ive got my motor on the way, 420HP and 460ft lbs tq from a carbed 383 being built by prestige motorsports. original plan was to use a 700r4 tranny as thats what was in my 79 vette before all this. only thing i dont like about the 700r4 is the huge 1-2 drop in that tranny. i do need an overdrie transmission for highway driving and im pretty much tired of my th350 in my trans am so overdrive limits my options. i heard on ls1tech of a guy who had a carbed motor but was able to mate a 4l60e to it and used a certain box to control it, this is the post from ls1tech i read

"The computer will shift the transmission but it will really suck. You will need a module that "acts" as a TPS. There about $150. You plug your factory TPS sensor plug into it and then run a cable from it to your carb. It acts as a kick down cable. Its really a neat little contraption. It takes a computer controlled action and makes it a cable controlled action. I got mine locally from Doug Herbert Performance. After I finished installing it It ran just like a factory car."

anyone heard of this? a 4l60e would give me better gear ratios and not so harsh of a 1-2 drop. im no transmission expert but i feel like the 60e would give me better performance from this motor for both dig and roll racing

 

I used a US shift controller

http://www.usshift.com/index.shtml

and a TPS sensor mounted to the carb base (which one depends on what carb you are using.) I used something similar to this on my Prosystems 4150.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FAST-TCI-EZ-TCU-TRANSMISSION-CONTROLLER-GM-4L60E-4L80E-4L85E-NO-LAPTOP-NEEDED-/200978140730?_trksid=p2054897.l4276
That is supposed to be a complete system.. I never used it I happened upon it by accident

I also have the 700 .. With 3.92 rears , and I had 3.31 rears .. By far the 3.92 kick butt and it pulls like a train with out any drop in power in every gear I use a 430/430 small block .. (ZZ430 clone)

 

4L60E and a 700R4 are basically the same transmission and have the exact same gear ratios.

700R4 = old school "manual" operation
4L60E = newer "electric" operation

Are you thinking of the 200 4R trans that has less rpm drop from first to second perhaps ?

 

From what I can tell the FAST EZ-TCU still does not include the TPS sensor/mount. Not that it is a huge deal but something to consider. I have used the US Shift controller and it is very easy to use, does not require a laptop (although using it with one is much easier) and seems to be less expensive (it too does not include the TPS which is why I added the separate link above.) Jake's Performance uses these and I was very happy with the one I had controlling my 4L80E.

A video of the FAST system installed.

I am a big fan of the FAST systems and am just wrapping up an EZ-EFI 2.0 system on my Chevelle but they are not always the "easiest" to install.

Even though the 700 is the same as the 4L60, I still think it is an "upgrade" of sorts as the ability to electronically control the transmission creates such a better driving experience, IMO. This is coming from someone who has swapped the following transmission into the same car, in this order - TH350, TH400, 200-R4, 4L80E, T56 Magnum.

 

This article might help you with the basics.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...ollers_tested/

The throttle position sensor is the same as the GM fuel injection part. There is no real magic there. You just need to get it mounted so it moves through it's travel as you move the throttle.

I believe all versions of the 4L60e/65e/70e have the same gearing as the 700R4, so there is no gain there. But, you can dial in a shift curve which could make up for some of that large 1-2 gear ratio difference.

One other thing to note. Make sure the controller allows the whole shift curve to be customized. Some simple dials may help you to get it working, but to fine tune you will want to adjust the shifts at specific throttle positions and speed points.


I would 100% agree with that. I've had both a 700R4 and a 4L60e in the same car. I spent the time with the 4L60e to get the shift and lockup curves like I wanted and now the car is so much nicer to drive.

I really don't recommend anyone install a 700R4 when for about $600 more they can install a 4L60e which is so much more versatile.

 

lots of good info here, ok so the car had a 700r4 swap already in it am i safe to assume that the current driveshaft is already proper length for a 4l60e and will there need to be any bellhousing modifications to bolt up to my 383? or any other modifications for that matter?

edit* btw i did look it up and didnt realize the ratios were the same for teh 700 and 60e. i guess now what im looking at for advantages is stronger components int he 60e and the advantage of no TV cable and to computer tune it.

i like the idea of changing shift points to fine tune it and my tuner will like that as well. dumb question time though, will the 4l60e behave like it does in factory equipped vehicles such as the 4th gen trans ams ( which i currently have one with a 4l60e) and camaros? i remember the 01 camaro i had with teh 60e would downshift 2 gears (depending on rpm and speed of course) when going to WOT and responded really well. if i coudl bring that over to this vette and 383 stroker id be very pleased. i didnt get too much time with the 700r4 but i dont remember if it shifts automatically on its own or if it downshifts 1 or even 2 stages at WOT or if it will downshift at all. im really bad with transmissions but great with motors lol. help needed. motor makes 420hp and 460tq at flywheel btw. and 3.70 gears with a 2500+ stall will be a definite as well.

 

What you ask depends on how you program the shift curves. But yes, you can setup the curves so it drops from OD to 2nd gear when you kicked it down.

I have mine set to drop out of OD at about 40mph as I slow down from highway speeds so it doesn't lug as I drive into town. I also set the converter to unlock at a fairly high speed for the same reason. You pretty much need to manually downshift a 700R4 to get that and you'd need the B&M speed converter kit to have a speed adjustable converter lockup.

 

the more this gets talked about in this thread im starting to see the benifits of going to 4l60e. any fitment or adaptors needed though? my tuner likes to hook up a laptop and change things around as i drive to better suit my style so he can do a better dyno tune, would he be able to do this with this setup?

 

You mean electrical adapters or computer adapters?

For electrical, you need a throttle position sensor and a speed sensor.

For the computer, it depends on the controller. For example, the US Shift controller uses a USB port so you just connect a standard USB cable and use their software.

I believe some of the controllers have a speed output signal you could use to feed an aftermarket speedometer or electric cruise control unit. So, if you were thinking aftermarket gauges you can get rid of the cable completely.