 8HP transmission for its benefits: better fitment, lighter weight, more gears, fast shifting , trans lock, Modern and the ability to use a single aftermarket controller (MaxxECU) for both ECU and TCU. As Despite these advantages, some older experts have raised concerns. They claim "the steep first gear of 8-speed transmissions could be dangerous in a light car like mine and may cause issues with my rear end setup ,along with gearing etc.."



Im 22 , this is my first Ground up Build as I don’t know the Specifics as far as gearing behind transmissions and whether or not going with the 8HP is good on my end . My question is: Are there any valid concerns with pairing the 8HP transmission with my engine and differential build, or would it complement my setup? The benefits seem clear, but I want to ensure I'm making the right choice . Thanks for the advice!

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

Looks like you have the makings of a great build. So is your question regarding using 1st gear in a ZF? As far as I can tell, 1st gear is reserved for trucks and all cars take off in second gear.

Andrew

GPZ

Basically , Im just making sure going this route with the 8hp is right . Because like I said other car enthusiasts told me that I should stay away from them due to those reasons . Also what car would you recommend To get my 8HP from ? I was thinking a dodge charger or something

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

What reasons did they give exactly, besides the 1st gear issue? How many cars have these car enthusiasts built?

Andrew

GPZ

nothing other than those issues , they’ve built many cars . One is a Drag racer with a 2K hp Camaro F body and the Other is building a Grand National with a Built TT LSX . But still with the talk we had I just know that Going with the 8HP is a great choice . I just wanted to confirm and reassurance to make sure going with the 8HP . It just makes sense to me . From Having only buy The Maxx ecu which also controls the Tcu instead of a Holley terminator , Etc.. it’s just nothing but positives on the 8hp compared to the 4L80e . Also that it holds way much more power as compared to for 4L that I’ll have to rebuild later on if I want more power …

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

Race cars have different priorities compared to street cars. Anyone that has 2000hp only needs 2 speeds. As for the Maxx system, I don't know anything about it, other than what I read on the Internet. I tune Holley EFI systems for a living, so my opinion is biased.

Also, as far as I can tell, the Maxx solution for the 8HP70 is still in beta testing.

Andrew

GPZ

forsure but even Then I can tell you’re All for going with the 8HP . It’s a strong trans , and to go into my Datsun will compliment my setup

Project GatTagO

iTrader: (7)

I have two customers that have the swaps completed and several more that are actively working on their swaps.

You should familiarize yourself with the Maxx 8HP controls:
https://www.maxxecu.com/webhelp/advanced-8hp.html

The Maxx ECU does not really control the transmission. They have developed an interface that will communicate with the stock TCU and certain parameters can be alliterated for personal preference. You also need other software to manipulate the TCU calibration. They mention MTune and maybe HP tuners is also an option.

The TurboLamik takes a completely different strategy and it has full control of the transmission. No other software is needed to manipulate the transmission settings.

Andrew

02redchevy

If you're building a street car the 8hp is icing on the cake.

As for 1st gear... It can be used with some super sticky tires but for every day driving taking off in second is no big deal.
I have 3.00 rear gears. Staying with 3.73 is going to be too low(I have a friend with them and an 8hp and he says he wouldn't mind a 3.25)

GPZ

forsure My car is light also too tho

GPZ

I’ve also Looked into Turbolamik Andrew and their program looks great too. Seems like everything MaxxEcu is trying finish up Turbolamik has already accomplished; such as fully controlling the TCU and bypassing the internal TCU making the setup easy and seamless . Although I will still need a ECU as before Ive looked at the Holley HP or terminator tuner . Have thought to how they would work cordially?

02redchevy

True, but that just means you need to figure out how to make it hook up

GPZ

mmmhmm . Traction Control which I think lowers the rpm’s to the rpm for the best traction , but oh well Ill be out here just having fun lol

Jimbo1367

I’ve heard this before. I thought it was Andrew, but it must be some other Tech-er

02redchevy

Well, I want to update this as my car has been on the road a while. This is a bit long.

Background on the car:
75 camaro with a forged 370 LS
LSA heads(factory stock with springs)
LSA blower with 2.45 upper and stock lower
BTR Stage 2 turbo cam(226/231 @ 0.050, 0.600/0.610 lift on a 113)
1-7/8 header to 3" x pipe and magnaflow mufflers
Junk yard 8hp70(500 bucks!)
Stock converter
SLG LS to 8HP adaptor
Turbolamik computer
Ford 9" 3.00 rear gears
DCT(brand) shifter--basically a sequential shifter but can be used to put in R/Drive


Andrew and Lukas got CAN working(I can't thank them enough for their time spent getting it working!) and we had some trials and errors on my car to get it to work. This was on my part.. but for whatever reason, it just wouldn't work with spliced connections from the old transmission harness I was using. I ordered some holley pins and sure enough it started working!

-----------------------

Originally I was using analog sensors which added some wiring just so I could move the car around, but was driving it. It was funky on some of the shifting or even when in gear, but really did work pretty well. It was all within the tune, but not something I was too worried about. I knew the trans was in good shape and everything was working. The trans for the most part felt positive, but I was somewhat second guessing myself if it was worth the work. Few months go by and everyone is busy, I am kind of burned out and working on other projects and I get a call. Hey we got CAN working! Awesome! Except.. yeah my wiring was bad(again my fault even though the wires showed the same Ohms and continuity as the new wire I put in). Turbolamik and Andrew decide to try a new computer. Still nothing, so we decided to rewire the CAN wires(only 2 wires are needed for communication!) and it works!

It's been about a month since CAN has started working, maybe a bit less, but I've been driving the car a bit since it made a world of a difference! I've been playing with different tune settings of the trans(I made 3 modes and it's cool to see the differences between them) Andrew set up a few things in the Holley software to enable toque cut which makes it shift smoother/faster. Heck I thought this was it and was super stoked on how well everything is working. I took a buddy out for a rip and he couldn't believe how well it drove and how well it just applied the power with the nice gear ratios that we get with these 8 speeds. Rolling 3rd-5th is a wild ride!

So I got a call this morning, "can you hop on your computer real quick" and lucky enough I could! Login and Andrew and Lukas were working on switching TPS to PPS in the turbolamik software(they got it working in a matter of minutes) and Lukas noticed an issue with the torque calculation. He starts going through it. WOW. I thought this things was smooth before, that was like icing on the cake! I describe it as if I blind folded someone and threw them in the car, they would swear its a new car. The upshifts are crisp and positive and the car feels faster than it ever has(even compared to the 489 big block and t56 magnum it had). I went out and did a data log for Andrew, I noticed I only got up to 68% throttle and 4700rpm and it felt like a rocket ship. The shifts were pretty perfect in the way they felt too.

Would I recommend this conversion? Absofreakinglutly. Going from a 4l80e to an 8hp70 makes the car feel like it picked up 150-200hp(thinking of a 150 shot of nitrous).

parsonsj

I have a customer project going now: 65 Malibu, Speedtech chassis with IRS, LT1, ECU Master PDM, etc. Unfortunately, we've already purchased a 4L70-E (that's what happens when you buy parts too early!). Andrew's ZF8HP setup would be a far better choice. I've got easy programmability with the ECUMaster PDM. Sigh. I'll be chatting with my customer about this. Thanks Andrew, for making life difficult for us car builders.