Operation overdrive.

[Philip Wolsonovich]

Well the 4l80e is in place. The drive shaft is cut and remounted. The holes for transmission cross member are drilled. The wiring for trans controller is run up to cab. All in all this are going good so far but lots of work still to do.

[Jim Stoltz]

Pics!

[Pete Black]

Hi Philip,

Are you going to make your own controller of use an aftermarket one ??  Kudos on the transplant as well.

[Philip Wolsonovich]

I had to use an after market one.I could probably reverse engineer one but I'm not knowledgeable enough about electronics to pull it off from scratch.

[Sam Mason]

Hi Philip,

I assume that since the post was back in 2016, your 4L80E swap has been finished and you have some running time on the new transmission. I am in the process of doing the same thing on my '85 P-30 Pace Arrow. I would be interested in the performance data post-swap. Mainly, drive ability, fuel economy improvement, cruising speed (in OD), According to my calculations, using a 31.5 inch tall tire, and a 3.56 rear gear, I should be getting similar results; 2200 RPM reading in OD at 65-70 mph with the converter locked. I have swapped out my steering column with one salvaged from a 1993 chassis with OD with the neutral safety switch, locking column ignition switch, brackets, the whole shebang!. I have finished installing the Transmission Control Unit, TPS, programming console and driver controls, etc.. with all the wiring tested and verified. The TCU computer found a new home under the couch behind the driver's seat. Will be ordering the transmission this month. All that's left is to cut the driveshaft, slide the cross member back, and bolt her up. BTW: A little luck: The new shift sector works fine with the TH400 until the transmission comes in. It should be a plug and play then. I didn't see any post about your final results. Thanks Sm.

[Philip Wolsonovich]

Hey Sam.
Well I'm pleases to say it works beautifully. With the lower rpms it doesn't get near as hot pulls good and gets between 10 to 11 mpg. I've driven it from Youngstown OH area in to Cape Cod , colonial Williamsburg, finger lakea in up state by and various other short trips. I got my transmission used and I love it. Best of luck with yours.

[Sam Mason]

Thanks Philip, That feedback is greatly appreciated. And from your description, that confirms what I have expected from the upgrade. The the 454 is a torque monster, not a high end engine like a small block. Today mine runs about 2900 rpm at 65mph and gets about 6.4 MPG at that rate. That's

too much RPM's for a fat block; it tends to run hot and sucks the gas! Then again, the highway speed in 1985 was still 55MPH!! I have noticed that the engine and oil temperature drops dramatically at lower RPM like 55 MPH. Thanks again for the feedback.

Sm

[Daniel Long]

Way late on this thread but I'm going the route of swapping out the rear diff ring/ pinion from my 4.10 to a 3.73. Got a good shop to do it. Would have loved swapping that transmission in but my TH400 is still great. Hoping to drop RPM's to about 2600 at 60-65 instead of 2900 now. You are right about the drop to 55-60. The RV operates sooo much better on gas at that speed. I'm getting about 11 MPG not pushing it now.

[Sam Mason]

I didn't see any size or weight for your RV but assume it's probably based on the GM P30 chassis. I also have a very good Turbo 400 on the shelf now with about 60,000 miles on it (practically new). Swapping out a transmission is not for everyone; and a fully understand your choice.This reply is mainly for all others contemplating this swap. My rig is a 1985 Pace Arrow based on a GM P30 motor home chassis.

I for one have been doing 'custom jobs' all my life for fun; and chose to swap in a Monster Performance 4L80E HD teamed up with a TCI transmission control unit. I opted for monster's "performance" HD model; it has a slightly higher stall converter with locking clutch, and heavy duty transmission components fully rated for the load plus towing. I found a OD steering column from a 1993 P30 with the correct shift sector, and all the parts from column, steering link, cable, and transmission hardware. Had to fabricate some new brackets, but now looks line original equipment except it has a locking steering column.

The stock 454 flex plate has the correct six bolt pattern to accept the HD's six bolt converter pattern. Bolted it in, slid the cross member back and re-drilled the holes in the frame. measured and cut the driveshaft, and installed the cable shift linkages. The Column swap went similarly well; the multi-function switch was plug and play with the Rostra cruise control, neutral safety and backup lights wired right in, turn signals fit the same plug as before. I used the newer TCI  Speedometer control unit (known as a "spinner") which has a motor driven cable that couples to older cable type speedometers. Works on the digital speed output from the TCU to make the old analog speedometer read correctly.

On good flat highway it runs about 2700 RPM at 70 mpg with the transmission in lock-up. about 10 to 13 MPG from that old 454. The converter will lock and unlock automatically depending on speed, loading, and throttle demand. Very comfortable to drive. New column in place with stock Pace Arrow wheel.

New Transmission control panel to the left, also transmission digital display above the column.

Out with the old in with the new. Notice the length difference.

I have much more images of the swap, but unnecessary details here. I may post them later if anyone wants the see all the messy little details.

Also have a spreadsheet of the parts necessary with part number, vendor, and pricing (at the time) if interested.