TRANSMISSION: LAND SPEED / TOP SPEED SETUP
The first few events Big Red ran at Land Speed/Top Speed events were with the old Jerico four-speed manual transmission. In 2014, the crew tried a Liberty four-speed to see if it would live through the punishment from RJ, coupled with improvements done to the car. It didn’t fare well and was short-lived. As soon as they installed the ProCharged Elephant engine, they knew it was time to move to a 4L80E four-speed automatic transmission. Racing in a straight line is easier with an automatic transmission, and this setup has the best chance of living behind a 2,000-horsepower ProCharged big-block Chevy engine. Dave and a fellow racer were talking about automatic transmissions, and it was suggested that Dave check out Rossler Transmissions. He called the company, which had all the right answers and were always quick to respond, so he ordered a new Rossler 4L80E Terminator 6 transmission with a ProTorque Revolution Series converter with 4,500-rpm stall.
Jack (Jax Motorsports) makes notes of the electrical requirements so he can incorporate the necessary connections when building Big Red’s wiring harness. The transmission cooler lines are plumbed prior to installation in the chassis. Jack does some planning with the wiring harness he created for the transmission. The crossmember is laid out behind the transmission so the lines and accessories can be mocked up outside of the car. ack fabricated the electrical harness with his usual fully protected connectors and labels. The new transmission tunnel access cover makes transmission installation and service much easier. Tim built a shield over the electronics and shifter cable because the transmission blanket interfered with the shifter arm. The new, larger transmission tunnel gives a lot more room for the 4L80E and necessary accessories.
The plumbed transmission cooler lines run toward the back of the car because the
transmission cooler and cooling fan are located above the rear differential. The 4L80E transmission’s crossmember is beefier than the one for the manual transmission. It has to retain more weight and torque. It ties to the cage structure in the front and also to the front driveshaft safety loop.
The automatic transmission doesn’t need a huge cooler because it will never get more than six miles of driving at a time when it’s running the five-mile course at Bonneville. All other runs are 1 to 1.5 miles at venues like Mojave and Texas Mile. Tim fabricated a new transmission cooler/fan assembly and mount on the front of the water tank frame above the rear differential. The top is mounted with -10 machine screws, and the bottom is mounted with 1/4-inch -20 bolts that slide onto the bracket for ease of installation and removal.
