TH700R4, 4L60 & 4L60E
The TH700R4 transmission was introduced in 1982 for Chevrolet cars and trucks. Designed to improve fuel economy with a new 30% overdrive gear and torque converter lock up, it was phased in to replace the Turbo Hydra-Matic 350. It was initially installed into the 1982 C3 Corvette the in 1983 It was used in a wide range of GM based vehicles including the Chevrolet Camaro, C4 Corvette, Chevy Blazers and the Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am.
The TH700R4 had a long production run and was used until 1993 in the Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. During this time it underwent various upgrades and changes from the factory and also become known as the 4L60.
1993 Also saw the introduction of the GM4L60E. Essentially this was a fully electronically controlled version of the TH700R4. The main internals remained fairy unchanged with some subtle improvments, the valve body became electronically controlled and was now aluminium rather than cast iron. The 4L60E was also installed in a wide range of GM based vehicles with many variants of this transmission over the years.
Unfortunately the early TH700R4 developed a reputation for reliability issues, this was mainly down to failure of the 3-4 clutch pack and the 2nd and 4th brake band. Although various changes were introduced by the factory over the years the clutch and band failures remained and issue and carried on into the GM4L60E. However over the years the aftermarket industry has developed some amazing products that cure known areas of wear that lead to premature clutch and band failure, along with a range of uprated parts to improve the overall strength of these transmissions for high horse power applications.
During our standard rebuild process of these transmission we carry out a range tests and procedures to ensure that all known faults are addressed and uprated parts are installed to improve the durability of the transmission.
If your looking for performance we can custom build the transmission with the necessary uprated parts to handle some serious HP.
Identification & Veriations
As mentioned previously there were several variations of the TH700R4 and the 4L60E over the years. Below are some of the most common variations and changes we have seen on this transmission over the years.