Screw-it! The rear manifold flange hit the transmission, I tried cutting it off and closing the hole, but I figured if I had to do all that, I might as well build a header from scratch... so I did.





Now I want to build a front to match... this is getting out of hand! LOL! ZZP sells a similar log for the front, for 109-bucks, it'* worth changing it later... I need to get this thing on the road again!

i would use all the pipes you have as mock up and get everything tig welded and ceramic coated it will look alot better and less chance of exhaust leaks and keep the IAT temps down

If I had your money I would, too! Since this is my car, and not a customers, I am paying the bill. And to use these as a mock-up means i have to build them twice??? No way... I just filled it up with water, found a few pin-holes, and fixed them. I am going next door to use their bead-blaster, and then put some spray paint on it. It'* the rear manifold, anyway, no one will ever see it. I will probably have the cross-over ceramic coated at $17.00/linear-ft. The manifold would cost about $80.00, out of the budget. And I will pop for the ceramic coated front log from ZZP, but not right now...

Better?





Beadblasted and painted with 2000* paint. If it gets 2000*, I'll have alot worse to worry about than how it looks. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

The engine/trans are "in" the k-member. I had to notch the front crossmember about 6x2 inches to clear the gargantuan transmission pan. Everything else is going to clear fine.

I am looking at the possibility of using a 87-91 Vin L front engine mount to put the 3800 where it needs to be in the frame. It'* going to be way too hard to put the engine in the car with the stock front mount and make trans mounts with the frame and all up in the car. The '96 Bonne has unused engine mount holes in the frame right beside the a/c comp where the older 3800 Series I used a front mount.

I am confused about something, though. The '87-'91 Vin C 3800 uses a front "hanging" mount just like the '96 Bonne. What is the L engine? Both it and the Vin C came in a H-body Lesabre and Park as well as the Bonne, but why do the Vin C and Vin L have different mounting when installed inthe same chassis? They are both 3800'*!

Anyone know before I go diggin at the junkyard in the 30* weather?

big notch (will recieve an angle-iron reinforcement on the inside)




snug as a bug in a rug



clears everything, even the steering rack (not shown)



Here'* where the 87-91 Vin L front engine mount should go... (I'll have to modify it for use with the late-style a/c compressor bracketry.)

Looking good Jeff.
Keep up the good work and keep posting your progress.......that is a huge trani.

This is the bracketry for the mount I am thinking of:

Hard to believe you can't fab something a lot simpler than that. :?

Thanks Paul! Ya, it is huge.. I will probably need to move the ABS to clear the huge side cover, or get rid of the ABS altogether... (nah, I'll just move it)

The goal was to test the feasibility of a 4T80E swap in the H- and W-bodied L67 cars. After building and re-building "budget" 4T65E transmissions for people (and fixing "other companies" broken transmssions) I am tired of wasting time with them. I bought this used -80E for 150 bucks. Lucky for me, it had just been rebuilt, but even if not, it would cost about 500.00 in parts and another 700.00 labor (mine) to build it for a customer. Compared to a $3000.00 4T65E build! The extra labor to swap so far has not been bad at all. Next I will look at the W-bodies.