When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I wanted to make this since i just did the swap, I know theirs sticky's and info out there but i could not fine a post with all the details in it i hunted the net for a few days and a bunch of sites to get info one post would have been much easier on me and cover things never even thought of till i was neck deep in the swap
my swap was done on my 2004 4.8 1/2 ton 2wd short bed silverado
i picked up a used 4l80e out of a 2008 3500 savanna diesel with a torque converter for a good deal but after the install i found out diesel's use a really low stall torque converter (flashes like 1500 ) had i known this before it would of saved me the trouble of pulling every thing out to swap the converter, something to keep in mind if picking up a used trans! truck runs fine with it but its a turtle out of the hole (even worst then before)
parts & mods
1.) 32 spline slip yoke for my truck a yoke shaft no longer then 5.75" long, i installed a 4.75" shaft on my truck and have 1.75" the slip the minimum of slip recommended is 0.75" (4l60e used 27 spline) mines out of a 98 4x4 1500, i did not have to cut my drive shaft so if you get the right slip yoke you might not have to cut yours
2.) flexplate, spacer & bolts from a 6.0 (i used one from a 02 2500 chevy) your going to need the correct flexplate to crank bolts since the spacer uses longer ones (dont forget lock tight)
3.) 4l80e torque converter uses 6 bolts your stock 4l60e uses 3 so you need to pickup 6 for the 80e converter (again lock tight)
4.) transmission mount most 4l80e uses a 2 bolt in the crossmember my truck is a single bolt to crossmember if your old one is ok you can just swap it over mine was toast so i picked up a energy suspension from a local parts store
5.) cooler lines the 4l80e lines dont match up with your stock 4l60e hard lines, you have a bunch of options here mild to wild AN fitting & braided hose, use hard lines from a truck that came with a 4l80e down to plan and simple like i did, i cut the hard lines rented a double flaring tool from a local parts store and extended them with transmission hose and clamps (same way my auxiliary cooler is done) tip oil up the flare tool die you use and make sure you have the tube holder tight as you can get it! the stock 4l60e lines once extended slide right in the 80e hard lines on my truck are 3/8"
6.) crossmember lot of options here to! after market, add some angle or square tube welded to the back of yours or cut yours and move the center back, i cut mine and moved the center back 6" and the trans mount bold is centered in the factory hole, i used 3/16th plate for this most use 1/4" plate but didnt have any on hand, keep in mind the thickness of plate your using and the thickness of your cutting tool you need to keep the over all width the same!
pic of member Ferocity modded crossmember how i did mine
custom by member dirt track racer 81
7.) you going to need a conversion u joint that will go into your drive shaft and fit what ever slip yoke series you get your current one wont work
8.) if your programing your own pcm (i used HPtuner) you need to do a segment swap for both the trans and trans diagnostics other wise you'll get check engine light and trans codes like i did (google segment swap for info) you can search the HPTuners "Tune Repository" for a vehicle that matches your pcm's OS that has a 4l80e
9.) you need to add a vss sensor to the pcm the 4l60e does not have this so you need the plug for the sensor and terminal pins for the pcm, its pretty straight forward no need to over think it! made my harness and wire tied it to the existing harness running to the trans, from the pcm to the top of the engine and down the back to the trans just like the factory does
the trans i picked up had the park/neutral, sensors and shift cable bracket on it i just used those didnt have to swap any off my trans it was plug and play
I wanted to make this since i just did the swap, I know theirs sticky's and info out there but i could not fine a post with all the details in it i hunted the net for a few days and a bunch of sites to get info one post would have been much easier on me and cover things never even thought of till i was neck deep in the swap
my swap was done on my 2004 4.8 1/2 ton 2wd short bed silverado
i picked up a used 4l80e out of a 2008 3500 savanna diesel with a torque converter for a good deal but after the install i found out diesel's use a really low stall torque converter (flashes like 1500 ) had i known this before it would of saved me the trouble of pulling every thing out to swap the converter, something to keep in mind if picking up a used trans! truck runs fine with it but its a turtle out of the hole (even worst then before)
parts & mods
1.) 32 spline slip yoke for my truck a yoke shaft no longer then 5.75" long, i installed a 4.75" shaft on my truck and have 1.75" the slip the minimum of slip recommended is 0.75" (4l60e used 27 spline) mines out of a 98 4x4 1500, i did not have to cut my drive shaft so if you get the right slip yoke you might not have to cut yours
2.) flexplate, spacer & bolts from a 6.0 (i used one from a 02 2500 chevy) your going to need the correct flexplate to crank bolts since the spacer uses longer ones (dont forget lock tight)
3.) 4l80e torque converter uses 6 bolts your stock 4l60e uses 3 so you need to pickup 6 for the 80e converter (again lock tight)
4.) transmission mount most 4l80e uses a 2 bolt in the crossmember my truck is a single bolt to crossmember if your old one is ok you can just swap it over mine was toast so i picked up a energy suspension from a local parts store
5.) cooler lines the 4l80e lines dont match up with your stock 4l60e hard lines, you have a bunch of options here mild to wild AN fitting & braided hose, use hard lines from a truck that came with a 4l80e down to plan and simple like i did, i cut the hard lines rented a double flaring tool from a local parts store and extended them with transmission hose and clamps (same way my auxiliary cooler is done) tip oil up the flare tool die you use and make sure you have the tube holder tight as you can get it! the stock 4l60e lines once extended slide right in the 80e hard lines on my truck are 3/8"
6.) crossmember lot of options here to! after market, add some angle or square tube welded to the back of yours or cut yours and move the center back, i cut mine and moved the center back 6" and the trans mount bold is centered in the factory hole, i used 3/16th plate for this most use 1/4" plate but didnt have any on hand, keep in mind the thickness of plate your using and the thickness of your cutting tool you need to keep the over all width the same!
pic of member Ferocity modded crossmember how i did mine
custom by member dirt track racer 81
7.) you going to need a conversion u joint that will go into your drive shaft and fit what ever slip yoke series you get your current one wont work
8.) if your programing your own pcm (i used HPtuner) you need to do a segment swap for both the trans and trans diagnostics other wise you'll get check engine light and trans codes like i did (google segment swap for info) you can search the HPTuners "Tune Repository" for a vehicle that matches your pcm's OS that has a 4l80e
9.) you need to add a vss sensor to the pcm the 4l60e does not have this so you need the plug for the sensor and terminal pins for the pcm, its pretty straight forward no need to over think it! made my harness and wire tied it to the existing harness running to the trans, from the pcm to the top of the engine and down the back to the trans just like the factory does
the trans i picked up had the park/neutral, sensors and shift cable bracket on it i just used those didnt have to swap any off my trans it was plug and play
hope this help out with future swap!
can you confirm which cooler line ports on the 4l80e is feed and which is return? ( aka front or rear) im at the point where I need to modify the stock 4l60e lines
A little old, but new lines that actually belong to that trans are like $40 shipped for both from Rockauto. Real GM ones, too.
Turns out the one of the cooler lines I cut is leaking at the compression fitting I added, shoulda just bought real lines from the start haha. Gonna try to order the real lines asap
When I did mine, I just bought all 3 lines from Rockauto, ran it into the radiator, then used the auxiliary cooler lone from the radiator to what would've been the factory cooler directly into my Trucool cooler. I did have to drill a hole in the piece of plastic for the factory lines going to the Trucool cooler but otherwise it was close enough to factory....
11-06-2017, 12:19 AM
detailed 4l60 to 4l80e swap info
) had i known this before it would of saved me the trouble of pulling every thing out to swap the converter, something to keep in mind if picking up a used trans! truck runs fine with it but its a turtle out of the hole (even worst then before)
