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6L80 Transmission??

PsycoBob

Member
212
11
18
Location
Auburn, NY
They have an internal controller that will need adjustment and an aftermarket external box to convince it to work with a non-standard engine.

The 4L80E has an aftermarket computer available, as well as a replacement valvebody that apparently lets it use the OD gear as a gear-splitter, giving it 6 effective gears. Tci also sells complete transmissions with an altered gear set to optimize the ratio spacing. At almost $6k, it'd be an expensive upgrade.
 

reaper556

Member
282
3
18
Location
HOCKLEY, TX
Trans swaps and GV overdrives etc. seem like a really cool thing until the cost is factored in. I couldn't pay more for a new drivetrain setup than I paid for the whole truck even if it was a daily driver.

I do believe as well its a diminishing return. Some may not buy a truck with a non standard trans fitted and if they did they likely wouldn't pay much extra for the conversion
 

richingalveston

Well-known member
1,715
120
63
Location
galveston/Texas
everything from tci is a piece of crap. find another vendor for trans computers.

I have the 4l80e and you really do not need any more gears. The horsepower available in the 6.2 will not be enough to use the last two gears. I can barely use 4th in the 4l80e, when it hits an overpass on the free way it has to downshift to get the HP needed to get it over the hill.
There is a ratio between HP and RPM. you cannot get a 6.2 to do 85mph at 1800 rpm, not enough HP at that rpm. To many gears and you also never get a torque converter lock between gears thus you get a lot of extra heat and wasted gas because your tranny is always between shifts.

A 4 speed is all you need with a 6.2 because anything over 80mph in one of these trucks is out of my comfort zone anyway or it the motor is out of its HP and RPM range
 

dependable

Well-known member
1,720
188
63
Location
Tisbury, Massachusetts
If you can get a good used one and a controller, it is a good way to add another gear. I have a 93 G-30 van with a 6.2 and 4L80, works fine. If I stop using the van, that tranny will probably end up in one of my CUCVs.

The gear splitter is an interesting concept, not that I would go for the expense. I suspect some of the '6 effective gears' are in between the lower ones, not on top of them. Like a split shift two speed axle, if anyone is old enough to remember those, you can keep the engine closer to its optimum torque curve during acceleration.

edit; I think you could find this swap discussed quite a bit in older threads.
 

Jozseph

Member
216
0
16
Location
New York
FWIW

The 4L80

Gear ratios:

1234R
2.48 1.48 1.00 0.75 2.07

The 6L80

Gear ratios:

123456R
4.027 2.364 1.532 1.152 0.852 0.667 3.064
 

dependable

Well-known member
1,720
188
63
Location
Tisbury, Massachusetts
Well, I messed up, the van has a 4L80.

Anyway, the 6L80 swap would not be worth it unless you were going to drop a 6BT or similar. The 6.2 or even 6.5 in turbo would be pressed to make enough torque.

Ignore bold type, I just hit some odd key...
 
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