bglancer71

i am 17 and have no car experience. i have a friend that is willing to sell me his LS1 engine, the only problem is that it doesn't come with a transmission. I want to know if my 700r4 transmission will fit or if i can tweek it to fit. or will i need to get a new transmission.

algershick

iTrader: (1)

Look through the recent threads, there was an older Car Craft article posted here a couple of days ago about retrofitting older GM transmissions to Gen III/IV engines. Yes it can be done and it's not incredibly difficult. A newer 4L60E may give you less headache, though.

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

the 700 will work, but not for too long if its stock. most recommend jumping up to a 4l60e since they're a bit stronger in stock form.

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Welcome to TGO! Since your transmission question has been answered, just thought Ide offer some advice before you go too far.

I see you are in CA. Due to your smog laws and all, I HIGHLY recommend searching and going through the threads on here. I believe there are a couple guys from CA that have pulled the swap off, so you can check their write ups out for specific info.

But deciding between a 700R4 and the 4L60E will be the LEAST of your worries with the LS1 swap. There's more than enough info on that here, and most will, as was already said, suggest to go with the newer 4L60E.

Assuming you are driving this on the road and you are going to SMOG it, you will likely need the 4th gen gas tank, along with the LS1 gauge cluster for everything to work properly. There are lots of things to consider, so please DEF do your homework before buying the LS1 so you know what you are getting yourself into.

Good luck and start a build thread if you decide to go forward with it! Having some good CA build threads would be a great reference.

J.