well as i stated in my other thread something fubard in my 4L65e so i have to pull it and fix it. i've searched but cant seem to find what i'm looking for, which i may have over looked it so if i have can someone direct me with a link or something, if not heres the info i'm looking for

wondering what the 4L65e can be built up to hold? i'm not looking to put more than 400 to the wheels but i want the trans to hold around 500-600, i want to over build it so i dont have to have tranny issues again

i'm also looking for a parts list that i will need to build it to hold this, i've already rebuilt this trans before due to the radiator busting and antifreeze and water geting into my trans so i know how to do it and have the extra time to do it. the trans didnt have any issues even after the radiator busted i just didnt want to chance it so i pulled it and rebuilt.


thanks in advance for any info

 

I put 425 to the wheels, and 8 months is the longest lasting built 65E I've had. Of course, my truck is heavier than yours, but still....

 

im building my own 4l65e, converting my 4l60e. Im doing billet shafts, and all the upgrades etc. I plan on having between 400-450 at the flywheel in my 5.3 with cam/heads, ls6 manifold etc. long term goals.

my first trans blew up because I believe the shifts were wayy too hard. Im going to back off on the line pressure and shims in the shift kit this time.

 

well mines lasted two years since i rebuilt it, true enough i dont make alot of power, only 284 at the wheels, but i plan to do heads/cam/intake, and maybe a 100 shot at most, i dont really want to swap from the 4L65e cause its alot easier to me to work on than the 4L80e that i rebuilt in my 2500, it already has a hd-2 shift kit and vette servo so im looking to upgrade everything else to hold more than what i plan on doing

 

Good luck with 500-600. 450-500 is about the limit. Even at 450-500 the 60e is on borrowed time unless you drive like a granpa. It is a combination of power and the heavy truck that kills the 60e.

 

just go n do the 80 swap...u can beat on it more

 

I'm still rocking my stocker with a 40k cooler, vette and Sonnax servos, HD2 kit, separator plate, and aluminum accumulator pistons. I do however, avoid 4-2 downshifts, and driving extremely aggressively (fishtailing, donuts, smoky burnouts, going WOT all the time), but I do enjoy getting pretty heavy on the throttle fairly often. I'm probably making 450ish rwhp.

IMO, it's all about keeping it cool, reducing slip with servos and a shift kit, and how you drive it. EDIT: And a good tune!

 

My FLT built level 7 has made plenty of runs down the track with quite a bit of them in under 11 seconds. The trans has ~10-12,000 miles on it with nary a hiccup. I trust it to perform as demanded BUT I feel I'm pretty lucky and if I was to start over I'd do a 4L80 conversion...but then I'd be a slow as Dewmanshu.

 

Stocker here with 50k miles. Only vette servo, 40k cooler and tune. Im probably around 400whp/440wtq and its still holding. But I do drive like a granpa most of the time

 

If you are truly looking at 400 or so to the wheels, I wouldn't hesitate to use a built unit from FLT, RPM, etc. If you are expecting to build your own and have it to last like one of their units because you used the same parts and have mechanical aptitude, don't hold your breath. Not trying to be a jerk, but trust me there is wayyyy more to these units holding up then just a list of parts.

There is ton of little items addressed (clearances, wider bushings in key areas, good assembly and attention to detail, different ways to accomplish certain things that vary builder to builder but each builder has come up with a recipe for success so to speak, etc) along with those good parts that will be the difference between a unit lasting years or maybe just a few thousand miles. The shops that have really figured it out have done from experience. **** has broken or gone wrong and they have addressed those areas and made them better.

Bottom line this trans is good when built correctly, but isn't going to hold up forever if savagely abused daily or if you're overpowering it with all the weight we carry. Reading between the lines here, you probably don't need the 4L80e right now, but will when your pocket book will allow

I just went through this same situation and literally just got through spending almost 3000 in parts alone! This was because I decided to upgrade to billet input and output shafts along with that new wider forward sprag, billet pump rotor, etc, etc..... I'm kicking myself right now because I SHOULD HAVE just done the 80 at that point as this trans probably won't handle what I have in store for the truck I didn't have the time to mess with it though since it is my daily driver.

Ok, let's say you spend the $$$'s for billet shafts, servos, etc etc ---- if it holds up great. But what if it doesn't (read the other threads and see how much trouble everybody has with these trucks with any amount of power). Lets say it lasts 6 months before it breaks again. Not even factoring in labor (assuming you're doing it yourself), you're now out more money. Are you going to try rebuilding it again and chance another failure or pony up for an FLT unit, etc. Probably bite the bullet and go with a proven build. Great, but how much money did you spend getting there? And then if you're like every other hot rodder, you're probably going to make a lot more power at some future point which will probably require the 80. Now you're looking at the expense of doing the "built" trans plus the conversion.

I say bite the bullet now and do the 80 if you can. My .02......Everyone on here has told me that and for whatever reasons (stubborn, no time for conversion, scared, stupid, whatever) I didn't listen and now I've spent some big $$$$'s to get where I'm at today and it's not an 80. When I break it again or wear it out (3/4 clutch) I'll be the first guy in line to kick my a$$!

There are some very knowledgeable guys on this forum. Do a poll and see what they say. Good luck either way.

Also, if you buy a nice converter (about a grand) and then decide to upgrade to the 80 later in most cases you will need a difference converter, more money wasted........