4l80 swap - shifter question

[westn11]

For the guys who have swapped out a T350 or 700R4 for a 4L80, what have you done for a shifter? Will my factory 700R4 stuff work for with the 4L80?

For reference my 4L80e came out of a 2003 Van that was paired with a 6.0 LS motor. The motor and trans are going in this weekend. I'm curious as it looks like the factory 4L80 shifter is cable.

thanks!

 

[sweetk30]

if me i would just do this http://www.summitracing.com/search/...ring-Column-Cable-Shift-Linkage/?autoview=SKU

but then again i did the 24" nestolgia 2 bend floor shifter up threw 4 speed shifter hole and got the shifter in black . looks just like 4 speed but auto. then i swaped in a tilt stick shift colume.

 

[Greg Ducato]

You should be able to use the factory column shifter by bolting the U shaped lever to the 4L80E and making some minor adjustments

 

[westn11]

thanks for the replies! I like the look of that Lokar setup. I'm going to give them a call and ask a few questions.

 

[sweetk30]

here is the cheepest place i have found for the lokar floor shifters. http://www.rjays.com/Lokar/lok-nos-shifters-01.htm

and he has special deals to save cash on swap out of shifter handle to others thay offer .

 

[mwgasman]

I used the factory column shifter for my 4L80E.

I had to lengthen the shift rod from the bottom of the column to the trans. I also had to move the pivot back on the frame. My trans had the longer shift shaft and neutral safety switch on it. I put a shorter shift shaft in (I'm pretty sure it is just a TH400 shaft). The u shaped bracket from my 700R4 bolted right up to the shift shaft. Works fine.

I later found a shift rod from a '91 burb with a 4L80E and used that. It turned out to be the same length as the one I lengthened.

I think Lokar makes a cable setup that will bolt to the bottom of the column.

 

[westn11]

Ok, so I talked to Lokar and they told me that their cable shifter only works on 4L80's that have the short shifter shaft. I guess that the 4L80 came with two different length shifter shafts depending on what electronics it uses. Does anyone have a pic of a short or long shifter shaft?

Not pics of your shaft... your transmission shifter shaft! :-)

 

[mwgasman]

I don't have a picture. The short shift shaft sticks out from the transmission the same amount as the 700r4 or th400 shift shaft. The long one sticks out about 3/4" farther. If your transmission has/had the black neutral safety switch bolted to the transmission over the shift shaft, you have the long shaft. Most 4L80Es have the long shaft.

 

[westn11]

Mine definitely has the black plastic electronic module outside of the transmission. So, I'm guessing I have the long shaft. That puts the Lokar shifter out... damn! I liked that option the best.

 

[kauzenkaos]

I bought a floor mount lokar shifter when i put my 4l80 in and now i regret it. When im out wheeling the shifter will push the trans into another gear when the frame and body flex. Dont get me wrong i love the shifter i just wish i had bought the trans mount version. Plus the last two times i had it at the tire shop they bent the sh!t out of my floor pan cauz they couldnt push in the button to shift it out of park.

 

[sweetk30]

ya my lokar i posted pics of is tranny mounted.

and if not using the park/nutral switch mounted on tranny then swap the shaft out. its easy drop pan pull pin and remove nut . then swap shaft right out the side and install short shaft and reinstall nut / pin and pan and done.

 

[clstolten]

Mine definitely has the black plastic electronic module outside of the transmission. So, I'm guessing I have the long shaft. That puts the Lokar shifter out... damn! I liked that option the best.

I have the same trans as you and made the lokar kit work. If you try and use the shift lever on the trans that lokar provides it will put the cable out of alignment and it will bind up. I used the lever that was on my 2004 trans, and removed the factory linkage stud and then drilled it out to install the lokar cable mounting hardware. I think I also installed it on the trans backwards from factory installation to get things aligned. I can take some pics at the end of the week. The tricky part is getting the column linkage set up. It doesnt just bolt on. I had to make a bracket, and it took some time to get it right. I wanted to make sure the indicator on the dash was reading correctly when I shifted. My install is nice and solid, but the cable is a little sloppy. So there is some play in the shifter, making it feel worn out. The factory mechanical linkage would be a better option if you can get it to work.