tranny question behind built motor
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tranny question behind built motor not sure if this is the right section but i figured i'd give it a shot anyway.
as some of you know, i blew up the stock engine in my car. well i just purchased a 396 lt1 from jason short right here on this forum. pretty stoked about it to say the least. the engine has been dyno proven to make 415rwhp and with some changes can see up to 450rwhp NA.
now my question is, this engine is costing me pretty much every penny i got. i have a stock 4l60e with an ss3600 converter. my car is not a racecar whatsoever. basically its going to be a show car/weekend cruiser. is the stock tranny going to be okay or am i just being dumb? lol. i plan on buying a tranny in the future, but the funds just aren't there right now.
what do ya think?
as some of you know, i blew up the stock engine in my car. well i just purchased a 396 lt1 from jason short right here on this forum. pretty stoked about it to say the least. the engine has been dyno proven to make 415rwhp and with some changes can see up to 450rwhp NA.
now my question is, this engine is costing me pretty much every penny i got. i have a stock 4l60e with an ss3600 converter. my car is not a racecar whatsoever. basically its going to be a show car/weekend cruiser. is the stock tranny going to be okay or am i just being dumb? lol. i plan on buying a tranny in the future, but the funds just aren't there right now.
what do ya think?
Just don't beat on it and it should be fine. Run a large tranny cooler and keep an eye on the temps via a trans temp gauge if you can get one. If it's not going to be daily driven, might as well go with a TH350/400 in the future. Cheaper to build and they can take a good beating.
Just don't beat on it and it should be fine. Run a large tranny cooler and keep an eye on the temps via a trans temp gauge if you can get one. If it's not going to be daily driven, might as well go with a TH350/400 in the future. Cheaper to build and they can take a good beating.
im so jealous 
I`m a bit confused here. The whole point of having a 396 in the car is to beat on it. Might wanna put the motor in the corner till you can afford to have a trans that can handle the power. Also, if your running the stock rearend, then you better save up for a 12 bolt or 9 inch too. Don`t forget the driveshaft as well. HP gets expensive, doesn`t it
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ummm...i won't be racing it...therefore no holeshots, no sticky tires, thus less stress on the rear. and i'm only running 3:42 gears so its a bit more driveable. and if i put the motor in the corner til i buy a tranny, then my car sits all summer and that DOES NOT work for me.
thanks speed#1! i'm pretty excited about it. he basically built the exact motor i'd build if i had the money, so when i saw his price i immediately jumped on it.
thanks speed#1! i'm pretty excited about it. he basically built the exact motor i'd build if i had the money, so when i saw his price i immediately jumped on it.
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so basically what you guys are saying is to put some money in a slush fund for a while to pick up another tranny or to buy a built 4l60e.
now if i did a th350, will i have to change anything inside the car such as shifter or console or anything? is that tranny good for highway speeds as well or should i look for a 4l80e?
tranny crap is brand new for me so i'm trying to learn as much as i can right now and a lot of the info i read is about ls1's
now if i did a th350, will i have to change anything inside the car such as shifter or console or anything? is that tranny good for highway speeds as well or should i look for a 4l80e?
tranny crap is brand new for me so i'm trying to learn as much as i can right now and a lot of the info i read is about ls1's
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so basically what you guys are saying is to put some money in a slush fund for a while to pick up another tranny or to buy a built 4l60e.
now if i did a th350, will i have to change anything inside the car such as shifter or console or anything? is that tranny good for highway speeds as well or should i look for a 4l80e?
tranny crap is brand new for me so i'm trying to learn as much as i can right now and a lot of the info i read is about ls1's
now if i did a th350, will i have to change anything inside the car such as shifter or console or anything? is that tranny good for highway speeds as well or should i look for a 4l80e?
tranny crap is brand new for me so i'm trying to learn as much as i can right now and a lot of the info i read is about ls1's
A TH350 is a 3-speed transmission without overdrive, so I doubt that's what you're looking for (not to mention lots of things need to be changed).
I recommend Performabuilt. They built me a bulletproof 4L60E that I regularly beat the snot out of.
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i didn't say i didn't plan to romp on it at all...but burn outs won't happen until i know i have a tranny that can handle it. basically i'm hoping it will hold for a year(meaning like 5-6 months) with tentative driving, since i know its not the best combination, while i save money for a better tranny.
hopefully that explained it a little better. as i said, my stock motor took a dump and i needed to get something done now before spring gets here so i figured why not buy the motor i really wanted? i was looking for a less built 355 but jason put the 396 up and i HAD to jump on it. sorry if i you guys think i'm an idiot i guess
hopefully that explained it a little better. as i said, my stock motor took a dump and i needed to get something done now before spring gets here so i figured why not buy the motor i really wanted? i was looking for a less built 355 but jason put the 396 up and i HAD to jump on it. sorry if i you guys think i'm an idiot i guess
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and no merv...i really don't want to go 6 speed...i don't want to have to change too much in the car as is. correct me if i'm wrong here, but doesn't a 6 speed swap require some modifications(cutting and what not) to make it work? i can't bring myself to do that to my car, lol
The only reason I mentioned a TH350/400 is because he said it wasn't going to be driven daily, more of a weekend car. With a 3.42 and a 28" tall tire the TH350 will be fine to drive (I daily that same setup). Even on the highway (doing 60) I'm only at around 2400-2500 RPM's. You will need a few things such as a different crossmember (umi and bmr sell one) and a different length driveshaft (unless you find a TH350 with a 9in tailshaft). Also a torque converter meant to bolt up to an LT1 flexplate. I did the swap this passed summer. If you decide to go that route you can PM me for a write-up. It was straight forward and no custom **** had to be done (cutting, welding, etc).
Now, if you can afford to dish out the money for a built 4L60E, I say go that route so you can retain overdrive. I personally didn't have the funds and I would much rather have a TH350 because of the simplicity and the strength (not to say a 4L60E can't be built strong, it just costs more).
Now, if you can afford to dish out the money for a built 4L60E, I say go that route so you can retain overdrive. I personally didn't have the funds and I would much rather have a TH350 because of the simplicity and the strength (not to say a 4L60E can't be built strong, it just costs more).
I pretty sure there is no cutting required on the car, and it will be cheaper (that i have found) to buy a M6 set up than having the A4 built really strong and getting a stall. A good stall cost between $600-$800 and you can find a M6 set up for about $900-$1000
A good converter does cost in that range, but depending on what you're doing with the car. If it's just a weekend car with occasional track visits, you won't need some crazy converter. There are companies out there that make good converters with anti balooning plates for under $500 (for a TH350 anyway...)
and no merv...i really don't want to go 6 speed...i don't want to have to change too much in the car as is. correct me if i'm wrong here, but doesn't a 6 speed swap require some modifications(cutting and what not) to make it work? i can't bring myself to do that to my car, lol
****..you'll change your mind about cutting if your Fuel Pump goes out, I promise you that..
The main reason I switched to the T56 was cause my Engine was shredding built 4L60E's..I got tired of having them built every 4 months and invested into a T56 with a Good Clutch and good Shifter. I kept the T56 stock and when it broke(stripped 2nd Gear..
) I tore it down myself and rebuilt it with a bad-*** kit..now it will last a good long time. Ya I could've went with a 4L80E, but I figured that it would be wiser to invest into something that I could do myself and that was durable..and a **** load more fun..
Stock 4L60E's are quite weak, I've trashed one with a bolt-on LT1 and another with my current heads/cam car. If you have a sufficient trans cooler it will extend the life of the trans but I would expect it to take a dump. IMO I would stick with the 4L60E if/when that happens. As long as you select a good builder that has a positive track record with those transmissions (Performabuilt, CPT, FLT etc.) you will have a bullet proof unit that will last you forever considering what you do with the car. The above mentioned builders have had their 4L60E's in the 9's so you can be assured that trans built right is all you will personally need.
BTW what heads/cam are in that 396?
BTW what heads/cam are in that 396?
