I am in the market for a truck. I need 4x4 for trips to snowy areas, not for off-roading.

If I find a clean, low mile truck, with options I like, do I have to plan for a 4l80e in the future? There is a clean one near with a 6.0/4L60e and other cool options.

I will slowly add intake, tune, exhaust, and cam. No boost. I usually floor it a couple times a day for just a few seconds for smiles. No track and I don't own a trailer.

I have been looking for a low mile 1500HD, but hard to find, just because of the 4L80e.

Thanx!

 

No, my 65e lasted a long time. With a basic shift kit they will do fine.

 

Pat, at what power level did you start getting worried with the 65e?

 

I kept my 4L60E alive with a vette servo, accumulator piston upgrade and some tuning behind a blower. The later 4L60Es are a good bit upgraded from the nightmare 700R4s even though they share architecture.

 

I just did a tune up on a 325,000 mile truck with an untouched 60e. Will it last? Yes if driven right. The 80e is a nice peace of mind though? Absolutely! With a cam, converter and tune, i would hunt a 80e but a 60 wouldnt kill the deal for spirited daily driving. If you plan big towing or hard beating get an 80.

Im one of the last to hold faith in 60e and nitrous though lol.

 

The 4l60 is a glorified piece of junk.

If you were leaving the truck totally stock including tune, I would be fine with it. Once you start with the mods you've suggested however, it's just not a good idea. A 60e built to the hilt will last at 500 rwhp in a car/lighter truck, but not a Denali. You'll twist or snap a shaft.

I would keep looking for a clean 4l80 truck. It's just a better idea in the long run if you plan to mod. My opinion is that you need to plan according ahead of time. Several years back before it was en vogue to do the 80e swap, a prominent member of this site at the time really gave me a hard time for swaping to the 80 because I just had a bolt on LQ9 at the time. In the long run though, I didn't waste a dime on 4l60s like many have on this forum before switching to the 80.

 

My built 65e lasted from 2005-2013 and into the low 12's and never broke. Granted it was fully built, it's still in working order in a trans crate in my garage.

As for when it started to worry me, I don't know. I just started feeling like I was gambling so I went to the 80e. I love the 80e, and wish I did it sooner but the 65e worked fine. In anything that makes a lot of tq quickly I esp like a 80e. The taller 1st gear actually complemented my setup.

 

I wouldnt pass up the truck because of that trans...

 

A good built 4l60 takes a dam good beating especially if a billet output shaft is being used

 

since 4l60s are 700r4's cousin......I know of a 4l60 that was behind a 3/4 ton truck as a plow truck for 5 seasons and never missed a beat


also know of a 4l60 in a silverado that held 650 rwhp with torque being similar

skeet's evil red was the truck