01SilveradoJakee

Hey guys, got a few question on building a 4l60e as far as tools.

Back story is needed a 60 rebuild after destroying the clutches. Got a rebuild from a local shop that offered a sponsor as labor is free and i pay parts.
After, my first tranny which lead to this deal was a somewhat beefed tranny with a Transgo HD2 kit corvette servo a circle d 3000-3200 stall converter and a tru cool 40k and i beat it up. Last me 2 years and 25 k miles.
Got it rebuilt from him, lasted 2 months and the tranny started slipping. Only after long highway driving tho. HE stated there was a crack in the 2nd gear servo, okay fair i get it parts suck now a days.
4 months later, my little brother was driving it home from work and it shifted into 2nd normally then free revved and all the tranny fluid came out.. I mean all, i est. about 16-17 qts after the larger pan and cooler. Anyways he told me the converter failed...... I was puzzled because i had beat the circle d one up so hard how come? Same converter was in both trannys but he had Roadrunner converters (local AZ shop) redo it. Talking with circle D, only way that could happen is if the converter was machined down to far and broke. Make sense because the pictures i got was of the plate being warped. Sent it back to circle d, got it redone BTW amazing service and always will recommend them. Jelly is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and the whole team is cool. Anyways got it back together and 2 weeks later i have 6 neutrals because my pump rotor shattered after less than 1k or easy driving. My mods are below and i know the 60e's aren't this bad..
So he took care of me again but i honestly do not wanna do this again, but this is the last chance. 4 trannys in 8 months is pretty rough. But its super easy now.

So was just looking to see if anyone knew of all the tools i would need to do this again if needed. Also any awesome bad a** parts I could buy for longevity recommendations would be awesome too.

madmann26

iTrader: (7)

This is what led me to my 80e.

I know, not what you wanted to here. I’m an 80e nut swinger and proud of it.

1FastBrick

iTrader: (17)

The largest thing with the 4l60E is they are not meant for the punishment most people put them through.

The HD2 kit is an old design before we were able to control the electronic side of the transmission. If the tune is aggressive enough and you add an HD2 kit, the line pressures will be too high.

Personally I had the HD2 kit side by side with the Sonnax performance pack kit and the Sonnax is a hands down better kit. Gm even offers a performance transmission now using this same kit.

Your enquiring about tools, so are you going to attempt to repair it yourself next time?

stroker87

iTrader: (6)

i never had much luck with the 60e's,

not to start a war, im not saying you need to or even should swap to a 80e but i did and been happy since!

MaroonMonsterLS1 on here says he has a fix his testing for the 60e's he knows a lot about them maybe send him a message?

01SilveradoJakee

Thank you sir. I did send him a message and I see what he has to say. Im honestly not against doing a 80e swap. Just sadly a 80e in AZ that needs a rebuild is 800 or more. That is what sucks and keeping me from doing it, I mean the other parts are cheap compared to getting a good 80e rebuilt around me. But i do now that there are lots of more people beating their trannys up harder and are holding it. Hell i just saw where a c6 or c5 just broke a record using a 60e. So i believe a 60e will carry me a long way, just either me install everything myself or getting it to the correct people to do the job.

01SilveradoJakee

Yes I would love to do it myself. I am a ASE master tech and at independent shops we ourselves do not rebuild the tranny. It is either shipped out or sent back as a core and new one is installed. Just never personally never been in a tranny like that before. Dropping valve bodies are pretty simple its all the inner workings i am unsure of. I would like to just get info into what i am getting into before I get there and be like "oh sh**" But then again that's half the fun right in doing it yourself?
Even after tonight working on putting my fifth tranny back together from my guy It didnt even make the trip back from the test drive before it slipped bad and lost all gears again. Yes I made sure lines were cleaned, cooler repalced, and converter went through.

01SilveradoJakee

So not against it, but 80e's in my area are not cheap, even ones that need a rebuild.

MaroonMonsterLS1

I agree with the rest...the HD2 is an adequate kit but certainly not the end-all be all. I don't even use the kit in my builds at all anymore.
Sonnax parts are great and they do get used in every build.

MaroonMonsterLS1

I responded to your pm and gave you a list of pointers/tips/mods.
I have a VB fix for the 3/4 failure. requires custom work and machining.
if you have a transmission that has any issues with things other than 3/4...you have an incompetent builder...or terrible luck. If parts aren't physically failing...the 1-2 and 3-4 shifts are so easy and can handle anything you throw at them prettymuch.
The 2-3 shift is where almost all issues arise and where the weak links arrive. I send you tips on getting it right.
for anyone else reading...keep the 3/4 clutch clearance tight....0.030" with 7 clutches is a good target. Keep the band clearance tight...0.060 is good.
Drill the separator plate right, get the pressure right, and you'll have a plenty capable tranny.

Oh...and p.s. if you're breaking pump rotors, A. upgrade to a 10 vane rotor and B. get the converter checked out. Had a customer break 3 pump rotors back to back. New bushing in the pump each time. New rotor each time. 2 13 vanes and a 10 vane. Each would go about 200-1000 miles. only thing that stayed the same was the converter. Got a new converter and never had an issue again. Out of balance, runout in the hub, etc can break rotors.

oh...and p.s.s. CLEAN YOUR MAF
I don't care if you don't have codes...I don't care if the truck drives fine. The MAF is used to calculate load...which is then used to set line pressures in the trans. Bad maf CAN and WILL cause issues with the transmission. Cleaning the maf is cheap and easy insurance against an issue that is nearly impossible to troubleshoot if you don't know right where to look

stroker87

iTrader: (6)

this!!!! ^^^^^^

its hard to believe but i had an 07 burb the trans started shifting crazy hard under light throttle, had full warranty on it only a year old so took it in the next day i get a call saying had oil from my air filter witch i washed and over oiled the day before it started shifting wacky