Vortec350ss

iTrader: (20)

Hey Guys,

I got sick of hearing about all of the 60e horror stories and before I get a converter I'm gonna commit to the 80e swap. I wanna do this once and do it right.

I found a 05 80e with 70k miles that lost reverse and needs a rebuild but all forward gears work fine. I'm gonna pick it up for $300. What is the best kit to get this rebuild done? What else should I do to beef this bad boy up? I'm open to all suggesitons. I want it to be as strong as possible. Is a transgo shift kit worth my time?

What do you all think of this??
4L80E Rebuild Kit Heavy Duty Late 2001&Up :: 4L80E ---- 4L80ETRANSMISSIONS.com :: GM Rebuild Kits :: Pro-Built Automatics

Thanks for the help!

Vince B

iTrader: (1)

Thats a pretty complete kit. I'm pretty confident that the issue with the 05 unit is that it has a broken band.

Vortec350ss

iTrader: (20)

I'm sorry but I really don't knwo much abotu tranny's. Is that somethign I should shy away from? I like the idea of completely refreshing a tranny with 70k on it before I put it in the truck even if all the forward gears work fine.

oldred95

Band or piston. I've seen about half a dozen do this but nobody has ever wanted to tear them down to see why, they wanted new ones instead. I once read the piston was redesigned in 97 and it was made weaker and eventually the pin can punch through the piston. No idea if that is true or not but it seems fairly accurate given the failure of reverse on these.

Back on subject I remember talking with I believe it was Dana from 700r4l60e.com back when I was considering rebuilding my 60E before I found my 80E. I'm glad I found this thread because I almost forgot about the master kits they offer.

Chevy-Fun

iTrader: (1)

Dana is a good guy. He does it solo so gettin your kit may take time. Think it took 3 wks get mine. For a $100 more I would get the pro kit.

TIM Z

iTrader: (12)

Good thinking bud, i feel your doing the right thing .

Check out BlackGMC's thread on rebuilding his 80e. Lots of great info , and great info from Vince in that thread also.

Good score on that 300$ core!

Keep asking any ?'s you have, we will help ya along the way, or feel free to PM.

Vince B

iTrader: (1)

Its a good kit for what you are looking to do and I think you will be fine with it.

I'm saying the band but the rear servo certainly is a possibility. I have to say in all the years I have been building transmissions I have only seen a few of the servo's break.

oldred95

It may very well be the band that is breaking but granted you don't see many pre 97 4L80Es but from what I've seen the band issue does seem to be isolated to the 97+ 80Es for whatever reason. Are the aftermarket bands upgraded any to address this?

Just going through the build list the only difference is thinner steels and one additional friction in the direct clutch on the regular kit vs the pro street kit thats rated for 850+ hp.

Lets say a guy does go with a pro street kit. At this point what becomes the weak link? Hard parts?

Vince B

iTrader: (1)

With thinner steels you can not dissipate the heat as well however I have used forward steels in the direct and have done just fine. I know alto has various packs on the market that use really thin steels and I try to avoid using these. Clutch clearance is the issue when you start adding things to any drum and in most cases I use a TH400 piston to make all this happen for the direct clutch. Also the cushion plate will have to be eliminated in the drum to do this in most cases. On the band I do not feel that the after market bands offer any better strength. Band clearance and a worn reverse boost valve are more than likely the issue here. As far as the kit your talking about that is what a company has named their kit. Its not a standard name in the industry when builders order parts.

Vortec350ss

iTrader: (20)

I tried to find something that had Borg Warner clutches because I had heard aftermarket clutches werent all they were cracked up to be.

So the general consensus is that this kit is the right call?