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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Can automatics be fun?

Oct. 29, 2010 1:13 p.m. twolittlebroncos New Reader

I like the idea of putting a 5.3 vortec motor in a 2nd generation Supra, but if I were to attempt this I could not afford to go with the t-56. Is the swap still worth doing if it has to be a 4L60e?

Around here GM truck motors/transmissions are plentiful and cheap. 5mge, 6mge and 7mgte motors not so much. I could pick up a roller mk2 Supra with an empty engine bay for next to nothing. The 5.3 swap seems like the beginnings of a great GT car, but I can't get past the idea of an automatic transmission.

Your opinions?
Oct. 29, 2010 1:23 p.m. Blitzed306 New Reader

Hell yeah, I can say a lightly stalled auto with the right bits in the valve body is damn sure awesome
Oct. 29, 2010 1:26 p.m. dyintorace SuperDork

This GRMer has something close to what you're thinking about.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/233/
Oct. 29, 2010 1:59 p.m. pinchvalve SuperDork

Yes, automatics can be fun. But can a 4L60e be fun? That I don't know.
Oct. 29, 2010 2:07 p.m. scardeal Reader

pinchvalve wrote:

Yes, automatics can be fun. But can a 4L60e be fun? That I don't know.

I approve this statement.
Oct. 29, 2010 2:20 p.m. RoosterSauce New Reader

I have a 4L60e and it is not fun, but I suppose it could be if it wasn't in a 4-cyl pickup.
Oct. 29, 2010 2:23 p.m. Otto_Maddox Reader

In reply to twolittlebroncos:

Possibly, but certainly a lot less fun than a manual.
Oct. 29, 2010 2:27 p.m. Powar Dork

Weren't the 5.3 trucks available with some Tremec 5-speed?

I'd personally just wait until you can find a lump with the right trans. There's a VQ35-swapped S13 240SX that has been for sale locally for quite a while. The swap looks well-done and the car is stock-looking. Its a great package... except the automatic. I'd pass on it, too.
Oct. 29, 2010 3:14 p.m. tuna55 Dork

When you do the 2-3 shift on the floor and you don't have to lift, but you do have to steer because of the wheelspin, you are smiling. I promise. With a 3 speed that happens at about 90. Yessir. I don't care if it was a Camaro and an auto, it is a blast.
Oct. 29, 2010 3:17 p.m. RoosterSauce New Reader

Try a Vortec 6.0 out of a wrecked Escalade. If you're going to stick yourself with an automatic, you might as well start with more engine.
Oct. 29, 2010 4:23 p.m. Mikey52_1 HalfDork

Oh yeah! Try putting a manual in reverse at 60 mph, and then try it with a mid-60's Mopar. The tranny will go into Reverse, absorb enough of the shock load to keep the u-joints from pretzelling, and still allow tires to suddenly change rotation. It's really quite fun to experience. The manual, on the other hand...it'll break lots of stuff and leave your car dead in the middle of the road. U-joints will be the least of the worries.
Oct. 29, 2010 4:26 p.m. Dav New Reader

RoosterSauce wrote:

Try a Vortec 6.0 out of a wrecked Escalade. If you're going to stick yourself with an automatic, you might as well start with more engine.

I have to agree--autos can be fun when they have 400+ torque in front of them.
Oct. 29, 2010 4:27 p.m. ReverendDexter Dork

It can be, but the right motor has to be in front of it. If you have a low-torque, high-rpm motor, an auto is going to kill every last ounce of joy that motor can provide. If you have a high-torque, low-rpm motor, an auto can be a blast provided it's tuned correctly (properly matched stall converter, good shift setup, able to hold in a gear).
Oct. 29, 2010 4:42 p.m. BowtieBandit New Reader

In drag racing, autos are most always the way to go, because of the one thing that makes you successful in drag racing, consistency.

You never have to worry about missing a shift, ever. You can focus more on your launch and hold on until the end. Turbos also like autos just a little better because the throttle position never changes, and the exhaust pulses are more consistent, allowing boost levels to not drop as much between shifts.

Don't get me wrong, I love three pedals as much as everyone else, but autos have their place in motorsports too.
Oct. 29, 2010 6:07 p.m. stealthfighter1 Reader

i had an automatic 2 door tahoe with a 5.7 vortec and a 4l60e , it ran 14sec quarters....man it was fun, and auto ,i loved loading the converter and letting it rip, especially in 4wd , right now my cressida is auto and it's a hoot to drive only because of the car , i think the trans is really well matched to the motor and it has a "power" mode wich is kinda like a sport mode haha it holds gears and downshifts pretty decently , but i always dream of a 5spd behind the lil torquey 5m...
Oct. 29, 2010 6:47 p.m. Twin_Cam Dork

No.
Oct. 29, 2010 7:11 p.m. Ranger50 Reader

Can autos be fun? Sure can.

Can a 4L60E be fun? It depends. The 4L needs a E36 M3pile of updates just to be made reliable enough to be used behind stock V8's.

What makes autos "fun" is the right damn converter. Most of the time, the stall speed ends up wrong, slips too much, etc... But it goes back to removing it and get it worked on, so someone's "fun" with automatics gets soured quickly vs a manual. Plus they are all "black magic".

Brian
Oct. 29, 2010 7:48 p.m. Javelin SuperDork

Automatics start off as pure suck and the fun factor goes up exponentially with the torque of the motor it's behind, especially after 300TQ. Times by 2 with boost.

I drove a 500ci Cadillac powered 87 TBird once. That car was a RIOT with the auto. I don't think a stick would have honestly been as much fun.
Oct. 29, 2010 8:23 p.m. Rad_Capz Reader

For fun with an a 4L60E after the swap start saving and get this. http://twistmachine.com/Paddle_Shifters.html

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