Is a 2wd 4L60E worth the trouble?

[RetroC10Sport]

I know what you mean. I put my junk down the left leg of my pants. Just about everytime I step on the clutch pedal, I end up smashing the tip of my junk.

Well, that'll teach ya.

 

[82chevyk10]

I know what you mean. I put my junk down the left leg of my pants. Just about everytime I step on the clutch pedal, I end up smashing the tip of my junk.

That's why I just started letting mine ride in the passenger seat.

 

[HotRodPC]

Well, that'll teach ya.

That's why I just started letting mine ride in the passenger seat.

 

[oneluckypops]

That's why I just started letting mine ride in the passenger seat.

sure glad I dont have to ride shot gun with you

 

[GreaseDog]

we understand, some of you have spindly little girl legs. for those of us built like actual men, a manual trans is just fine.

 

[HotRodPC]

I have driven manuals all my life starting with a non synchro 3 speed, to a SM420 to a M21 then M22. I have speed shifted, float shifted, side step the clutch launches etc etc. I love manuals. Most of my good buddy's always told me to go auto that I'd quit breaking rear ends and driveshafts. One buddy in paticular who built auto, and old dude, always preached go auto, go auto. Finally that day came when I broke my M21 cluster gear. Very expensive to buy parts and rebuild manuals. I had bought a non working Chevy Th350 core for $10. This auto trans buddy dontated a working BPO Th350. I pulled the guts from the BPO Th350 and put them into the Chevy Th350 with his direction. All because of funds not being available. From that point on, I've always been auto since I learned how to build them and can build them for dirt cheap. I also did quit breaking rear ends and dshafts. I have bougth 4 new trucks since 93 that were manual trans. One a NV4500, one an NV3500 and the other 2 were Ford I6 motor trucks with the Mazda trans. Then the Yota Rolla for serving papers was a 5 speed and good on gas. Not afraid of manuals at all. I prefer them. But sadyl, autos are so dang plentiful and so cheap to build compared to manuals.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

Learned to drive on a manual myself. Had them in one form or another until I moved to Texas and then my arthritis kicked in. These sexy legs can drive them just fine, just gets to hurting in city traffic.

I wish I hadn't sold my 1974 SD455 TA. But the time was right before the market dipped and a black car with no A/C and a 4 speed just wasn't going to get along with Austin traffic. Not to mention the worry of some ******* either hitting it or stealing it.

 

[Christian Nelson]

Wheelman, I currently have a 4L60E torn down in bitty pieces on my work bench right now in my garage. The Suburban it came out of has over a hundred thousand miles on it, and the only thing I can find even a little bit worn on it is the 3rd gear clutch pack. Wife ran it low on fluid, and when it began slipping, she kept driving to get it home. The rest of the clutches, the bearings, the thrust washers, the Torrington bearings, even the reaction shell (which everyone says is junk) are immaculate!! I could have probably bought a $40 clutch pack, and $40 overhaul kit, and have it back on the road. Now, the tranny has a few weak spots, you spoke of pressure lack, well, sonnax makes a pressure regulator fix that keeps the cause of reduced pressure to never happen again, by using orings, rather than aluminum riding against aluminum, which will eventually wear the bore, reducing the pressure, a common problem. Mine looks fine, but I am replacing it. The reaction shell, I am replacing with "the beast" I am replacing all the thrust washers, even though the ones I pulled out are practically new. Only other problem I saw was the plate between the valvebody separator plate had dented quite a bit from the check balls. Guess what? Transgo sells a hardened plate that it won't happen to again on for $20. This tranny is IDENTICAL to a 700R4, all they did was change the valve body to electronically actuated valves rather than mechanical.

What you have been fed is an excuse by someone who did not fully understand why the tranny they slapped new clutches in kept failing.

PATC builds a 700r4/4L60 that is WARANTIED to handle 700hp and 700 foot pounds of torque.

They simply could not stay in business if this wasn't possible.

The parts are out there, Sonnax Transgo, and others have pretty much found every weakness in this tranny, and have addressed it. The aftermarket is ALWAYS doing this with EVERY design.

All that said, unless you are willing to open up the tranny yourself, a 2wd one is probably not worth having someone else change the tailshaft.

 

[HotRodPC]

Now whose giving away the build secrets???

 

[Christian Nelson]

Now whose giving away the build secrets???

Sorry, I'll hang my head in shame now.. Just frustrating when absolute false info is perpetuated like that.. Can't help myself at times.

 

[HotRodPC]

No biggie. Pops mentioned I was telling secrets the other day. What gets me more than anything, is when you try to tell someone what they need to do and they do the opposite. Oh well, at least you tried. Trans builders also have disagreements too, but whatever works for their build. As long as it lasts, and its got your name on it, then all is well. I prefer not to aruge, but rather educate instead.

 

[89Suburban]

 

[HotRodPC]

Sorry, I'll hang my head in shame now.. Just frustrating when absolute false info is perpetuated like that.. Can't help myself at times.

No need to hang your head in shame Christian. Just out of curiousity, what is your trans build experience? Just curous if we have another builder on the forum. As far I knew, Oneluckypops and I were the only builders. He is more experienced in the -E models I am more experienced in the non E models. Of course as you know, the 700r4 and 4L60-E are basically the same transmisison with exception the 60-E has the more updates and is electronic and the 700r4 is not. I also have done more of the Powerglides, Th350 and 400's.

Its always nice to compare notes with other builders. As I said above when I didn't have as much time, even good builders have disagreements. Pops and I disagree on a couple things, but it doesn't mean either of us are wrong or are bad builders. The part we do agree on is the important part. For example, we both agree as you have mentioned, the 3-4 clutch pack in its OEM state has problems. Pops and I agree there, its how we handle the problem where we disagree, but at least we both handle the problem the way we see as an improvement. He likes to replace the return spring boosters in the drum, I throw them away and do not reuse them at all, or replace them. I see his purpose of why he uses them since the 3-4 pack has a problem of releasing the pack quick enough. Even ATSG says to throw the springs away on rebuild, so I do so. With the proper shift kit and redirecton of fluid, I've never seen a problem of the 3-4 clutch pack dragging so I leave well enough alone. He likes Raysbestos Z-pack which is a series of one sided clutches. I don't like Z pack because its many more clutches even though they are one sided, the problem with the 3-4 clutch pack is Coning from heat. Does it not make sense that with more clutches the steels and clutches are even thinner yet and subject to coning from the heat? Makes sense right? Well, maybe it actually does. If the Z pack allows the pack to run cooler, then problem solved, so it could be the right answer and its worked for him in the past. I like to use the Alto 3-4 Commerical Clutch pack. It is thicker steels and stronger clutch media also designed for rapid cooling with grooves in the clutches.

Anyway, point is, it's cool to hear other experiences, both good and bad from other builders. So what has failed for you and what worked? Its the builders and aftermarket compnanies that will correct these issues, NOT GM. If that was the case, these issues would have been corrected long long ago.

 

[Old77]

many words.....hrpc haz 'em.....

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[HotRodPC]

It was moreless a PM to Christian Nelson, but I don't have anything to hide, so I put it here. Just the way I roll dawg !!!
I get many PM's that peeps should put in public forum so others can learn too. I do try to read all posts, and if I don't someone will PM me and tell me to check it out.