As the title states, this is the first documented occurrence of such a build as far as I know. I spent hours upon hours searching for information regarding this swap and all I found were the naysayers.
"It can't be done,"
"I could barely fit a TH400, let alone a 4l80 DEFINITELY not with stock GM housing,"
"I started but didn't finish,"
"It's just too big," <(that's what she said.)
So I decided to see just how tight our tunnels really are. Now of course, you might be saying, why not just cut and weld a new tunnel? Turns out I didn't need to.
After having issues with third gear in two R-154's at my power level, I simply had enough and became determined to find the solution for strength, and OVERDRIVE without a trans computer. Other options being ;
700R-4 (too weak/not reliable),
Th400 w/ GearVendors Overdrive (A tad expensive, bulky, clunky),
or just go with a Th400 w/ a custom low geared rear-end. (loss of launch).....
In my price-range left only the option for a manually shifted 4l80e. A transmission with TH400 strength, plus overdrive for not too much more $$. A word of caution: this swap is not for the faint of heart and will require quite a bit of Tunnel modifications to make it work. I'd certainly recommend some form of a cage to increase rigidity as well.
I'd like to use this space to personally thank a few people;
--Kenneth Mcarroll, of McAlester Oklahoma, who is owner of 1320 Transmissions and builder of my STOUT 4l80e which was top notch quality as was his customer service. He went above and beyond the call of duty with this project.
--Chris at Circle-D Billet Specialties in Houston for building my multi disk-lockup billet torque converter. Ls trans side w/10.75" bolt pattern.
--Dave Henry of Boostwerx for the Gm adapter setup. He as well went out of his way to make sure things are right!
--Jake at Jake's Performance for his 4l80e full manual control box which allows full control over which gear is selected, without a computer.
I took a few photos along the way that I'd like to share as they may help someone who wishes to do the same.
Here is a short clip of it driving for those interested in the shift characteristics. [video=youtube;wk6M2mLE4hY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk6M2mLE4hY[/video]
Day One:
Engine out:
The old R-154 out! :
The 4l80e which is in! You can see here, the rear "speed sensor" had to be removed and replaced with a GM plug which comes stock on some models. as well as the primary elecrical connector which caused space contraints:
Here is a picture of how my tunnel looked before modification. (someone elses but you get the idea):
A little of the dash had to be cut out to make the shifter fit but nothing too extreme. The shifter also had to be modified a little but again, nothing crazy. Then a plate made to cover GAPING hole as well as new hole drilled for shifter cable... Shifter used : B&M Stealth Pro Ratchet.:
Finished installation of shifter:
This shows operation of the shifter for those who were interested.
[video=youtube_share;Vxq5HsNLioE]http://youtu.be/Vxq5HsNLioE[/video]
Beginning of BFH mods:
This is where I decided to put my cooler which give over 0.5" clearance between it, the condenser, and the radiator. Cooler used: Tru-Cool Max LPD4739 (40,000 GVW rating) :
Installation complete:
More BFH mods and junkyard spare MOCK-UP 4l80e. Here is where I started to find issues. The Stock R-154 mounts are just in the way and must be removed.
This is where the stock mounts interfere:
"It can't be done,"
"I could barely fit a TH400, let alone a 4l80 DEFINITELY not with stock GM housing,"
"I started but didn't finish,"
"It's just too big," <(that's what she said.)
So I decided to see just how tight our tunnels really are. Now of course, you might be saying, why not just cut and weld a new tunnel? Turns out I didn't need to.
After having issues with third gear in two R-154's at my power level, I simply had enough and became determined to find the solution for strength, and OVERDRIVE without a trans computer. Other options being ;
700R-4 (too weak/not reliable),
Th400 w/ GearVendors Overdrive (A tad expensive, bulky, clunky),
or just go with a Th400 w/ a custom low geared rear-end. (loss of launch).....
In my price-range left only the option for a manually shifted 4l80e. A transmission with TH400 strength, plus overdrive for not too much more $$. A word of caution: this swap is not for the faint of heart and will require quite a bit of Tunnel modifications to make it work. I'd certainly recommend some form of a cage to increase rigidity as well.
I'd like to use this space to personally thank a few people;
--Kenneth Mcarroll, of McAlester Oklahoma, who is owner of 1320 Transmissions and builder of my STOUT 4l80e which was top notch quality as was his customer service. He went above and beyond the call of duty with this project.
--Chris at Circle-D Billet Specialties in Houston for building my multi disk-lockup billet torque converter. Ls trans side w/10.75" bolt pattern.
--Dave Henry of Boostwerx for the Gm adapter setup. He as well went out of his way to make sure things are right!
--Jake at Jake's Performance for his 4l80e full manual control box which allows full control over which gear is selected, without a computer.
I took a few photos along the way that I'd like to share as they may help someone who wishes to do the same.
Here is a short clip of it driving for those interested in the shift characteristics. [video=youtube;wk6M2mLE4hY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk6M2mLE4hY[/video]
Day One:
Engine out:
The old R-154 out! :
The 4l80e which is in! You can see here, the rear "speed sensor" had to be removed and replaced with a GM plug which comes stock on some models. as well as the primary elecrical connector which caused space contraints:
Here is a picture of how my tunnel looked before modification. (someone elses but you get the idea):
A little of the dash had to be cut out to make the shifter fit but nothing too extreme. The shifter also had to be modified a little but again, nothing crazy. Then a plate made to cover GAPING hole as well as new hole drilled for shifter cable... Shifter used : B&M Stealth Pro Ratchet.:
Finished installation of shifter:
This shows operation of the shifter for those who were interested.
[video=youtube_share;Vxq5HsNLioE]http://youtu.be/Vxq5HsNLioE[/video]
Beginning of BFH mods:
This is where I decided to put my cooler which give over 0.5" clearance between it, the condenser, and the radiator. Cooler used: Tru-Cool Max LPD4739 (40,000 GVW rating) :
Installation complete:
More BFH mods and junkyard spare MOCK-UP 4l80e. Here is where I started to find issues. The Stock R-154 mounts are just in the way and must be removed.
This is where the stock mounts interfere:
Last edited:
