Home built 4L60E beast

[Sam Harris]

Looking forward to this ..!

 

[Rocket Man]

Fun fun. Subscribed.

 

[ivin74]

Give me your address and I'll send you tracking info when my trans is on its way!

X2

 

[Sam Harris]

X2

X3!

 

[mattbta]

X2

X4

 

[Mudsport96]

Maybe look into an upgraded output shaft.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

Maybe look into an upgraded output shaft.
View attachment 257824

holy crap, how did that happen?

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[Mudsport96]

Just a mild build on a 4l60e all stock everything except jet billet 1-2 and 3-4 servos and cover. Transgo hd2 kit with the "street strip" selection for the separator plate holes and accumulator springs.
Vortec 4300 in a 96 s-blazer with minor work to it. Nothing special, literally dynoed like 170/230 to the wheels. Was real spunky for having a 3.42 gear.
The problem was when the heavy swampers went on and they gripped the mud pit a whole world better than the all terrains. Violent bang and all neutrals. And it gets better. The engine wouldn't start after I shut it off... took the center out of the flexplate at the same time.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

That sucks :/

Did you keep the stock flexplate? I was wondering if I need to update that too.

Did the bushings get replaced in your transmission when you built it?

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[BentleyArnage]

1. You said check balls!

2. Give me your address and I'll send you tracking info when my trans is on its way!

I did say check balls!
My address is:
Bentley Harden
SMR
12785 State Hwy 9
Clearlake Wa 98235
206 734-2707
Building 2 of my own right now. I love this trans. The trans doesn't care about your reprogramming, thankfully. Proper pressures and clearances, as well as a bulletproof cooler will make these live. I have a rebuilder who does amazing converters.

Get a low pressure drop cooler, one with it's own fan would be great. Get the cooler flow out of the radiator. Lots of reasons there. Put a temp gauge in both lines of the cooler, close to the trans. Tells you everything you need to know about temps. If you're really finicky like I am, get a pressure gauge for the line pressure. That's the biggest part of diagnosis when there's a problem. Few shops will use them.

You'll like how this thing shifts when I'm done. Thanks!

 

[BentleyArnage]

Just a mild build on a 4l60e all stock everything except jet billet 1-2 and 3-4 servos and cover. Transgo hd2 kit with the "street strip" selection for the separator plate holes and accumulator springs.
Vortec 4300 in a 96 s-blazer with minor work to it. Nothing special, literally dynoed like 170/230 to the wheels. Was real spunky for having a 3.42 gear.
The problem was when the heavy swampers went on and they gripped the mud pit a whole world better than the all terrains. Violent bang and all neutrals. And it gets better. The engine wouldn't start after I shut it off...View attachment 257835 View attachment 257835 took the center out of the flexplate at the same time.

I've seen that before. You need and SFI flex plate. Amazing what damage a V6 can do. Input shaft broke because the whole mess went off center. You probably ruined the pump as well. The converter should be checked just in case.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

Interesting, so you think the flex plate flexed / cracked and broke MudSport96's input shaft?

I'd considered adding an upgraded input shaft to the mix... but one of the videos I watched a shop was building a 4L60e they claimed was good for 700hp. He used the original shaft. He said they break because somewhere else introduces flex... He said bushings needed to be replaced and endplay checked before installing in truck.

I see most people replace the flexplate when they pull a transmission. What is an upgrade? Lighter, Stronger, or heavier and stronger haha?

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

I've been looking at coolers for a while now. That's something I could do ever before installing the new transmission. I was looking at TruCool... However, I like the idea of an extra fan. What brand / model cooler do you use?

 

[Mudsport96]

I've seen that before. You need and SFI flex plate. Amazing what damage a V6 can do. Input shaft broke because the whole mess went off center. You probably ruined the pump as well. The converter should be checked just in case.

Input and converter were fine. The output broke. I just took it apart and put a new output in it and took one spacer out of the 1-2 accumulator. Slammed it back together and it ran fine till I parked it 2 years later.

 

[BentleyArnage]

1. You said check balls!

2. Give me your address and I'll send you tracking info when my trans is on its way![/QUOTE

I've been looking at coolers for a while now. That's something I could do ever before installing the new transmission. I was looking at TruCool... However, I like the idea of an extra fan. What brand / model cooler do you use?

True cool is good. Get a huge one. 24,000 gvw. It has to be low pressure drop or you'll wipe out all your bushings.

 

[BentleyArnage]

I put your comment in my build notes. Very helpful

I've heard about the Covette Servo. The guy in one of the videos said the Sonnax servo applies more force yet. However, I see the corvette servo is much less expensive.


Servo:
Do you think I'm okay with just doing the Corvette servo as apposed to the Sonnax?
Do you have to put in a new apply pin? or can the seals be redone on the old one?

Pump Rotor:
13 vane rotor. I have that on the build list. However, I cannot figure out which one to buy there are multiple brands? Some come with extra bits too. I'm not sure what the extra bits are :|

Transgo Kit:
I definitely want to upgrade the valve body while I'm in there. I see some of these more experienced guys just modify the existing one. However, I wouldn't know where to start with that. Specifically which transgo? Do they make multiple versions?

Torque Converter:
What do you recommend there? Do the factory ones burn up? I don't know much about them.

Programming:
I also have tuning setup for my truck / HP Tuners. I plan on reprogramming the transmission as well but that'll be after it's built. Whole new set of questions there haha Would like better mileage if possible... then use my toe/haul button for off road and towing.

Corvette servos have worked great forever. If you feel like you need the additional application, go for it. I do. Should use a new pin. There can be wear on the old one.

13 vane rotors are pretty much standard. They come with 2 rings, 13 vanes, the rotor and the retainer. You may get the slide and springs with 2 little pieces. Regardless, you need the hard rings from Transgo.

Transgo HD2. We call that a Dash 2 kit. There's a stock improver kit, manual valve body kit. Don't use those.

Factory converters are just soft. They last ok. Find a good rebuilder like Hughes. I think there's a couple in Arizona. I go for 2500 rpm stall. It's not a precise thing. Has a lot to do with your torque. Nice thing is the lockup. You won't waste fuel and get the trans overheated with a higher stall.

 

[ivin74]

Corvette servos have worked great forever. If you feel like you need the additional application, go for it. I do. Should use a new pin. There can be wear on the old one.

13 vane rotors are pretty much standard. They come with 2 rings, 13 vanes, the rotor and the retainer. You may get the slide and springs with 2 little pieces. Regardless, you need the hard rings from Transgo.

Transgo HD2. We call that a Dash 2 kit. There's a stock improver kit, manual valve body kit. Don't use those.

Factory converters are just soft. They last ok. Find a good rebuilder like Hughes. I think there's a couple in Arizona. I go for 2500 rpm stall. It's not a precise thing. Has a lot to do with your torque. Nice thing is the lockup. You won't waste fuel and get the trans overheated with a higher stall.

@BentleyArnage
How do you know so much about these transmisions? Are you a rebuilder?

 

[Rocket Man]

True cool is good. Get a huge one. 24,000 gvw. It has to be low pressure drop or you'll wipe out all your bushings.

TruCool 40k is the way to go on our rigs, there’s plenty of info on this site regarding install and such.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

TruCool 40k is the way to go on our rigs, there’s plenty of info on this site regarding install and such.

Thanks! I had been looking at those but was a bit confused. Some people were mounting them all wonky. I found a video now where the guy switches the metal line from factory to other way and retains the metal lines. I hate the rubber crap that comes in those kits. Only thing I cannot quite figure out is, one video says, it's best to mount the connections facing up so gravity fills the cooler / bleeds air in it. However, everybody else (including the factory one) is mounted down?

 

[Rocket Man]

Thanks! I had been looking at those but was a bit confused. Some people were mounting them all wonky. I found a video now where the guy switches the metal line from factory to other way and retains the metal lines. I hate the rubber crap that comes in those kits. Only thing I cannot quite figure out is, one video says, it's best to mount the connections facing up so gravity fills the cooler / bleeds air in it. However, everybody else (including the factory one) is mounted down?

That’s a big controversy. I can say that I read and read and read up on that, then contacted TruCool and their engineers got back to me to verify what their instructions say- it can be mounted in any direction. It doesn’t matter. And there’s plenty of guys running them that way, and one or two that think they need to be mounted with the connectors at the top. I have one of their 27k mounted behind my lower opening because of my intercooler being in the way so I couldn’t put a 40k in front of the radiator.