first off my truck will be a driver...and i'm on a budget...lol
it is a 2001 fullsize regular cab with a 408ci motor an a GT-91m t6 turbo with a 230/230 .592/.592 114lsa cam

i have a 2005 4l80e with 12K on it and if i ran it i would do a hd2 trans kit and run stock converter

or

i have a TCI fully built TH400 with a Trans break and reverse manual valve body but would have to buy a torque converter this trans has about 30 1/8 passes on it all around 5.9x et's

i have to put a different rear end in the truck ether way so that would determine the gear ratio at that time based on the trans i go with...

so basic question is
th400 fully built with trans brake
or
4l80e with upgrades with stock converter

 

the 80. Either way your doing some modding to it, why not have the benis of OD to.. Depends on how pratical you want to keep the truck IMO. If you only going to race it then by all means 400

 

i will be driving it daily around town and will drive it about 2 hours in ether direction to street race.. i'm just scared the stock converter and just the hd2 won't be enough.... and all that money will be wasted

 

it would depend a lot on what rear gears you got in it. if your racing 1/4 mile your going to need something lower, numerically, because with that motor id imagine you will be trapping pretty high and you wont have a lock up converter. my cousins truck with 454 in it and th400 turns 4k rpm on the highway and gets maybe 5mpg. because of this he never drives it anymore

 

A mildly built 80 can take ALOT of power

 

4l80 bro

 

keep it coming folks... i'm taking everything in

 

im in the process of doing the swap right now ... 65 to a 80e ... i have herd nothing but good things from people that has done the swap, ive been told just to get a bigger stall to take care of the low end lag but i heard the first gear is long so it kinda makes up for it by the time you shift to second. my buddy said he gets to about 60 in first gear ... perfect for street racing...

 

i would go with an 80 if i were you, especially if u drive on the street alot.

 

How much power are your expecting to make? Given that its a 408/91mm I'd say ALOT. It's gonna cost a good deal of money to build an 80e that will last for an extended period of time behind that combo if turned up. However I'm pretty sure you'd trash anything made by TCI as well.

If your on a budget, I'd say a well built 400 and 3.42 gears would be just right. You'll have enough power to pull that gear at the track, it would be rediculous from a 70 roll, and still allow you to cruise on the highway.

I ran a BBC w/T400 and 3.42's in a truck as my DD for 4 years and loved it.