88 Reatta L67 Swap

[ReattaTType]

As some of you may know, I am replacing my stock 3800 as a valve actually cracked and intake manifold gasket gave out. I decided to go with a Series 1 L67 for some extra power and of course the fact that it is Supercharged. So far I picked up an L67 with 89k miles on it for $300 back in December. Currently have the motor torn down to the heads to replace the intake manifold gasket, remove A/C, etc. I recently removed my stock motor and cradle this past weekend. Was a task and a half with two broken cradle bolts. Anyways the motor is out and I discovered that the transmission in my car was a remanufactured unit with about 88k miles on it now. Anyways here are some pictures of progress.

Reatta before storage and swap

L67 torn down

Reatta Powertrain removal (finally) Apr.3/2010

[ReattaTType]

Outside of the garage during removal; my 1990 Gunmetal Reatta, friend's 98 Trans Am, my best bud's 99 Corvette FRC (Fixed Roof Coupe) and you can see our 08 Impala in the background as well...GM loyalty

A lot of hard work for 19 year olds, better to learn young though

[Guest mhuffy]

What kind of rims and what size did you have on that pic?

[ReattaTType]

The rims are 17 x 7" BSA 264s. They still make them, I bought them used however privately. 4 rims for $150 and all they needed was some sanding and a repaint. The tires are P225/45ZR17s

[Guest mhuffy]

They look sharp. Thanks. Good luck with your re-power.

Marc

[handmedownreatta]

im glad your doing this.if my engine blows i'll be doing the same.

[padgett]

If the trans was remaned by GM then it would have received all of the upgrades.

[Guest Richard D]

Holy $#@!, How long did that take you? Glad to see you are supporting the car's structure with jackstands. Best of luck with your repower.

[Ronnie]

hndblt88,

Would you please document and photograph what needs to be done to do the SC swap? I would like to add it to my website as a tutorial that everyone could use.

Thanks!!

[ReattaTType]

Thanks everybody, removing the engine took probably close to 4 hours, but I had it ready to be pulled except for one cradle bolt that did not want to be removed. Took an hour and half to remove that itself. I really want to do my own thing with this Reatta so L67 and subtle mods are what I chose. 2" lowering will be needed as well so it doesn't look like a lifted donk before the 24s because that is quite nasty. THe project has been on going since January as I do it on weekends in the spare time I have while I am at college during the week. I will do my best to document what I can for you Ronnie. Some photographs aren't as detailed because they are quite self-explanatory. HandmedownReatta, this is actually a cool and fun swap so it is well worth it. I see you are from Charlotte, my bud and I will be roadtripping through there to South Carolina where we picked up his 99 Vette from. If you are in the area while I am driving through, would gladly show you the result of the supercharged swap. Padgett, what upgrades would the transmission have received out of curiousity. The transmission was replaced at 140k kms so probably somewhere in the early to mid 90s. It is a genuine GM remanufactured transmission, has the sticker and serial number plate still present and perfect on the casting of the transmission. Thanks.

[padgett]

There were a lot of TSBs on transmission changes and upgrades on the 440T4/4T60 before the "E"s were everywhere and GM used to say in the reman catalig that their remans got all of them.

Would take quite a while to list all of them but most were about beefing something that broke.

[ReattaTType]

That is excellent news Padgett. I would assume that this transmission has all of the upgrades as it was a remanufactured unit installed at around the same time as when the 4T60-Es came out. One weak point I was concerned about with the swap was whether or not the 440-T4 could handle the power of the L67. This helps me determine that a bit better. Also I plan to be mounting a heavy duty transmission cooler with a temperature gauge just so the transmission doesn't overheat or anything. Will be doing a deal of mountain driving this summer.

[padgett]

What kills trannys is not power but sudden changes (such as getting a wheel spinning on a slick spot and then hitting dry pavement. The key to longetivity is simple: keep cool (bring in lockup early) and avoid wheel spin (counterproductive with an open FWD anyway). Smooth application of power (real way to go fast) won't bother it at all.

That said, later L-67s in GPs had a problem with full power shifts, enough so that the factory added a subroutine to cut fuel a bit just during a shift.

[wws944]

The 440t4 does have a reputation for being somewhat weak in W-body circles, as the number of fixes that Padgett indicated would prove. I used to follow a W-body email list and complaints were quite frequent. Though I would guess a lot of the problems had to do with poorly maintained cars and teenage drivers...

But there are some surprises too. We found thrust washer bits in the pan of the 440t4 in my beater Regal. This was about 10 years ago, and the car only had 75k miles on it. (Easy ones too - as the car has been in the family since new, and my wife was mostly driving it. And yes it had pan drop fluid/filter changes at 30k and 60k.) We did a full flush and decided to wait for it to fail. Still hasn't. Though the 1->2 shift can sometimes be funky.

[Guest GPGTX2000]

Had the 440T4 overhauled while completing L67 Series I swap in my 89 and it's tolerated the torque thus far .. have had a decel fuel-cut issue with it since completing the swap, tho. I've changed every conceivable sensor from original 'C' engine and it remains .. closed throttle coasting induces a 1.5 second interval 'burp' for lack of better description when PCM flat-lines injector pulsewidth for a split second .. extremely irritating, especially as it will occasionally do it under very light throttle at speed with converter locked resulting in a violent jerk of powertrain. Really the only issue I've had with the conversion. I'm still chasing it with the hope I can eventually conquer it. I'd be extremly interested to know if your conversion results in the same behavior.

[rjfranken]

One upgrade is you can get a modulator (smaller than OEM) that can be adjusted for shift points.

[Guest F14CRAZY]

F14 is developing a solution to the 4T60... (someday)

[KDirk]

hndblt88-

you have some serious ambition doing that powertrain swap in the driveway. I get pretty involved in repairs/mods, but this is even a bit much for my skill level and tools/facilities. The car looks sharp also, I'm looking forward to your updates as it is completed and tuned.

One quick question, what is the source of the "Super" badge you placed under the Reatta emblem on the rear filler? I know I have seen it before, but can't place it.

KDirk

[Guest ReattaRobert]

And you can forget about obtaining a SERTA Reman from the General as have been informed as late as yesterday that 440-T4's at least 88-89 are no longer available!

[ReattaTType]

Thanks, I have a three car garage which comes in handy, so lots of space to work in. Completing a motor swap is an excellent experience and gives you a lot of hands on knowledge, especially at my age. I will keep on posting as my car makes progress and is finished. The tune will be coming from Sinster Performance as they have experience with L67 Reattas. Hopefully my bud who is helping me a lot with this will offer some insight into the project as well. The source of the Super badge is from an Allure (LaCrosse) Super. I think the badge fits quite well. Thanks for your complements.

[padgett]

Try for a 90-91 4T60, it is the same trans plus upgrades. (Not all went to the 4T60E in 91)

[ReattaTType]

So my bud Sheldon and I finally got the Reatta running and back on the road with the new supercharged motor. Now the car is running with the Series I L67, and the engine has been good so far. The engine was torn down and many gaskets were replaced, a 180 degree thermostat was installed, as were many other components. EGR was deleted, and headers should be built and installed soon enough. I stuck with using the original transmission, which was a GM rebuilt unit, and some heavy duty trans cooling was added, a 1" thick core and a cooling fan to draw the air in. A/C was deleted and no delete pulley was needed. The belt routing was just changed and successfully works. Cruise control was also removed, as I never use the unit anyways. Soon enough, Series II injectors will be installed, I plan to change the pulley, and also, an OBDII PCM is installed. The PCM is from a 2002 GTP, tuning is much easier with the OBDII. So far everything communicates with the CRT, except for the tach, coolant temp, and fuel mileage calculator. This will be looked into to see if it will work. Lastly, the car is now a push button ignition, has a cool feel that really adds to the feel of the Reatta. The car will be lowered once my KYBs arrive. Here are the pictures

Tinted Taillight

Dash with boost and trans temp gauge

Boost Gauge and Trans Temp gauges are backlit

02 GTP PCM, still need to determine the fitment for fitting it back into place

L67 Series I motor sitting right at home in the Reatta

Enjoy the pictures and progress, thanks.

[Guest 89Reatta]

Sweet! How do you like the ride of the L67 compared to the LN3?

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Bump

[Guest Stormin]

What KYBs are you using that will give you your 2 inch drop?

[ReattaTType]

Sorry about the delay in replies, been away with the car for a while. The L67 is years ahead of the LN3 and makes the car absolutely enjoyable, a lot of torque steer however, but the motor runs smoother and the added supercharger is the cherry on top. People really comment on it. I have yet to lower the car, basically I am ordering custom springs for the car, and the struts are KYB GR2s. Still waiting on them from KYB though.

[Guest spyhunter2k]

I hope the KYBs fit. They have for years been advertising two different part numbers for Reatta struts: 236004, which is listed for '88 cars, and another one that was listed for '88-'91. The problem is that 1) the Reatta strut is identical from '88-'91, 2) The one listed for '88 models won't fit any Reatta (search past threads to verify), and 3) I don't see that they sell the correct one anymore.

[Guest Richard D]

Quick question, With the amount of work the swap took (real professional looking) Why did you leave the A/C compressor off? Was there a fitment problem? It seems like a small amount of work when you look at the scope of the whole swap.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Richard

[padgett]

Its a Canadian thing ?

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

AC will fit fine I kept mine.

[ReattaTType]

I just deleted the A/C as I have never used it, never need to so I have no use for it. Frees up some more space in the engine bay, not really needed, but I just eliminated the unnecessary to me. I am looking into the KYBs, still have yet to receive so I will determine when I receive them. Most work would have went into the OBD2 PCM, routing the individual wiring to make the PCM communicate, one from a 98-02 will, 97 will not at all.

[rjfranken]

Youn't need a defroster? The drying of the water vapor from your breaths in a closed car requires AC, without, the windows get fogged unless you crack them continously.