Yeah, Yeah, I tried the search button, but came up with little. Does anyone have any helpfull knowledge when it comes to putting a 4l80e into a thirdgen? I don't care about a torque arm mount or crossmember, that can easily be fabricated if it needs to be. What about size? Length, etc...I have a goal of approx. 800-850 hp and the same for torque, I think this trans would be my best bet. I would prefer a manual, but don't know of any to live with that type of power, aside fro the manuals that I would need to basically re-finance my home to pay for.... Thanks.

 

Other than the size and that it needs a computer to operate why even bother? Around 80% of the internal parts are TH400 except that it has an OD. If you're going to be making over 800HP then OD isn't really an issue. Build a TH400 instead.

If you have enough money to buy a 4L80E with a computer then finding a way to install it shouldn't be a problem.

 

we have one of those 4l80E's in tech school, those things are friggin huge!

 

if your gonna make that much power and u still want to keep an overdrive and your gonna spend that kind of money on a trans then just buy a TH400 pump it up and then buy a gear vendors over/underdirve gear splitter. i friend of mine has a 72 RS/Z28 with a 434 small block making monster power numbers-- around 600 on motor, and then hes got a 300 shot on top of that. anyway hes got one of thoes gear splitters in his car and now hes got a 6 speed auto. very nice but very pricey$$.

 

From what I was told by either transfixleo, pro-built, or the other tranny guy he said that 4L80E's are JUNK, I can't remember the post it was related too, and don't flame me, cause I'm just passing on the higher knowledge of these guys that build these all-star american trannies with no problems; ever! So listen to them install a 700r4 behind everything and anything and be sure to purchase from them as everyone else in the country does'nt know how to build them correctly.

 

AS usual, IHI has it wrong. Oh well. I didn't think your parents were letting you use the computer this week or is it just after school?

Much as with ANY Tranny, the 4L80E has inherent problems. The biggest one is that due to a design FLAW it breaks parts. It might surprise people to learn that even the legendary 350's and 400's were also referred to as junk more than once. I personally have not, at least not on this forum, but then again what does accuracy matter when you are holding a grudge or don't have anything else to do but sling mud at others with more knowledge, experience and talent. I am sure that the 4L80E will take it's place next to the other favorites after all the right parts are available to make them last behind big power. By the way, I am honored to hear that you think we have no problems! We strive for that but are only human.

 

As for 4L80E's I am on my way in early (it's 4:30 AM) to go work on one of these dream units. Just gotta wait for the 30 pounds of replacement hard parts to show up to finish it. The other is a 2002 4L80E that is virtually melted front to rear. Yes, melted. Don't forget the upwards of a grand you will pay just for the computer to operate it. If you can afford it, go for it but trust me, they are not as good as people think, at least not until some major changes have been made.
Does that not sound familiar? Leo

 

Yes. The unit worked great after I was done with it too!

However, I did NOT call it "junk". This was the most extreme example I have seen of what can happen when one of these DOES fail. I have seen 350's, 400's, and 700's in pretty bad shape too but it didn't stop me from using them in my own vehicles in the past.

If you want to stop all of the childishness and get back to the simple point I was trying to make, it is this: People learn about the 4L80E and it's lineage dating to the 400 and naturally assume that it must be as good as the venerable 400. I'd hate to see someone spend a small fortune to buy and install, along with the computer to operate a 4L80E and then have even more expensive failures than when a 700 lets go from not being properly setup. On top of everything it is also very heavy and larger than the 700. I like the 700 and up to a certain power level it will hold up very well and has the advantage of overdrive and L/U which the 350/400 doesn't. Hey, as long as people want the latest and greatest why not go for the 4L85E?!

 

I've been wondering about the 4L80E lately myself.I love my TH400 and the confidence of knowing I'm not gonna shatter another $3000 200R4 but dont like the fact that it has no lockup,which is my biggest concern,and no overdrive.

transfixleo - I wonder if you can explain a little more obout the 4L80E and how it compares/differs from the TH400?

First off,is there an avalible trans brake for the 4L80E?If not then I'm not going to go further with this and look into the lockup kit that Precision Industries has come up with for the 400.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

To my knowledge there's no transbrake yet for the 4L80E. A big heavy tranny with OD isn't really considered a racing tranny that will need a transbrake. The TH400 is more prefered in such a situation.

There is however an aftermarket valve body that does a split shift. It will go into OD between 1-2 and 2-3. This is designed for towing so the engine rpm doesn't drop so much in a downshift. It makes the 4L80E a 6 speed auto.

As I mentioned above, many of the internal parts between a TH400 and 4L80E are the same. The OD is the weakest part since the OD gears are not that strong.

www.jetchip.com will sell you a 4L80E tranny capable of handling 700 ft/lb of torque.

I use a TH400 in the race car. The transbrake is from www.turboaction.com

My truck has a 4L80E from the factory. It was replaced under warrenty in 1993 and never had a problem since. Even when I raced it for 2 years.

 

I remember a few recalls back in the beginning with the solenoids but I don't recall hard part problems with the 4L80Es when I wrenched a few years back, not that I was a trans-only specialist or anything. GM put them behind some pretty high torque applications so I was under the impression that they were pretty stout. I think a few of the car mags have done articles on swapping 4L80Es into performance applications if you want more info. You may run into some room issues as those boxes are pretty friggin huge..... might have to pound up the tunnel some.

I do have to warn you to stay away from Jet transmissions though, I know a guy that has gone through multiple boxes from them and still isn't satisfied. This is behind a relatively stock LT1 in a B-body.

 

The Back half of the unit is essentially a 400. Many but not all of the parts are interchangeable. In front of that is an overdrive unit which operates separately from the back, similar to a 200-4R, unlike a 700 which uses an integral overdrive design. TransGo has a fix for the pressure problem which causes the parts to fail. There have been problems with th Input Shaft breaking on some units and that is with no where near the power level you are talking about. That is one of the concerns I would have. The factory did come out with a slightly different one that seems to hold up better but I think at this point it will be the people who go for it who end up pointing out the weaknesses. Then the aftermarket will kick in if there is enough demand for it to make stronger parts. I have never heard of a transbrake for this. I think with the weight of this unit that it would not be a natural choice for one but again, it would be up to the damand for it to decide if it's worth the R&D involved to do it. I have not heard of that "split shift" VB. Who makes that?

 

Wasn't the 4L80e discontinued in favor of the 4L60e-HD in 2001?
I was going to use the 80e behind my 406, but decided to stick with the 700 due to gm's commitment to the 4l60e. Besides the upgraded hard parts for the HD, the aftermarket should continue to develope better stuff for a mass produced unit.
Brian

 

What is the max a 700 can dish out? out of curiosity

 

Thats a new one- heavy duty auto 4 speed in a third gen, on top of that, its handling 800 tq/hp. Only time ive seen em destroyed is in 4 wheelers. Are you sure you wouldnt want to just get a full heavy duty race-prepped 700R4? Might be smarter than a monstrous and heavy 4L80E.

Performance Automotive and Transmission Center - 1-888-877-1008
or
http://www.transmissioncenter.net/

if youre set on a 4L80E, check this out

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/performa...0etranwit.html

 

Thanks to all for the replies... Keep em coming, please. I have not set my mind on any one transmission yet, just getting a feel for what is going to be needed. I had heard only good things about the 4l80e, so it was near the top of my list. If I could find a streetable manual with overdrive and have it survive behind the power, that would be the best in my eyes, but an auto may have to work for me....

 

The 4L80E is still in use. There is a 4L65E starting with the 2000 Caddy Escalade that is a beefier version of the 4L60E. Compared to the original 700's they really have come a long way refining the 700 family. I am sure the 4L80E is the same way. There is a newer version of that, the 4L85E that I do not have any info on yet but suspect it is along the same lines as what they did with the 4L65E. Too bad the 200-4R was discontiued though but it didn't lend itself to a truck application and there aren't any rear drives otherwise so...

 

4L80E 6 speed conversion. There was an article in the November 1997 issue of High Tech Performance.

The company listed as having the swap kit was Premier Performance of Placentia CA.

The gear ratios obtained with the 6 speed conversion are

1 - 2.48
1OD - 1.86
2 - 1.48
2OD - 1.11
3 - 1.0
4(OD) - .75

 

I have a 4L80E, controlled by a TCI/FAST T-Com tranmission control unit. I am also running a Precision Vigilante 3200 rpm 3-disc converter. So far, it seems to be holding up very well behind my 1200hp/1000ta Twin Turbo Sbc 427. It's just a GM SRT, but I added a Transgo reprogramming kit, along with a Transgo Hi-Temp/Low-shrink ring kit as suggested. I don't run slicks, which certainly helps the tranny and drivetrain, but it has yet to show any indications of slipping, flaring, or any other malfunctions.

I really like the 4L80E. It is heavier than the other commonly used GM OD tranny's, but it's not as bad as some make it out to be. My car was initially equipped with a 700R4, all I had to do to fit the 4L80E was move the rear mounting point back about 3-4", and shorten the dirveshaft. Everything else fit without any mods to the tranny tunnel, etc.

 

Hi Monty,
Glad to see this works well for you. I recall talking with you in the past about this but lost track of it since it isn't much fun coming in here anymore (see above for example) so I just happened upon this response. You are definately charting your own course on this! If you post more about it, please drop me a direct E-mail so I will know. Thanks!

 

Why not talk to Pro-Built or Art Carr about building you a 200 4 R, probuilt used to garuntee theirs to 650hp and art carr told me over the phone that he would garuntee his to 850hp...probuilts is just under $1300 and art carr's is just under $1800. Several 9 second and faster GN's are running them. If I convert to an auto, that would be it. And you can get a monster lock-up stall for them. No computer...etc, look into it man

 

How much will a th400 with the OD (the unit from gear vendors you speak of) cost? I have about 600HP and 300 shot of nitrous. I was told no 700R4 will handle this and I blew my tranny last night at the track. How can I get a hold of Art Carr??

 

the gear vendors unit alone is about 2 grand, and a bullit proof th400 is about 1 grand + the cost of the transmition. there is a guy around here that guarentees his th400's up 1000 hp and that is the job my friend got on his. im not exactly shure on the price but if you look around on the net im shure you can ge a ball park.

 

Cool, that's my argument when someone says "700r4's are crap". Glad to hear someone else knows that the "junk" TH350's were swapped out for reliable 'ol Powerglides. I'm sure in another 50 years people will forget that 700r4's were "crap", too.

 

Well if you need a 4L80E I got one with less than 3k miles on it
with converter
I would like 750 plus shipping

email me at
Zenger419@hotmail.com

if you interested

thanks