[kdubbz]

My friend's dad has a 6.0l out of a 2003 chevy 2500, with a 4l80E transmission, and the engine has 60k on it, and the tranny has a fresh rebuild. he said he was looking for $3-4k for the engine, tranny, and rear end, which Im not sure what rear end came with the 2500's and may not need it. Should I go 4l80E? I plan on putting a cam in it if I get it. Is it worth it to do 4l60E to 4l80E swap, or should I just get a FLT 4l60E? reason is I dont know whats involved in the tranny swap. Do you guys think $2500 is a good price for the engine+tranny? Thanks.

 

[Manbearpig]

Sounds like a good price to me.
60e < 80e

 

[Nicholas]

go for it. price sounds good.

 

[kdubbz]

hmmm after looking around, the 4l80E swap looks a little tough to do for someone like me. I think a 6.0 with a mild cam wont push out enough HP to break a built 4l60E anytime soon. Most of the time I drive slow and dont mash it. What do you think I should offer for just the engine if its by itself?

 

[1White04]

hmmm after looking around, the 4l80E swap looks a little tough to do for someone like me.

Plus you will HATE the low-end power!!!!

 

[kdubbz]

true, I like the low end power I have now with my 4.8l and the thorley LTs really helped with that one. I'm not all about top end and will rarely want to go above 100. I might bring it to the track once or twice just to see the potential, but ill try and stay off the track. Looks like FLT level 3 or 4 will do it for me.

 

[lowgreen01]

true, I like the low end power I have now with my 4.8l and the thorley LTs really helped with that one. I'm not all about top end and will rarely want to go above 100. I might bring it to the track once or twice just to see the potential, but ill try and stay off the track. Looks like FLT level 3 or 4 will do it for me.

LOL top end means top end of the RPM range as in 4000rpms-6500 rpms. When people say you lose low end that means lower RPMS. It's all good though. We all have to learn some way or another.

Also people who are clueless will just say "get the 4l80e" hands down. I guarantee you that 95% of them have no idea
-the costs involved in swapping to a 4l80e
-the fact that a properly built 4l60e can hold 550/550 hp/tq
-the fact that your low end goes to shit with a 4l80e
-the fact that the OD is lower on the 4l80e so your highway gas mileage will suffer
-the parasitic drivetrain loss is greater with a 4l80e

Among other things.

If you plan to run anything 500 rwhp or less just stick with the 4l60e and have it built by someone who knows what they're doing.

 

[cody]

i have a stock 4l60e with a 6.0 with a few internals including a cam, 20 miles with not one problem.

 

[laynlow77]

i have a stock 4l60e with a 6.0 with a few internals including a cam, 20 miles with not one problem.

wow, 20 whole miles :crazy:

just build a 60 and you should be fine.
price sounds good on the motor though!

 

[91_bowtie]

If you end up buying it, let me know what you want for the tranny. I'm going to start collecting parts for the swap, so I'm ready when this tranny lets go.

 

[Bayfront Bachelor]

When you guys say build up an 4l60e do you mean upgrade it somehow? If so, what would they do differently to make it better than a stock 4l60e? I don't know shit but would like to learn

Also if one were to have a 1/2 ton 6.0 with 37" Tires, would it still be alright to run these 4l60e's? Or in this case would the beefier 4l80e be the better option aside from the weaker low-end power and all of that?

 

[lowgreen01]

When you guys say build up an 4l60e do you mean upgrade it somehow? If so, what would they do differently to make it better than a stock 4l60e? I don't know shit but would like to learn

Also if one were to have a 1/2 ton 6.0 with 37" Tires, would it still be alright to run these 4l60e's? Or in this case would the beefier 4l80e be the better option aside from the weaker low-end power and all of that?

I wish you would have read my post seeing as how I basically answer this question. Stick with the 4l60e. There are guys on performancetruck.net who are pushing 550/550 rwhp/rwtq with a 4wd truck on a 4l60e.

Once again people who know nothing will just simply say get a 4l80e because the 4l60e is "crap". If you have a built up transmission, then the things that commonly break simply won't break unless you're putting some extreme power to it.

Things that like to break are stuff like the pump, output shaft, sungear, bands likes to go out, clutches like the burn up, input drums,etc.

Basically build up the transmission right with stuff like:
Full rebuild kit
Shift kit
servos
input drum reinforce
billet output shaft
beast sunshell
5 pinion planetaries(since you have the 37's)
etc

All this stuff is gonna run you about $1200 in parts plus about $500 for installation, OR you can spend the $3200 for the 4l80e swap put a shift kit on it and be done for a while.

I get the feeling you won't like the 4l80e's lack of low end power though.

 

[cody]

20k smart ass lol

 

[thunder550]

I wish you would have read my post seeing as how I basically answer this question. Stick with the 4l60e. There are guys on performancetruck.net who are pushing 550/550 rwhp/rwtq with a 4wd truck on a 4l60e.

Once again people who know nothing will just simply say get a 4l80e because the 4l60e is "crap". If you have a built up transmission, then the things that commonly break simply won't break unless you're putting some extreme power to it.

Things that like to break are stuff like the pump, output shaft, sungear, bands likes to go out, clutches like the burn up, input drums,etc.

Basically build up the transmission right with stuff like:
Full rebuild kit
Shift kit
servos
input drum reinforce
billet output shaft
beast sunshell
5 pinion planetaries(since you have the 37's)
etc

All this stuff is gonna run you about $1200 in parts plus about $500 for installation, OR you can spend the $3200 for the 4l80e swap put a shift kit on it and be done for a while.

I get the feeling you won't like the 4l80e's lack of low end power though.

One caveat I will add to this is if you get a built 60E make sure it's from a reputable builder with a great reputation. I had a local tranny shop build me about 6 60E's before they admitted they couldn't make one live in my truck. At that time I was only pushing 365hp/410tq at the wheels. You can say that people who know nothing will say that the 4L60E is crap. I have been through a gamut of trannies and the 4L60E is crap. You can get a nicely built piece of crap that will probably last depending on how you treat it. If you're going to be nice and you don't have high power goals, then the 60E is probably sufficient. I will tell you though that if you're after something that you will never have to worry about, the 80E is the way to go.

You have to decide what balance of performance and reliability you want to end up with. The 80E is a dog down low, due to it's 2.48 1st gear and 1.48 2nd gear, vs the 3.06 and 1.75 1st and second in the 60E. There are aftermarket gear sets for the 80E out there that will get you 2.75 and 1.75 1st and 2nd for about $500. I did not notice a change in milage between my 5.3 and 4L60E combo vs my 6.0 and 80E combo around town, but I lost about 1 or 1.5 mpg on the highway.

The moral here is don't cut corners. If your power goals are relatively low, invest in the best built 4L60E you can find. If you have moderate to high power goals, buy the 80E and do the conversion. It's not that hard. If you cut corners, you will pay for it in the long run.

 

[lowgreen01]

One caveat I will add to this is if you get a built 60E make sure it's from a reputable builder with a great reputation. I had a local tranny shop build me about 6 60E's before they admitted they couldn't make one live in my truck. At that time I was only pushing 365hp/410tq at the wheels. You can say that people who know nothing will say that the 4L60E is crap. I have been through a gamut of trannies and the 4L60E is crap. You can get a nicely built piece of crap that will probably last depending on how you treat it. If you're going to be nice and you don't have high power goals, then the 60E is probably sufficient. I will tell you though that if you're after something that you will never have to worry about, the 80E is the way to go.

You have to decide what balance of performance and reliability you want to end up with. The 80E is a dog down low, due to it's 2.48 1st gear and 1.48 2nd gear, vs the 3.06 and 1.75 1st and second in the 60E. There are aftermarket gear sets for the 80E out there that will get you 2.75 and 1.75 1st and 2nd for about $500. I did not notice a change in milage between my 5.3 and 4L60E combo vs my 6.0 and 80E combo around town, but I lost about 1 or 1.5 mpg on the highway.

The moral here is don't cut corners. If your power goals are relatively low, invest in the best built 4L60E you can find. If you have moderate to high power goals, buy the 80E and do the conversion. It's not that hard. If you cut corners, you will pay for it in the long run.

I don't disagree with you one bit, but you keep hinting that the 4l60e is a waste of time, but how do you explain people like trevor1t,silver-mod-o, DLH2006, TXsilverado,white1, and tons of others who are making great numbers, yet run a 4l60e with no problems.

Silver-mod-o is a perfect example of your suggestion of finding a good builder. He went through 5 or 6 4l60e trannys before going to an FLT level 5. He seems to love it now.

If you can't afford $3200 and the labor costs to do the 4l80e swap, spend about $1500 is good parts and have a knowledgable tranny guy build up your 4l60e and there's no reason why you can't have a 4l60e that will hold up to huge numbers(400+) without issue.

 

[thunder550]

I don't disagree with you one bit, but you keep hinting that the 4l60e is a waste of time, but how do you explain people like trevor1t,silver-mod-o, DLH2006, TXsilverado,white1, and tons of others who are making great numbers, yet run a 4l60e with no problems.

Silver-mod-o is a perfect example of your suggestion of finding a good builder. He went through 5 or 6 4l60e trannys before going to an FLT level 5. He seems to love it now.

If you can't afford $3200 and the labor costs to do the 4l80e swap, spend about $1500 is good parts and have a knowledgable tranny guy build up your 4l60e and there's no reason why you can't have a 4l60e that will hold up to huge numbers(400+) without issue.

I think our perception of big numbers is different. I would recommend a well-built 60E for anything up to about 450hp/tq. I think it would be iffy between 450 and about 550, and for over 550 I would say a 4L60E is a waste of money. FLT is definitely the way to go from what I have seen.

 

[lowgreen01]

I think our perception of big numbers is different. I would recommend a well-built 60E for anything up to about 450hp/tq. I think it would be iffy between 450 and about 550, and for over 550 I would say a 4L60E is a waste of money. FLT is definitely the way to go from what I have seen.

LOL I definantly think our perception of big numbers is different. Then again, you're running a turbo'ed 408 and I'm running a bolt on/cammed 5.3L.

99% of the people on this site are never going to see 400rwhp ever. Hell only a couple(if anyone at all) has hit 400rwhp n/a with a 5.3 or 6.0 in a truck.

Believe me man, I think anything 500 rwhp and over is hands down, grounds for a 4l80e(I said it in post #7).

Just remember that the dude is thinking about doing a 6.0 with a mild cam. That will be mid 300's HP/TQ which would be no problem for a properly built 4l60e. Even if he ran a 150 shot, a 4l60e would still(in theory) last a long time behind it.

DISCLAIMER-I'm not trying to start arguements. I respect your opinion as much as anybody, and I think we may be argueing a similar arguement.

 

[thunder550]

LOL I definantly think our perception of big numbers is different. Then again, you're running a turbo'ed 408 and I'm running a bolt on/cammed 5.3L.

99% of the people on this site are never going to see 400rwhp ever. Hell only a couple(if anyone at all) has hit 400rwhp n/a with a 5.3 or 6.0 in a truck.

Believe me man, I think anything 500 rwhp and over is hands down, grounds for a 4l80e(I said it in post #7).

Just remember that the dude is thinking about doing a 6.0 with a mild cam. That will be mid 300's HP/TQ which would be no problem for a properly built 4l60e. Even if he ran a 150 shot, a 4l60e would still(in theory) last a long time behind it.

DISCLAIMER-I'm not trying to start arguements. I respect your opinion as much as anybody, and I think we may be argueing a similar arguement.

Yeah, sounds like we're on the same page...I agree with what you posted here. :shake: