Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com - View Single Post - IT LIVES! My Z/LE ZL1 + 1LE + 2SS = Z/LE ;o) LSA SC [COTW 2/09/15]

hammdo · 03-02-2019, 11:50 AM

So, after the coil over episode, I was able to make it to GPI (4.5 hours away). I did test out the car before leaving ;o)

Dropped the car off Monday, On Tuesday, Mike @ GPI had her torn down:

The good news, 4-5-6 showed a bit of heat but NOTHING BROKEN! This 6L80 is a lot tougher than folks believe. 67k miles on her and still in great shape. Changing the oil often has helped for sure. Probably should have put the cooler on sooner but, lesson learned.

So with that, I went with the PATC rebuild kit (with the GPI upgrades), the PATC Billet upgrades, and a ZL1 6L90 torque converter with a TCI 399853 SFI 29.2 certified Flex Plate:

TCI:

About the Flex Plate -- I initially bought the one for the 6L80 (399757) with the multiple torque convert configurations but, did NOT fit the 6L90 torque converter!

GPI order what we 'thought' was the correct one but, it too didn't fit. A call to Circle-D -- they sent us the right one (Circle-D no longer does their billet flex plates so they sent us the TCI).

So that was a 2 day delay - which was my fault as I wanted all 6 bolts and not '3' for the torque converter. GPI worked though that and got it done for me!

So with the PATC/GPI/TCI upgrades, the ZL1 Torque Converter, Ryan set out to tune things up.

And boy, I can tell the difference.

Ryan had to 'test' the setup so while driving around, a nice GT 500 came up -- yea, Ryan said it didn't last long ;o). Ryan said everything just 'works' and is very tight -- really responsive.

Anyway, why the ZL1 Torque converter?

I road race -- not drag -- so stall converter was not in the plans.

The ZL1 Converter is Dual Disk, 300 mm and, stalls around 1800-2000 RPM vs the 6L80 which is 1300-1500 RPM. Now, torque produced moves this stall RPM around but, the ZL1 is built tougher, is a direct fit for the 6L80, was built for supercharged engines, cost effective and, built to race!

Not a bad upgrade and GPI gave me a 'smokin' deal on it!

So after a 300 + mile trip home, trans was so much more responsive, tighter/crisp shifts and just worked!

Considering all the trans work GPI does plus what they've learned from racing, this was an unbelievable upgrade!

I will say, the weather was a bit cold on the way back (high 30's). Trans temps max were 105° and when I got into Dallas, 96° -- I know but, I normally don't drive it when its below 40°.

I don't see any transmission 'heat' issues though when I race this mother! She's built tough!

As a side note, Mike checked the front end for me and found the driver's front-rear control arm bent -- thus why the little discrepancy on the alignment. I've ordered the Z/28 versions for both the driver/passenger's sides -- I replace in pairs as habit -- experience has taught me its best to do if you can.

Part numbers are:

Anyway, those are ordered and on the way from Rock Auto.

Can't wait to try this out -- when its not raining and cold ;o)

-Don

03-02-2019, 11:50 AM	#2376
hammdo 'It's an experiment' Drives: [COTW 2/09/15] '11 GPI LSA SC Z/LE Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dallas TX Posts: 8,694 View My Garage	6L80 with 6L90 torque converter - GPI Rebuild So, after the coil over episode, I was able to make it to GPI (4.5 hours away). I did test out the car before leaving ;o) Dropped the car off Monday, On Tuesday, Mike @ GPI had her torn down: The good news, 4-5-6 showed a bit of heat but NOTHING BROKEN! This 6L80 is a lot tougher than folks believe. 67k miles on her and still in great shape. Changing the oil often has helped for sure. Probably should have put the cooler on sooner but, lesson learned. So with that, I went with the PATC rebuild kit (with the GPI upgrades), the PATC Billet upgrades, and a ZL1 6L90 torque converter with a TCI 399853 SFI 29.2 certified Flex Plate: TCI: About the Flex Plate -- I initially bought the one for the 6L80 (399757) with the multiple torque convert configurations but, did NOT fit the 6L90 torque converter! GPI order what we 'thought' was the correct one but, it too didn't fit. A call to Circle-D -- they sent us the right one (Circle-D no longer does their billet flex plates so they sent us the TCI). So that was a 2 day delay - which was my fault as I wanted all 6 bolts and not '3' for the torque converter. GPI worked though that and got it done for me! So with the PATC/GPI/TCI upgrades, the ZL1 Torque Converter, Ryan set out to tune things up. And boy, I can tell the difference. Ryan had to 'test' the setup so while driving around, a nice GT 500 came up -- yea, Ryan said it didn't last long ;o). Ryan said everything just 'works' and is very tight -- really responsive. Anyway, why the ZL1 Torque converter? I road race -- not drag -- so stall converter was not in the plans. The ZL1 Converter is Dual Disk, 300 mm and, stalls around 1800-2000 RPM vs the 6L80 which is 1300-1500 RPM. Now, torque produced moves this stall RPM around but, the ZL1 is built tougher, is a direct fit for the 6L80, was built for supercharged engines, cost effective and, built to race! Not a bad upgrade and GPI gave me a 'smokin' deal on it! So after a 300 + mile trip home, trans was so much more responsive, tighter/crisp shifts and just worked! Considering all the trans work GPI does plus what they've learned from racing, this was an unbelievable upgrade! I will say, the weather was a bit cold on the way back (high 30's). Trans temps max were 105° and when I got into Dallas, 96° -- I know but, I normally don't drive it when its below 40°. I don't see any transmission 'heat' issues though when I race this mother! She's built tough! As a side note, Mike checked the front end for me and found the driver's front-rear control arm bent -- thus why the little discrepancy on the alignment. I've ordered the Z/28 versions for both the driver/passenger's sides -- I replace in pairs as habit -- experience has taught me its best to do if you can. Part numbers are: Anyway, those are ordered and on the way from Rock Auto. Can't wait to try this out -- when its not raining and cold ;o) -Don __________________ 747 RWHP 794 RWTQ "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races." - Enzo Ferrari See My Build: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=385577 Last edited by hammdo; 03-04-2019 at 12:09 AM.