Galgo

I picked up the 4L80E Transmission yesterday and started working on the tunnel to get everything to fit. From what I have read, there needs to be clearance for the cooler lines, the shifter, and the electrical connector. I ran into problems because it seems that for the engine and transmission to sit centered, the transmission is up against the drivers side of the tunnel really bad. I clearanced it a lot but it still doesn't sit right. It seems that the transmission has to sit a lot higher than it should, so that I can get the right angle. I'm thinking I might have to go with a different engine oil pan to get the engine to sit low enough.

Has anyone every used the stock 5.3 pan with the stock K member AND a 4L80E in a Fox?

I found a few people with this combo except for a 4L60E and it seemed to work. Currently I have interference on the top of the tunnel, and the drivers side for the electrical connector by where the stock cross member mounting tabs are. I'm just trying to decide if it would be better to get a different oil pan, or to continue beating out the trans tunnel. Any help would be really appreciated.












I should have taken some before and after pics, but if you're familiar with these cars, you can tell I pushed things back a lot.

duke250

iTrader: (2)

You could switch to an fbody pan and get kmember spacers and that should give you enough clearance

toxic99

I thought I saw somewhere, but don't remember where, they had some new angled fittings for the 4l80e lines for tight spacing. You may want to look into that OP.

Galgo

Thanks for the info, I've always been a truck guy and didn't realize you could do spacers. Are there any downsides to the spacing the k member down?

Galgo

That might help if I decide to move the trans to the passenger side. The problem I'm having right now is the top and drivers side of tunnel and it looks like the engine is centered on the car but the tunnel is closer to the passenger side. I might just have to get western with it and pull out the BFH

toxic99

I may have a similar problem cus Im going with a th400 in mine. But I haven't made it that far either. Im also using an aje k member so that may help me. We will see I guess.

Galgo

I don't know if the aje will help or not. But If it moves the steering rack down it will definitely help. The electrical plug that's farthest back on the drivers side on the 4l80 is the tightest spot and you won't have that on the th400 so that will also help

duke250

iTrader: (2)

The only downside with spacing the kmember is that the pan is lower to the ground but that is why you use the fbody pan for better clearance the truck pan will be too low

chiaj144

iTrader: (4)

AJE K member in my old stang and I only had to make a little room for the trans harness on the tunnel.

Galgo

I've been getting a little more done on the car. The more I do the more stuff I find that I want to do, so I'm pushing through some of it and just turning a blind eye to some of it.




I finally got the 4l80 in. I'll still have to do a little work on the tunnel when the Trans is out again but it looks like it should work. For some reason it is still far to the drivers side of the tunnel so either I'm going crazy or the tunnel is not centered on the car. I'm wondering if most people just center the engine on the Trans tunnel/frame rails rather than centered on the car.






Steering shaft is close but clears the manifold.






Start of the engine mounts. They are finished now and I will post final pics of them once I have the engine back out.






Radiator and fans mounted. I used two rectangular rubber feet for the bottom. I think they came off the ac condenser, and they worked great. With this radiator, they fit perfect in the channel.









I used the stock radiator mount. I just bent it to better fit this radiator. I only used one and just put it in the middle.






Transmission mount. The two brackets in the middle weld to the frame rails and then the crossmember bolts in.

Galgo

The other part of the engine mounts. I had a local place that has a water jet cut these for me. They keep the designs so each time I do a swap in the future I can have them make a new set.






Air to air intercooler mounts








Starting to run the cold side









I got started to get the shifter mounted. Bar none, that was the absolute most difficult part part of this build so far. It was extremely frustrating trying to get it lined up so that it would look good in the center console. I also got the interior pulled and found that the car had dynamat. Seems like decent stuff but for a car like this it just adds weight, but oh well.

Galgo

I'll get pictures of the finished transmission crossmember and of the intercooler top brackets tomorrow, which should bring the thread current.

I'm trying to decide on which turbo and how I want to place it, and then I will order the hot side. I am thinking on doing the on3 76mm with the 1.00 divided housing. I think I would mount it so that the air inlet is towards the passenger fender and then the exhaust and two wastegates would either exit through the hood or directly under the turbo out the fender.

If anyone has any input on where to put the turbo and wastegates so that they fit nice, please let me know.

Galgo

Trans mount built


Fuse block and And Mount



On3 76mm with the divided 1.0 a/r housing

DavidBoren

With a divided housing, don't you want to have as close to equal length tubes as possible?

Seems that a lot of companies go through great lengths to make equal length twin scroll headers. If you are mounting the turbo front and center, it will be great, but I personally wouldn't use a twin scroll turbo mounted close to one side with a crossover pipe from the other... seems like the two sides would be getting really different exhaust intervals.

Just my two cents, but I don't know ****.

Galgo

I hadn't really heard that before, but I guess we will find out. I can't imagine that it makes that much difference. If I throw out a number for the exhaust gas speed of maybe 400 ft/second (I think that's reasonable for this engine but I could be wrong), then the difference in timing is less than 10 milliseconds. I don't think that will hurt much. If anyone has any data that shows otherwise though, I would definitely like to see it

brandon6.0

iTrader: (32)

Just route the piping however it makes for simplicity. But they do say for an all out race setup to have both crossovers equal length into turbo. Martins car at tick was an example of this.

Galgo

Good info. Any idea what it does or doesn't do if they aren't equal length? I'm not going to change mine now but for future reference it would be nice to know.

Galgo

Homemade 2.25 to 2" reducer.


Start of the crossover

DavidBoren

Oh, no matter what the difference is, I'm sure it's miniscule. Both sides of the exhaust housing spin the same shaft. One side would slowly spool the turbo up all by itself for a couple milliseconds, it won't be a problem at all.

Just, personally, if at all possible, I would have the turbo mounted front and center, with equal length tubes. As in, when I stick a single turbo lc9 in my S10, I am going to do whatever it takes to mount the engine far enough back to have the accessory belt behind the front "axle" centerline. And I am going to mount the turbo front and center with equal length pipes. This is my actual plan, that's why I brought it up. Not that a truck can easily be compared to a mustang (unless you're on the stock fox/sn95 4x4 suspension, then you need MOAR LOW!) .

What you have right there will work absolutely fine, though. Nice work and good update with the pictures.

66Chevellelq4

I placed my turbo in roughly the same spot, ran into a snag with the lower rad hose housing hitting my piping. I ended up just clocking the housing differently and using the stock bolts with some bigger washers to cinch it down. Just a heads up if you dont like the way your hose routing ends up