im putting a fuel injected 454 big block and a 4l80e trans in my 86 iroc. i already have put in sub frame connectors that are way beefy and put in thick sway bars front and rear. poly bushings all the way around. i think im gonna have to put a cage in it because im sure its going to run to low for the track to let me pass w/out one. my problem is that its a ttop car. if i hadnt put so much money in paint and body and interior work in this car already i would have just found a hard top car. it originally had a lt1 that put down 402 ft pds at the rear wheels and i swear everytime i got hard on it i thoguht the ttops were gonna flex out. now looking at over 500 torque and 500 hp i dont want these things comin out drivin down the track or even worse the street. anyone that has done one of these or knows some thing please give me some pointers. im trying not to add too much weight to this already heavy car. thanx guys in advance. i added a pick of the mock up motor its since been painted and has full length long tube headers..its a killer looking efi setup.

 

cage will do it

 

thats what i was hoping but i would rather be sfae then sorry. im thinkin that will do it to.

 

yeah with all the other upgrades youve already done id say a cage is the way to go to finish it up real nice ....are you planning on driving it on the street thou????
if so the cage can be quite a mess to deal with on the street gettin in and out of the car and the use of the rear seat is gone..

 

well i will everynow n again take it to the street but more to show off then to play. way too much time n my money have gone into this. im only 25 and been workin on this car for almost 4 yrs now. being young and poor have made this a real challenge. im so close i can almost smell the rubber. the back seat is totally gone. im planning on puttin in the cage hopefully in the next 2 months if this thing roles befor the end of the year i will be so happy. probly be next summer though...no money no toys!

 

compromise. put a roll bar a 4 point would do and you could still use the back seat

 

i hear the no money thing all the way man ..lol....ive got a 66 impala in pretty bad shape now im gonna start workin on it this summer and hopefully i have it ready in 7 years when my boy is of driving age...LOL...hopefully ....LOL....but he also wants to help and hes all excited about workin on "his" car......so i think im doin us all good and bringin in another generation to the "rebuild dont crush" mind set we all need to be in nowadays ...

 

If your worried about weight, why would you put that pig of a 4l80e in there??

Why not a powerglide? Instead of buying a standalone to shift the trans, but a aftermarket overdrive unit like gearvendors???

 

can a 4l80e tranny even hold up to a big block?? thats alot of power for an over drive tranny!and they are soo expensive to rebuild for the power you are making. if your not going to be driving it much, u dont care about gas milage get a 2 speed, if u get it built right it can take more horsepower than yours wil ever make. keep in mind that with 500 plus horsepower in first gear with a 4 speed and low gears, is guan be MAd tire spin! you'll never hook up. now a 2 speed doesnt realease as much power coming out of the hole, enabling u to get traction, Tell me how it goes, I've got a 427BB iam thinking about puttin in my 91 z28!

 

I am sure the 4l80e will hold up perfectly. Afterall, it is basically thought of as an overdrive electronically controlled th400.

 

ive got a 427 in my 85 Z 28 in front of a th-350. I am about to rebuild the th-350, but i think that it is because of my misadjusted shifter holding the manual valve partially in 2 gears at once. didnt take long to burn up those frictions. anyway, a big downfall of the 4l80 is that in order to have an over drive, all power needs to go through a roller sprag, which, in stock form cant handle 500 ft/lbs. Maybe there is an aftermarket piece that will do it, but i wouldnt hold my breath on that one.

 

My friend has a 454 SS with a HO 454 Crate motor built and has a full whipple supercharger on it, pushing over 600 hp, And is backed by a 4l80e with a **** kit....Does fine @ the track!

 

still heavy as ****

 

i am also putting a big block in my 82 z blown ls7 what are the headers your using?

 

The 4L80E in my 454SS has survived many thrashing on the track for the 2 years I raced it. Even took a bunch of NOS hits right off the line with no problems but to use it in a car, it is a big, heavy tranny. There are lighter alternatives if you feel you need an OD tranny. The 200-4R lives behind Buick Grand Nationals.

Powerglide is in my T-top car but it also doesn't see any street time. It's a track only car.