Transmission swap help/instructions

[Ruff Idol]

Raised some important questions, hope OP can answer:

1. You'll need to adjust your transmission crossmember to the location of the new transmission. There may be holes already on the frame for this? Driveshaft my need to adjusted or swapped too?

@stutaeng - If I'm not mistaken the 2wd trucks had a different crossmember location than the 4wd? And both chassis setups also have variations between the pre-93 (4L60/700R4) and 93-later trucks (4L60E)? I know on my 92 1500 that is 2wd I have to jack up the trans to change the fluid/filter because the crossmember is in the way. I don't think this is a problem on the 4wd models, and maybe it's not on the 2wd ones post-93 either. I would think OP needs to get this info straight to figure out not only how his crossmember is now, but how it will go to accommodate a 4L60 in his 96. OP did not specify if 2wd or 4wd.

4. I suppose it goes without saying that the clutch pedal, etc. needs to be removed, unless you want to leave it as a theft deterrent?

EricTheCarGuy's C1500 is like that. The pedal was removed, and the clutch safety switch zip-tied so that the truck can start. I would at least do this, however if you can find a way to delete the switch entirely/replace with a park safety switch from an auto truck you will get to keep cruise control. Look up Eric on YouTube.

Make sure you get the correct 4L60e for your year/ECU. Look into the sticky link that talks about differences in years.

You may be referring to the crossbar discrepancies I discussed above, however I'm sure there are significant wiring differences as well.

Excited to find out how this works out for you! I may consider a swap myself some day.

 

[stutaeng]

Raised some important questions, hope OP can answer:

@stutaeng - If I'm not mistaken the 2wd trucks had a different crossmember location than the 4wd? And both chassis setups also have variations between the pre-93 (4L60/700R4) and 93-later trucks (4L60E)? I know on my 92 1500 that is 2wd I have to jack up the trans to change the fluid/filter because the crossmember is in the way. I don't think this is a problem on the 4wd models, and maybe it's not on the 2wd ones post-93 either. I would think OP needs to get this info straight to figure out not only how his crossmember is now, but how it will go to accommodate a 4L60 in his 96. OP did not specify if 2wd or 4wd.

You may be referring to the crossbar discrepancies I discussed above, however I'm sure there are significant wiring differences as well.

Excited to find out how this works out for you! I may consider a swap myself some day.

I assumed the rear crossmember mounting location of the tailhousing of the transmissions differed...I don't know.

The 4L60e units had production changes throughout the 90s. I was thinking about the differences in torque converter lockup strategies when I made that comment about differences: there's the basic, early On-Off system, PWM, and PWM EC3 system, and each requires a special torque converter friction material. I would assume the ECU needs to match the lockup strategy, or maybe it's the other way around.

Here's an article I've posted before that talks about differences: https://www.transtar1.com/TranstarIndustries/media/Transtar1/technical/bulletins/TLT-TC-035.pdf

I would have to agree that it's too much work to swap after reading the other posts, but I don't know the whole story from OP...

 

[GMTMark]

The 96 still has the shallow pan and one-piece case. That year and before the converter clutch was absolute lockup and they were made of various compounds. Later models had pwm that allows a controlled slip. All the pwm converters hav a woven carbon material. Don’t worry about that because your rebuilder should know how to match everything up. The pwm is problematic because the pwm valve moves very fast and can wear out the bore. That can be repaired but most builders including myself will block the pwm valve so it has a firm lockup and no more problems in that area. Most any 4l60e with the small input shaft will work. Starting in 1998 they went to a two piece case. I can match the transmission to your needs if you decide to do the swap.

 

[Steve A]

Not if it's a manual tranny. The manual, like the TH400 use a 31 spline output. Meaning the t-case has either a 31 or 27 spline input shaft.

Ask me how I know...

If he's swapping to a 4L60E transmission, the transfer case will have to be changed to a 27 spline input if it's 4WD.

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

If he's swapping to a 4L60E transmission, the transfer case will have to be changed to a 27 spline input if it's 4WD.

Bingo. And since he has a manual tranny first, he needs a different t-case to complete the swap. I'm glad you finally caught up.

That is if he has a 4x4 to begin with. A fact he has never seen fit to inform us of.

Also, seeing as O.P. has not replied to this thread I feel as though we've been ghosted and pretty much just informing each other with circular logic.