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Big block, Automatic OVERdrive and a way to do it cheaper...

How did you adapt the Chevy Bolt pattern to your Big Block Mopar? Is your 4L60E the removable bellhousing type?
 
Yes, any 4L60E 98 and up has a removable bellhousing. There are also adapt plates available too. I used a quicktime bellhousing which is set up to be used with the 4L65E (LS 5.3 and 4.8 trans.) I would recommend the 4L65E trans anyways. It's stronger. There is another company that makes conversion bellhousings, but I can't remember the name. Ultrabell I think is the name. I believe that's the bell Silver sport uses.
 
Thanks, the LS style transmissions present an interface problem with the torque converter spacing and construction. The pre LS removeable bell trans with 298MM converter is what Silverstar uses and they have a dedicated cast bell of their own design. JW trans in Florida makes the UltraBell but not for this trans, same with Reid Racing. It can certainly be done with the QuickTime bell but there are some hurdles. The easier swap to a 700R4/4L60E is to use the earlier non removeable bell trans and an adapter such as the offerings from Wilcap, at least that has been my experience.
 
With the QuickTime housing, I had to convert my input shaft and torque converter to the 300mm, as well as use a hub spacer. If I had to do over, I would not have used the QuickTime housing. That being said, I’m happy with my result.
 
You sound like you have some great ingenuity, I applaud you for being able to do all that, it isn't simple for sure. Well done sir!
 
bbcharger71 said:
With the QuickTime housing, I had to convert my input shaft and torque converter to the 300mm, as well as use a hub spacer. If I had to do over, I would not have used the QuickTime housing. That being said, I’m happy with my result.
Click to expand...
Do you have a thread about It? I've been looking at doing that swap, I beleive the Terminator will allow me to control GM trans. My hang up is I just installed a brand new pan and am hesitant about cutting it up...Ive never put a TF and 4L60 side by side to see what the actual differences are size wise....
2k for a OD BBM...sounds pretty reasonable... I have a friend that has. Gv unit that he took out to replace w/ a 6 dps has about 2500 miles and is asking $1750...I would still need to get a drive shaft, and the right tail housings which would put me over the $2k...
Thanks
 
Honestly, do the numbers make sense to you; is it worth that $2,000 - $4,000 investment?

How many miles would you need to drive to recoup that investment, 10,000 to 20,000 miles? I'm all behind a stand-alone harness for the plentiful 8HP70 (8-speed) series to use a modern GEN III Hemi; which may be right around the corner. Would not be really enthusiastic about placing what is essentially a SB transmission (in some cases) behind a BBM with 500-600+ ft/lbs of torque at very low engine speeds.
 
Mike67 said:
Do you have a thread about It? I've been looking at doing that swap, I beleive the Terminator will allow me to control GM trans. My hang up is I just installed a brand new pan and am hesitant about cutting it up...Ive never put a TF and 4L60 side by side to see what the actual differences are size wise....
2k for a OD BBM...sounds pretty reasonable... I have a friend that has. Gv unit that he took out to replace w/ a 6 dps has about 2500 miles and is asking $1750...I would still need to get a drive shaft, and the right tail housings which would put me over the $2k...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Yes I do. However, I'm not done yet. The car had to get put on the back burner for family and house projects. I'm running the microsquirt trans controller and a us shift throttle position sensor on my edelbrock. I think the trans controller is around $400 with the harness. It is one of the cheapest available. Here is a link of what I have. https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/4l60e-to-a-big-block.48547/ I'm actually going to try and get the wiring finished next week while on vacation.
 
The issue is not just fuel savings. For me, it is about a quieter ride, less vibration, a more comfortable cruising speed and less wear and tear on the engine.
 
Whenever I contemplate a change, I have a tendency to go back and forth on which way I will go. I ponder the options and try to resist the urge to make an ill informed, impulse decision.
For now, I think that I am going to pass on using this 46RE/518 transmission. It is probably a reliable and durable unit but I don't want to cut the floor of this car.
I wrote earlier about the Gear Vendors unit that I had in the car awhile ago. It was a first generation unit that was bought used from a friend. It had no mounting boss for the factory floor shifter so my buddy made a half assed bracket. The shifter would sometimes not lock into PARK, allowing the car to roll when it shouldn't. The detents felt vague too.
The OD would sometimes NOT disengage as I slowed down to a stop. This meant I was in overdrive all the time when this occurred.
The car had a vibration in it that wasn't severe but it was evident. I had to use a slip and spline drive shaft because the GV had a fixed yoke on it.
I didn't mention before but the speedometer cable exited the unit at a upward angle, approx, 10:00 as viewed from the rear. This necessitated a 90 degree adapter OR a dent in the floor to keep from binding a traditional cable. I have a Dakota Digital gauge cluster now that uses a digital speedometer sensor....wires, not cables are there now.
Most of those issues are most likely related to that particular unit, the one that I had. New versions have the shifter mount. Newer electronics. Slip yoke style output shaft.
My existing transmission and torque converter work fine. The Gear Vendors option is being considered for a few reasons. Cost is one of them. At half price of the Silver Sport 4L60E, it could be bought sooner rather than having to sell more stuff here to buy-in.
 
Greg Ducato said:
Thanks, the LS style transmissions present an interface problem with the torque converter spacing and construction. The pre LS removeable bell trans with 298MM converter is what Silverstar uses and they have a dedicated cast bell of their own design. JW trans in Florida makes the UltraBell but not for this trans, same with Reid Racing. It can certainly be done with the QuickTime bell but there are some hurdles. The easier swap to a 700R4/4L60E is to use the earlier non removeable bell trans and an adapter such as the offerings from Wilcap, at least that has been my experience.
Click to expand...

I was looking into this a while ago as I can actually get these transmissions here, as opposed to the 518's etc. But not being a chevy guy I struggled with working out what GM transmissions would work with the wilcap adaptor. they list it as 350 pattern suitable for v8's up to the LS - so is that any trans that will bolt to a chev V8 engine up until the LS? so it will suit the 6L80? 6 speed would make the effort worth while!
 
overdrive units hanging out in the rv wrecking yard. the bolt up to the 727 and most of them are still bolted to them. unknown what brand they are but in az cost have been from 250.00 up. just a thought you might be able to just pick up tail shaft and overdrive without having to buy the whole trans. again just a thought
 
Malicious said:
I was looking into this a while ago as I can actually get these transmissions here, as opposed to the 518's etc. But not being a chevy guy I struggled with working out what GM transmissions would work with the wilcap adaptor. they list it as 350 pattern suitable for v8's up to the LS - so is that any trans that will bolt to a chev V8 engine up until the LS? so it will suit the 6L80? 6 speed would make the effort worth while!
Click to expand...

The Wilcap adapter, part number 426-350 will work with any Chevy Transmission that shared the common pre-LS spacing and bolt pattern. The six speed would be cool, but even if you could fit the 6L80E to your engine, how would you operate it? This trans has an internal computer and must interface with the engine computer, there isn't a practical aftermarket solution for this as yet but I keep hearing its just around the corner.
 
bearman said:
overdrive units hanging out in the rv wrecking yard. the bolt up to the 727 and most of them are still bolted to them. unknown what brand they are but in az cost have been from 250.00 up. just a thought you might be able to just pick up tail shaft and overdrive without having to buy the whole trans. again just a thought
Click to expand...
I did just that on mine. It was behind a 460. I was able to trade the adaptor case with GV plus a little dough for what I wanted which was the mid length unit used on RV/truck applications so I wouldn't have that unit hanging off 18" plus. GV was 30 minutes from where I used to live. While I was doing that, I decided might as well have the unit checked out before it got used in the car. It was toast and needed to get redone which they did as an exchange. By the time it was all said and done, I was $200 or so from just buying a new unit outright. Food for thought and luck of the draw for me.
 
Does it fit the stock tunnel? and what adaptor are you planning to use?
 
I had a GV behind a Coan TH350 extreme turbo trans. The engine was a 383 stroker with around 525 HP. The reason was a built 350 automatic is about 1400 bucks, any other new electronic overdrive trans for a chevy was 3 times that much. In most cases the overdrive in most transmissions years ago when I started my build would not hold up. The GV overdrive unit you buy once and NEVER think about it again. If the 350 takes a dump just replace it and go on. You removed the tail shaft on the 350 and bolt the GV on. A hammer to to in large the tunnel about a 1/4 inch was all that was needed. No extra bracing for the GV was needed. You can put it on another trans by just buying the adapter between it and the new trans you are using, 700 bucks. Gms Callaway Corvettes came factory with the Th400 Gear Vendors, why, they didn't have a gear box that could handle it at the time.
 
Malicious said:
Does it fit the stock tunnel? and what adaptor are you planning to use?
Click to expand...
The section where the overdrive is located is in the tailshaft. Because of that, the tail shaft is thicker and the overall length is longer. Classic Mopars were likely engineered to allow just a moderate amount of clearance to fit the transmissions that were being used at that time. The 518 series is larger so clearance is a problem. From what I have learned, the U shaped channel that serves as the torsion bar crossmember has to be cut out and a new one built with a higher "Arch" over the top of the transmission.
 
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