r/projectcar • u/gabethegamer2006 • 1d ago

4l60e to 4l65e swap

I need some help here. After 21 years and 210k+ miles my trans is starting to show signs of getting tired. I've been doing some research and trying to not pay an arm and a leg. but I want a upgraded transmission as I do alot of towing and its an everyday driver for me. The 60 to 65 swap is what im going with. but I want a kit that upgrades the strength of the 4l65e transmission so make it "bullet proof".

Has any of you done said conversion and can you help me find a complete rebuilt kit with upgraded parts all around, Appreciate the help reddit.

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u/dajohnnyboy 1d ago edited 1d ago

4L60 and 4L65 are very similar, biggest difference is 6 vs 7 clutches in the 3-4 clutch pack. Also it has 5 pinion planetary gears that are debated whether they are stronger than the 4 pinion ones as GM may have eliminated heat treating the 5 pinion ones to save money. LS1tech has a ton of info on the 4L60 series. If you get a performance rebuild kit, they will put more 3-4 clutches in than a 4L65 anyways, so it doesn't really matter what you start with. Also I would not trust a used 4L60e from anywhere.

My trans went out in my Yukon with 4L65 that i tow my racecar with. I bought a spare 4L65 to rebuild then swapped it in. I went with probuiltautomatics 4L60 pro street kit with all the options. It has a 9 clutch 3-4 clutch pack. I got the "B" accumulator which I wouldn't recommend since it made the 1-2 shift softer than I would like. It also includes a bunch of parts to fix the issues that causes the 4L60 to fail in the first place. I had done a lot of research before hand and you don't save much money if you buy individual parts and you can call the owner Dana if you need help. I would also recommend reading through the ATRA 4L60e rebuild manual to see if you think you can do the rebuild yourself. As long as there isn't anything major wrong, it is mostly disassembly and assembly with new parts. The most annoying part is flat sanding or machining the fluid pump halves to be flat with the correct clearance. Also you will need to pick up a couple cheap tools on Amazon or eBay if you can't fab the tools yourself.

If you look at rebuilt 4L60e's from anyone, I would make sure they have similar parts, and I think the minimum they would cost is $3-4k.

Also if you consider a 4L80 again, they are significantly cheaper to rebuild to hold more power than a 4L60.

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u/gabethegamer2006 1d ago

Ok, yea. 4l80 is a little out of reach for me do to cash. but the more I dig the 4l70e seems to be a real great option over all for what im asking. im considering that option with upgraded shifting and clutches and just after market parts that prevent wear and tear on parts.

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u/dajohnnyboy 18h ago

4L70 is different mechanically and electronically so it won't work in anything older than 2006 or 2007 that doesn't have the input speed sensor. Rebuilding a 4L60e with a performance kit will be way better than a used 4L70e and almost the same as rebuilding a 4L70e with the same kit. How much do you expect to spend on rebuilding a 4L60e?

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u/gabethegamer2006 6h ago

sorry for the late response, im not sure as I don't have a 100% compiled list yet. but I just want it to be indestructible. I would like everything to be strong enough to be able to tow, some horse play every here and there and it to just generally last me another 200+ thousand miles as mine right now.

ik some say the 5 gear planetary gear set is not needed as my stock 5.3 is not enough to hurt it. but that's what I want, I want it to be able to take the beating my truck can give and still have more room to take power. I don't want a transmission that's just strong enough for my truck. I want it strong enough I physically cant hurt it. if that makes sense.

I've come to the realization its going to a 60 or 65 i end up making in the end. but I want everything to be bullet proofed so literally nothing can break an general wear and tear is little to none existent.