tripleedgeperformance.com

 

Figured it would be a hefty expense.

What would be the difference between getting it rebuilt and just swapping it out for a used HD trans (which appears to be the cheaper route)?

 

I couldn't agree more- $2k is nuts to spend- you can literally buy a complete totalled GTP for $1500 or less- and its at least halfway to a working, running GTP.

If you've got that kind of money to blow, turbo is the best route- you could possibly pick up a used turbo kit for the same price or a little less- or ZZP's Z3 kit isn't too much more, as said above.

There is a reason why a lot of the hardcore NA modding guys gave up and went to the M90- there is so much more power available to play with, you can make almost an extra 200 whp with a fully built M90 setup. Same thing, a lot of the hardcore SC modding guys gave up and went with a turbo for the same reason- plus add another 100-150 whp higher for a fully built setup.

If you want boost on the cheap- the M90 is the way to go. Go on clubgp.com in the forum section, watch the classifieds for a few weeks for "top swap" setups- I've seen them as cheap as $250- but they usually average closer to $500 in good shape (plus add the cost of gaskets).

The HD trans and regular trans are almost the same. The major difference is the beefier differential in the HD trans (which isn't a major breaking point anyways- plus you can upgrade your current one while its still in the car for cheap- just get an HD diff, HD diff cover, and passenger axle). The other difference is the chain ratio (yours is 3.29, the HD is 2.93- so you'll actually have better acceleration if you stick with your current)- and the torque converter; yours has the smaller, lighter converter style that the HD guys upgrade to when they do an aftermarket converter.

So there is no need to worry about the regular trans not being enough- its still going to be hit or miss on longevity- but thats with either transmission- partly its how easy you drive it, and partly its luck.

IMO, if the 4t65HD was so much stronger than the regular 4t65, I think they would've given it a higher gross vehicle rating- but its not, its still the 65 series.

 

I was hoping to hear from you bumpin' .

I appreciate all the input. Chances are I'm going to be going the route of a top swap and working from there. Are there any good walkthrough/guides on doing the actual top swap you could perhaps point me towards? I know you've got an excellent total swap guide so I figure you probably know an article or two .

And by the way, don't be too shocked if you get a PM or two from me, haha. I was hoping earlier you'd find this thread.

Edit:

Found what appears to be a pretty good deal on clubgp.com

http://www.clubgp.com/newforum/tm.as...mode=1&smode=1

My only question is, will I need the wiring harness he's talking about? And isn't a 3.4 pulley a bit small to run on an L36?

 

I've never seen a good one honestly. Really though, its pretty much an OEM install- so you'd tear your engine down to the block- and rebuild it with the new parts. So any engine/vehicle repair manual will have 98% of the process including torque specs. There isn't really a whole lot of customization.


A 3.4 will be way too small unless you have a good chunk of supporting mods. The nice thing is, it already has an MPS pulley system (so the pulley bolts on with 5 bolts instead of being a press fit and needing a puller)- so all you'd have to do is buy a 3.8" MPS, bolt it on- and save the 3.4 for when you do more mods.

The one thing I see missing is the other SC belt things- the tensioner and such (part of the coil pack bracket)- and there are 2 other idler pulleys too on the SC belt- plus the L67 map sensor and bracket. Maybe he just forgot to mention it? Wouldn't hurt to ask.

As for the wiring, you can get the "L67 swap wiring kit" from ZZP- its only 2 plugs- an extension for the MAP sensor- and a harness for the boost bypass solenoid (just 2 wires, real easy)- I think its only like $30 or so.


edit- one more thing- you are going to need a custom pcm flash for a top swap car. That pcm he has will run the engine with the new parts- but keep in mind, it was made to run the HD trans which has a different chain ratio (and hence different shift points)- so you'll need a custom pcm done that has the engine settings for the L67, but the trans settings for the non-HD trans (since no car came with that combo from the factory)- I know zzp does those tunes, or you could have someone local do it- its not difficult to do.

 

Alrighty. Both my dad and grandfather have a ton of experience with tearing motors down so it'll certainly be a learning experience for me. I assume something along the line of a Hayne's manual would do the trick?


Yeah I noticed it's the modular system so that's probably what I'll end up doing. I'll have to ask him about those parts as well.
Gotcha. I figured that was the wiring I needed as I'd been seeing a lot of it in top swap threads. Just wanted to make sure.
Yeah, I was planning on sending my PCM in to ZZP when I do the swap already.

I certainly appreciate the help and I'll be sure to post back when I find out more info about the parts he's got.

 

You should budget in the fact that it will be smart to take the heads to a shop to get them cleaned up and inspected before you do the build.

Then at the same time, since everything is off the car, you'll probably want to send your supercharger and lim to get ported and polished and checked also.

 

I see, I see. Any idea how much it generally costs to have all that done? I live in a pretty worthless town so you have to realize getting quotes for these kinds of things isn't always easy :p