Is rebuilding my 4l60e tranny out of my 94 s10 blazer 4x4 a very hard job for someone who has never done such a thing before?

How much would i expect to pay to have it done at a shop

 

at a shop expect $1000-$2000
If you buy a book and are atleast mechanicalyinclined you shouldnt have a prob.

 

expect to pay several hundred dollars for specialty tools for the 4l60e. i was researching this as well and found this website that has the astg book and the tools. don't know how these tools compare in price to other vendors, but it will give you a good start.

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/me...60E-4L65Etools

 

I say buy a already rebuilt tranny off ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/700R4...QQcmdZViewItem

 

You should PM Hanr3. He is pretty good at transmissions, and rebuilt his own. He should be able to give you some info!

 

First time I did it I bought the Haynes tranny rebuild book and found a pro who did side work. I talekd to him, read the book a bazillion times. Worked out a deal where I took the tranny out, cleaned it, put all the sub-assemblies back together and took them down to the tranny pro. He charged me $300 to inspect me work, makes some common mods and show me how to do them, plus put everything back together. I was there for about 1 hr.

Next time I did it, I paid him $100 to inspect me work. I did the rest myself.

Special tools.
Depends on how talented you are.
You will need at least the proper torx bit for the '98 bellhousing to tranny case bolts. Its not a regular torx bit, and using a regular one will strip the bolt head out and then your screwed.
In the pic below the regular torx bit is on the left, the GM version is on the right. Notice the difference?
http://chevytruckworld.tenmagazines....nr2/212629.jpg

As for other special tools.
Hand tools, snap ring pliers, couple long screwdrivers.
Clean work area.
http://chevytruckworld.tenmagazines....nr2/212412.jpg
http://chevytruckworld.tenmagazines....nr2/212413.jpg

There are a couple other things the rebuild manual recommends.
There are three seals on the input sahft, they MUST be properly sized. If not they will leak and you will fry your tranny. Teh tool cost $100. Find that tranny pro, ho no doubt has one. Or you could take a chance and do like I did, carefully slide them into position and use my fingers to massage them to fit tight on the shaft. They must be warm, its like a teflon material.

then the other special tools are some clamps to remove teh low reverse housing. You dont really need to remove it, the parts rarely get worn out. How often do you drive in reverse, and for how long? Might get worn out if you plowed snow all the time with it. Then a press helps to compact some of the psrings, I used two long screwdrivers and my son. I pushed the springs down while he used the snap ring pliers to remove the snap ring. Took us about a 1/2hr to get one spring out. I had the time, money is what I was short on and the reason I was rebuilding it myself.

Find that tranny pro.
As for parts.
High energy rebuild kit will come with almost everything you need. It will come with new paper and seals, new clutch packs, and some of the common mod parts. Spring behind the tv, and 4/3 kick down in the pump. You may need to buy new vanes for the pump, tranny shop.
Buy a new torque converter.
I installed a Transgo pinless accumulator kit, and went with the kevlar 2/4 band. Plus I used Raybestoes single sided clutch packs, supper heavy duty.
Get a couple cans of cooler cleaner, spray it through your tranny lines to clean out the rad, and lines.
My rebuild cost my about $350 in parts, $300 for the pro, and about $60 for chemicals. Not including fluid for my parts washer, in the pic above.

Get teh Haynes manual, and then buy the ATSG manual. Its the one the pros use, however its also in a language they unerstand while the Hanyes manual is in a language I can understand, pics with instructions for the average joe.

Got questions?
ASK!

 

Did you buy your re-build kit online? If so, which one?

 

No, I bought my kit from a tranny supplier, and cannot think of the name at the moment.
I believe Autozone sells rebuild kits. You want a "High Energy" rebuild kit with all new paper and seals. High Energy is another way of saying Kevlar clutch packs. Find a kit with Kevlar clutch packs.