[Willie Ute]

The instructions I wrote are for myself and therefore, include all the little specifics. So it contains much more information than is required for anyone else. Therefore, give me a little time to re-write them (simplify) with only the details needed for anyone else to make the same harness. And for those that have no experience doing this, I am considering making them if the demand is there.

But first, I dropped off the car this morning at the shop but they will not be able to start on it for a few days. Once the 6060 is in place, I'll be able to make my harness and mock it up. Once it has been tested, I will update the results.

Note: I am NOT including the skip shift solenoid into my harness. I certainly don't want it and I assume no one else will either. It will be turned off in the tune, so it will not even need to be plugged into anything.

 

[yutzybrian]

Note: I am NOT including the skip shift solenoid into my harness. I certainly don't want it and I assume no one else will either. It will be turned off in the tune, so it will not even need to be plugged into anything.

Only reason it was in there to start with was to meet fuel economy ratings

 

[Willie Ute]

Only reason it was in there to start with was to meet fuel economy ratings

Yeah, I remember when it first came out. I believe it was on fourth gen Camaros. There is NO way I'm ever shifting from first to fourth. Are you kidding me?

 

[Willie Ute]

Blue is existing. Red is new. Not much to it. I decided to include a connector so that when removing the trans, you won't have to disconnect all the sensor connectors.

 

[yutzybrian]

Nice, looks dead simple to follow. Thanks for providing to the community!

 

[Willie Ute]

I have a few answers.
Crossmember:
Neither the stock nor VF crossmember will work, the stock without MAJOR hacking. I am not comfortable removing more than 50 percent of the structure which looks necessary in order to clear the rear of the trans, so we will be fabbing one out of steel plate. I will consider having more than one made if demand dictates.

Driveshaft:
It needs to be shortened approximately 1-1/2".

I read only a few days ago that the ute's wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than the sedan / wagon. I also read that the sedan's driveshaft's overall length is approximately 60 inches. I measured mine at that is about right. Mine measured at slightly longer than 63 inches. I assume the extra length is in the front half, in front of the carrier bearing. But none of this matters to anyone else here. Consider it a fun fact.

Shifter:
We have not come up with a definitive answer yet because it is definitely further back than stock. Currently considering a few methods but not 100 percent yet. I am working with an MGW shifter.

Wiring:
I have more than enough stock auto trans wiring to hack into and re-use and I will begin building my harness on Monday.

 

[Willie Ute]

The job is nearing completion. All that's remaining is re-pinning the ECM and tuning.

Here's what my new crossmember looks like:

 

[Willie Ute]

A few other notes:
I am not using the stock shifter but an MGW. I shortened the arms 1-3/8" as well as the shifter rod. This places the shifter square in the hole:

I have the clutch and brake pedals from a VE Maloo. We discovered on installation that the brake pedal is NOT the same as a Camaro brake pedal. The arm on the HSV pedal is virtually straight and not angled as needed. Apparently, there is a difference in geometry between a RHD and a LHD. We ended up re-using the auto brake pedal with the HSV manual pedal pad.

The driveshaft front section was shortened 1-1/2".

 

[yutzybrian]

Looking good! Getting excited for the first drive yet?

 

[Willie Ute]

Yes, but I've waited four years so it doesn't feel real yet.

Monday, we'll be re-pinning the fuse box / ECM, then programming.

 

[kennythorsen19]

Has anyone used a stock 5th gen shifter and got it centered yet?

 

[Willie Ute]

Has anyone used a stock 5th gen shifter and got it centered yet?

Yes. Read of someone who shortened the aluminum arms and shift rod. I did the same thing to an MGW with the same results.

 

[Willie Ute]

Dec 3 update.
The conversion is complete.but I have not picked up the car from the shop yet. We have been experimenting with different ECM's and tunes. I'm currently working with Australia on this. At this time, I can say a few things about the tune. Although it is possible (others have done this) to segment swap the trans section in the tune, the steps must be followed with no exception and others have experienced different anomalies. This is the reason why I decided not to attempt it this way. Another method would be to use the GXP base tune to start, then change the engine parameters to an L76. This seems intuitively the way to go, but it is not. If you own a pre-breakpoint GT, i.e. 2008 - 2009.1 (most of us), DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS. IT WILL BRICK YOUR ECM. If you own a 2009.5 (BSI), you will still have issues with other seemingly unrelated components not working. The solution can be long, laborious and expensive. So I do not recommend this. I am currently working another avenue and will have results in the coming weeks.

The least I can say is I've learned a lot, both do's and dont's. When we are 100 percent complete, I plan on writing up all my experiences, good and bad. And am considering offering a conversion "kit" which will include my auto-to-manual conversion wiring, custom crossmember, AND a base tune. I might even offer to modify the shifter but because I did mine with an MGW shifter, I will only be able to do the same for others. Trust me, you'll be spending a lot of cash on this conversion, so do NOT consider using the stock piece of junk shifter. Do it right and do it once. Everything I'll offer basically eliminates all unknowns to make the process as seamless as possible.

 

[Willie Ute]

Dec 3 update, Addendum..
I should have stated that I decided not to try the patchwork method on the tune because of other's varying results. Instead, we hit the reset button and started with another tune. Our first attempt was the stock GXP tune, configured for the M6. We chose this one because it is the only one that uses an M6.

 

[Willie Ute]

Done and functioning.

 

[Willie Ute]

Anyone considering doing this, I can help with the shifter mod, wiring, crossmember and tune. These are the obstacles I had to overcome and can make things so much simpler and straightforward for anyone else who wants the same. To my surprise, the tune was THE major obstacle. Message me.

 

[BAS G8]

Very cool, glad it was successful.

 

[Willie Ute]

Let me add, it's a blast to drive now. Never thought it would feel like a totally different car.

 

[Willie Ute]

Guide to installing a TR-6060 into a 6L80e car.

There is a ton of stuff to discuss to accomplish this, so I probably won't recall everything so for now, I will start with a few beginning basics to consider. Transmission There are three variants of the 6060 that can be used, all from a fifth gen Camaro SS / ZL1. The first gear ratios are as...

www.g8board.com

 

[Grey Ghost]

Anyone considering doing this, I can help with the shifter mod, wiring, crossmember and tune. These are the obstacles I had to overcome and can make things so much simpler and straightforward for anyone else who wants the same. To my surprise, the tune was THE major obstacle. Message me.

Why was the tune hard for you? I just opened the GXP Manual as a compare tune to my existing 402ci tune and copied the tables that were different then flashed before removing my 6L80E. Everything works including the cruise control. I did have the GXP BCM reflashed to my VIN by Greg Was(?). I bought a GXP swap-out with trans, diff, cross member, ds, and pedals as one package. Using a triple disc Monster with the Tick master. It drives like stock with more power holding. Currently waiting to install my DSS two-piece DS and put the LSA back on the 415.