do LT1 and v6 camaros have different automatic transmisions??

[andrew N.]

b/c i swore they did, and that if you did a v8 swap, you had to swap the tranny as well. but i hear there both 460LE transmisions, even the caprice and impalla ss are too.

do they just share the same valve body, b/c they all use the same shift kit from transGo?

[blackbyrd]

dont hold me to this but i think the difference is the bell houseing, they use the same tranny though.

[Loochy88]

hes right, the tranny is the same

[MoreThanAV6]

Which years had the two piece bellhousing for the 4L60E? (3.8L firebird v6)

[andrew N.]

so w/ a v6 to lt1 swap.........can use the same automatic transmision????

online salvage places kept saying that the v6 tranny was too weak for a v8.

p.s. i dont even know what a bell housing is.

[morbid]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by andrew N.:
so w/ a v6 to lt1 swap.........can use the same automatic transmision????

online salvage places kept saying that the v6 tranny was too weak for a v8.

p.s. i dont even know what a bell housing is.<hr></blockquote>

the bell housing is the bell shaped part that usually comes attached to the transmission and houses the clutch or torque converter depending on transmission type. so even though you have the same transmission as the V8s, you'll still need a different bell housing. i don't know how easy or difficult it is to find just the bell housing because without the transmission it is of little use. so you'll end up having to get a transmission out of a V8 either way, if you're doing a swap.

[Skullcamaro]

You can not use the same transmission from the V6 when you swap either an LT1 or LS1/LS6 engine into the original V6 car. The bellhousing's on the transmissions are different. Supposedly thier is some way to work around this. I remember reading a while ago about a company that sells specially designed bellhousings but I'm not sure that it would work with our cars. Thats the only difference. If your going to do a swap you might as well have an upgraded transmission our then the stock ones anyway. Many companies sell/make 4L60E transmissions for the V8 versions of our cars that would work with a swap and depending on how many miles the other donor car has on it for the engine/trans swap, its probably a better and cheaper idea in the long run to just got buy a stronger and better trans that is designed to withstand a lot more stress then the stock one. Even though the stock trans is pretty good a built up/improved and strengthened one is always a better idea.
The stock one is rated to be able to handle around 400 hp/torque, even though it has been none to handle a lot more. The ones other people sell have their internal parts strengthened as well as the outside, so basically the aftermarket transmissions are an upgraded/strengthened version of the stock ones, but the bands and solenoids and such are heavy duty/strengthened versions of the originals, similar to the type of things you get in a shift kit but on a much higher level and degree. The afrermarker ones have been strenthend as a whole not just specific parts, the overall trans is made more durable and made to be able to handle higher amounts of power and such.
SO THE BOTTOM LINE IS BASICALLY NO you unfortunately can't use the same transmission as the V8's if you have a V6 originally even though they are both 4L60E transmissions and can use the same parts for upgrades (shift kits, torque converters, etc). The bellhousing is different and thus the original V6 4L60E transmission can not be used even though the V8 engines have/use the 4L60E transmission the bellhousing is different and it makes a whole difference in the way it will fit/attach to the engine/car, etc.

One other thing I've never heard from anybody and that includes GM when I asked them about the transmission types about a 2 piece bellhousing. NO such thing exists in this case anyway. Their are two piece driveshafts that were used depending on the year of the car. The driveshafts can and are interchangeable and basically can be used no matter if it's a V6 or a v8. A lot of people get the 1 piece 1LE aluminum driveshaft (fairly inexpensive compared to other things) or the carbon fiber driveshaft (costs a lot more) because of the difference in wait and strength compared to the stock two piece steel or one piece steel driveshafts that come standard on both V6 and V8 camaro's and firebirds depending on the year of the car and the options that were selected for it. I think MoreThanAV6 confused the two topics/component pieces when he made his statement. If you have any other questions either email me at opt0tolerance@aol.com or post here or post a new topic directly to me in this forum. Morbid gave a pretty good summary of what a bellhousing is. I suggest you do a search on this topic. It has come up many times in the past and is discussed in great detail. Good luck on the swap if you do it. Take care.