Before the TCI 4L60e street fighter transmission was installed, the core 4L60e was sent to TCI Auto in Ashland, Mississippi. The street fighter was shipped back as freight in a very nice container with the torque converter and ribbed aluminum pan attached. A TCI flexplate was also ordered to mate up to the 6.0L since the truck motor originally had a truck style flexplate and a 4L80e. After I picked-up the transmission from the freight dock, I started getting it ready to install. Check out the rest of the photos as I highlight some of the things it takes to put a 4L60e on a 6.0L truck motor.
After the 4L60e was removed from the shipping container, I placed it on a transmission jack. I highly advise borrowing one of these from a friend if you can, it makes the job so much easier. In this photo, the depth of the ribbed transmission pan is visible. The fit and finish of this part is very nice.
The truck motor that was used in this build is from a 2001 3/4 ton truck (LQ4) that originally was mated to a 4L80e. This combination has a GM spacer on the back of the crankshaft that will need to be removed to mount a 4L60e to it. The transmission I obtained from a 1/2 ton 2wd truck was a 2002 model. No spacing was necessary to mate them together.
The TCI flat flexplate is also a very nice part. The original flexplate was “dish” shaped and will not fit if running no spacer and a 4L60e. All very easy installation and general mechanic skills used. TCI also sends the necessary hardware to mount the parts (flexplate to engine bolts & torque converter to flexplate). Anti-seize and thread locker was used as well as following the torque recommendations. The torque of the bolts for the flexplate to the crankshaft had a 1st pass of 15lb ft, 2nd pass of 37 lb ft, and a final pass of 74 lb ft.
The next order of operation was prescribed by the instructions that accompanied the Powermaster starter (Part #9109). In these instructions, it calls out for the flexplate to starter tooth engagement to be 0.020 – 0.025 inch gap at the trailing edge between the teeth. This will determine if a spacer under the starter mounting area is necessary. During this installation, a measurement of 0.022 inch was obtained, so its good and no further action was required.
Once the Flexplate and starter alignments were completed it was time to lift the car, and position the transmission under it. Again, beg, borrow, or steal a trans. jack. The ability to wheel the transmission around, tilt it, and go up and down really saves time and is a safety item.
No problems getting the 4L60e to line up and slide on the pins. The torque converter slid right into place also. Since I am using the moroso 7qt oil pan, the lower 2 bolt holes for the transmission to mount to the engine are not used. All pretty straight forward. The bolts to mount the transmission to the engine were sourced from the hardware store and were class 10.9 metric bolts. (I am of the belief that it is always worth using new hardware when possible) The torque for the transmission housing bolts is 37lb ft. The next step is to check the torque converter placement in relation to the flexplate. The distance is measured between the converter and the flexplate to ensure the transmission housing is seated properly. Once the measurement is obtained and determined correct, it is safe to secure the torque converter to the flexplate. These bolts can also be a little tricky to actually torque with a torque wrench, not to mention everything likes to rotate while your working on it. I simply used a 1×2 20″ board to hold the flexplate from rotating while tightening it to the converter.
And there we have it, a 2001 6.0L engine with a 2002 4L60e transmission. The crossmember is a G-force unit that was for a G-body and had a single hole (modified to fit 2 holes). This photo really shows how nice the pan is and how it does not hang below the engine cradle . Wiring up the transmission is pretty simple, but will be addressed in-depth in a future post.
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