Yamadad

With all the talk about ATS and whatnot, has anybody ever just flat out changed trannies?

The stock/Dodge automatic basically sucks. Since Cummins is kinda a universal type engine, has anyone ever retro'd any other brand/type of automatic transmission up to a Dodge truck?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

billg

Here are the big 4. After reading their sell pitches fin one you like and do a search on their name on this site and see what people have to say about them. There is a lot of info here on aftermarket trannys.
http://www.suncoastconverters.com/dodge.html
http://www.gbtransmissions.com/default.htm
http://www.dieseltrans.com/dodge/index.htm
http://www.atsdiesel.com/products/products-dodge.html
Good Luck

perk

I have heard of people using both the Alison 545 and 1000. Both are expensive, but are controlled on their own. The Ford trannies are also a possibility as they can be controlled on their own, but you would still need to buy a super built tranny like those listed above. The easiest is definitly to just buy a super built dodge tranny listed above, or get a manual tranny.

ddestruel

I have heard of a couple of people going the allison route, using i belive (THINK I HEARD OF THIS NOT SURE) the GM tailhousing and output to marry it up to the Dodge or GM T-case amongst others. Good setup seems to last gives you one more gear to play with.

dsljunkie

My summer project will be to stick an Allison under my truck. That is if nothing goes wrong and if I can get a little more input from some guys who have done it in the past. Im not too worried about the swap itself, just the potential road blocks that usually get thrown in the way.

Does anyone else have anything? Any body got some contact info for some guys who have done the swap?
Scott

wannadiesel

In stock form, the little Allisons flat out suck. The torque converters stall too high, and they shift slushy. I hate 'em. The 545's are not very strong, they are like time bombs in school buses behind IDI 7.3's. Think of what a bombed Cummins could do to one. I think you'd be much better served by a beefed up Dodge trans. I have driven a DTT equipped truck making lots of HP (Jetpilot's truck), if the Dodge trans can be built to handle that monster, there's no sense in using an Allison. The Allisons are big and heavy, and you're going to have to do a lot of tuning to make one shift and drive like you want.

perk

I thought that the 545 did just fine behind medium duty engine. I know of people with good results with the Cat 3126 545 combo, but then again maybe the have been more of an exception. I have only driven one once. It shifted nice for an auto, but I am a die-hard gear-rower.

barracuda

my father runs a fleet of 120 school buses w/ DT-466 and 7.3 International Diesels and most of them have Eletronic controlled Allisons, he has a lot of problems with them and is often sending them back to Allison for full rebuilds. He has been in this business for 20 years and says the old Allison's that were not computer controlled were bullet-proof...very rarely had a problem, got to love "computer controlled"..

Yamadad

Great discussion guys!!!

If the new computer controlled Allisons are bad, does that mean the new Chevys are in the same boat?

My buddy just sold his '01 Dodge CTD and got a new '04 Chevy DuraMax with the Allison. (He had so many problems with his Dodge, he got frustrated and traded it in. But, he also drove it incredibly hard too.)

barracuda

I have no idea how the chevy's hold up...the chevy is a lot lighter than a school bus though so maybe in that application they work OK..u really do not need to go through all this trouble, the aftermarket trans. rebuilders listed above will make you a bullet-proof transmission, remember our auto's are based on a 727 torque-flite which was for years a very good, solid auto...you have a good base, just need to let one of those pro's listed above do it right for you.

dsljunkie

I counted on having to go with an Allison with a full ATS or DTT ect. Wouldnt this make the tranny driveable? I know there are a lot of Chebby guys out there runnin ATS setups and lovin em. I also know that the Dmax's shift way higher than the Cummins. So I guess the trick would be to get them to shift in the Cummins sweet spot How doable is this?
The reason Im wantin to go with the Allison is so I can still tow decently and mainly so I dont have to row the gears when Im draggin, plus the benifits of an auto when youre hooked to a sled .
Keep up the discussion guys, its a good'en
Scott

AlpineRAM

I've been driving duramaxes with allisons, stock CTD autos and my DTTed CTD auto (which I like best ).
In stock form tha allison's nice behind the d-max. The automatic downshift when braking in the tow /haul setting etc is nice. But as said the dmax has it's sweet spot up higher than the CTD. And one of the basics of automatics is that they apply the clutches with hydraulic pressure generated by a pump on the input shaft. The lower the RPM the more making enough pressure to hold a certain torque will become an issue. It's not hp that will make a tranny slip, it's torque. A bombed CTD with gobs of low end torque is the nightmare for each and every automatic transmission. So with any make it will be necessary to modify the tranny to take what these engines will dish out. I don't see the necessity to swap to an allison and modify it to be able to stand the CTD when there are reputable builders out there that mod the dodge tranny that it will hold whatever the loonies like Jetpilot have decided to throw at them. With all the potential of the CTD i don't see the necessity for a 5 speed auto as long as you have a good TC.

Just my 2c

AlpineRAM

Rare1

"If the new computer controlled Allisons are bad, does that mean the new Chevys are in the same boat? "

On a recent vist to ATS (I live nearby) they had an open house with displays and a tour of their assembly area. They had a Duramax Allison tranny on the bench dissassembled for upgrading, the same procedure as our Dodge tranny. Apparently the hype surrounding the Allison is masking its deficiencies. We don't believe DC when they say our transmission is adequate, why would you believe GM?

"Don't believe anything you read, and only half of what you see."

Jeremy Cusick

If the new computer controlled Allisons are bad, does that mean the new Chevys are in the same boat?


A guy I worked for a couple summers ago had a GMC w/ the duramax and allison combo. In the 2 years he'd owned it, he had to have 2 trannys put in. What's that tell you? IT wasn't driven hard, just the normal day in and day out use.

bluebull

Hi guys sorry to jump in here so late but I have been off the boards for almost a week.

There was an article written a while back about a study of the failure rates for each of the big three Pickup producers automatic transmissions in North america. I do not remember the exact rates but they were something like

Ford---------3.2%
Dodge------3.7%
Chevy-------4.3%

Just a little food for thought.