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4L65E Upgrade - The Mega MonsterInside a Monster Transmissions’ 4L65E upgrade From the August, 2012 issue of GM High-Tech Performance By Justin Cesler Photography by Justin Cesler
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If you own an automatic equipped GM vehicle, you've probably felt the dreaded slip before. One day, everything is fine, with crisp shifts and smooth operation. The next day, it's all over the rev limiter on the 2-3 shift and you're suddenly feeling down in the dumps. Unfortunately, it happens to all of us at one time or another and it's usually right after you spend all of your hard earned cash on a new speed part or power adder. If you've never been inside an automatic transmission before, it can be a terrifying experience. Seriously, it looks like it works on magic, fluid, and money, which is almost accurate if you don't really understand what is going on. Luckily, there are plenty of quality transmission shops that can rebuild your transmission without an issue, taking a 400-hp capable factory unit and turning it into a 650+ horsepower tire fryer. And, whether you're going to have someone go through your slushbox for you or you're going to try to tackle it yourself, it's important to understand the key parts of the transmission and how each one works. Each Monster Transmission... Each Monster Transmission build begins with a clean, fully disassembled transmission case, which has been inspected and painted by the Monster tear down crew prior to hitting the workbench. For our 4L65E build, a traditional 2-wheel drive 4L60E case served as our foundation. Once you know what they do, you can figure out why it is important to upgrade them (or leave them alone), which can save you money and heartache. For now, follow along as we show you how one of the best in the business - Monster Transmissions - assembles a 650-horsepower capable Mega Monster SS 4L65E, and then decide what you want to do about your particular transmission build. From hard parts to the full Monty, Monster can get you hooked up; it just depends on what you're looking for!  Assembly of the Mega Monster...  Assembly of the Mega Monster SS transmission begins here, with the Reverse Piston. The piston takes three new O-rings, which mush be lubed properly prior to sliding the piston into the bottom of the transmission case.  Monster recommends that each...  Monster recommends that each case bushing be checked and, if necessary, replaced with a new bearing. Our case bearing looked a little worn, so Jerry installed a new one, using a little Loctite to keep it in place.  Every Mega Monster SS ships...  Every Mega Monster SS ships complete with heavy-duty 5 pinion planetary gears, front and rear. The additional pinion (shown on the right) helps spread the torque load throughout the planetary, which improves reliability.  The rear ring gear, retainer,...  The rear ring gear, retainer, and rear planetary go in next, along with the clip to keep the rear assembly in place.  The Mega Monster SS features...  The Mega Monster SS features upgraded “red” friction clutches and Koleen steel bands. It’s always a good idea to soak the clutches and bands in ATF for a couple of minutes before installing them, so take a breather now and let them soak.  Once the Koleen bands and...  Once the Koleen bands and red friction clutches were good and ready, Jerry began assembling them in the transmission case, stacking a clutch between two bands. Monster uses 5 friction clutches for low/reverse, for additional holding capacity.  There is a strict “replace...  There is a strict “replace the sprag” policy in place here and Monster tosses the factory sprag in the trash “no questions asked.” It’s a small piece, but simply not worth risking your transmission build over. This is the rear “wide” sprag, while a 29-element unit is used in the input drum.  One of the weakest points...  One of the weakest points in a stock 4L60E is the sunshell, which tends to break in almost any horsepower application. Where the factory sunshell is very thin and brittle, the Beast (shown here) is built from thick stock and features a welded, thick spline input area for extra strength.  If you’re not paying attention,...  If you’re not paying attention, let’s just say it again. The factory Sunshell is basically garbage, throw it out and upgrade it with something like The Beast. It’s easy to install and once it was in place, Jerry dropped with front ring gear and 5 pinion planetary in place.  Next up, Jerry replaced the...  Next up, Jerry replaced the stock single-cage input sprag with an upgraded 29-element unit, which is much more robust than the factory supplied piece. Of note, you can install this sprag backwards; so make sure you double-check it before installing it.  Time to get to work on the...  Time to get to work on the forward input drum. The input drum houses both the forward clutches and 3/4 clutches, which makes it a very important piece to get just right. After soaking the clutch packs, Jerry loaded the 3/4 piston, 3/4 clutch assembly, return springs and forward clutches, shown here.  These tiny springs keep the...  These tiny springs keep the 3/4 pack from applying under high RPM, which means they are essential in any build heading north of 6500-rpm. No need for new pieces here, just drop the stock springs back in place.  Four new Teflon O-rings slide...  Four new Teflon O-rings slide onto the input shaft, which must be shaped using a special resizer tool. This assures Jerry that the input shaft O-rings won’t get pinched during the install and it forces them to hold the correct size during the build.  The reverse input clutch housing...  The reverse input clutch housing slides over the input housing and is followed closely by a heavy-duty wide 2/4 clutch band assembly. The band clips into the transmission case.  With all of the major internal...  With all of the major internal parts complete, it was time to turn our attention to rebuilding the 4L60E’s transmission fluid pump. Monster uses 13-vane rotor gears, which reduce the stress on the pump and provides more consistent pressure. Along with the 13-vane design, Monster adds a “High Rev” kit and new spring to the assembly.  The Mega Monster SS transmission...  The Mega Monster SS transmission features a Corvette second gear servo, along with a Super Servo 4th gear (shown here). Each servo is upgraded with new seals and springs prior to installation.  Building a hard-hitting, heavy-duty...  Building a hard-hitting, heavy-duty transmission requires a little bit of modification to the separator plates, which you can see here. Careful honing of key openings allow Monster to achieve maximum shift performance, along with decreased shift time.  You know you’re getting close...  You know you’re getting close when you finally bolt the valve body down for the final time. As you would imagine, Jerry took his time to thoroughly clean the valve body before installing it and even managed to work a couple of tricks in there without us being able to photograph them…  It’s time for an all-new wiring...  It’s time for an all-new wiring harness to be installed, along with brand-new sensors and filters. If you’re tackling this project at home, you could probably reuse your harness, but Monster chooses to replace each one for peace of mind.  With the bellhousing installed...  With the bellhousing installed and the new Monster transmission pan in place, we were ready to rock and roll. This 650-plus horsepower capable 4L65E transmission costs less 2,000-bucks, comes with a warranty, and will deliver firm shifts for miles to come. Make sure you check the magazine to see what we’re installing it in!
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1999 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - Street Heat
Almost no other GM model pulls off the aggressive look quite like the fourth-gen Trans Am, and when you modify one like Nathan Turjillo from Las Vegas has, well; you end up with a real showstopper....
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