cheapskate

hey guys, i just got my truck (96, ext. cab, long bed, 2wd, 12-valve ctd) back in august. i want to hop it up, but need to do something with the trans first. i have put a k&n on it, as well as a 5" strait piped single stack(something i am rather pround of, as i made it out of pieces from a peterbuilt and volvo big truck exhaust). got my gauges in today, and the thing somehow makes 23 psi of boost! i have played with the afc starwheel as well. so- my question is- what to do with the stock trans.? i don't have and unlimites budget, so a brand new aftermarket trans is out of the question. would just a performance torque converter and valve body allow me to run more hp/torque without damaging my trans.? please help, fuel plate is out the way, and 370's and dv's are waiting for a solution to this tranny problem.

displacedtexan

Most auto tranny guys reccomend the stuff they spent their hard earned coin on.

I have a stick, and would just say to get one with an authorized installer close to you. Any of the big 5 (DTT, HTS, ATS, Suncoast and Groends(sp)) could build you a good VB and TC to fit your needs. Call them all, and find one you like, and feel good about.

cheapskate

i'm not scared of the installation, i just need to know if the converter/valve body would be enough to handle the 700-800 ft/lbs. i plan on putting to it. eventually...

displacedtexan

If your tranny is in good shape, then they should be able to build something for you. I know DTT will talk to you and build your VB to fit your need/habits/goals. I'm sure the others will as well.

Do you drive hard/tow?

Racer9

SO, you're interested in Russian Roulette?
New parts into an old trans If you've got more than 50-60k on that trans, and you put just a TC and VB in, prepare to buy them again when something else lets go and contaminates the trans. I did a Transgo kit, it helped a lot, and I'm not out that much, when it finally can't take the torque anymore. Plus I don't try to light up the tires, much
You have some options, the 48re guts are much better, and fit into your 47re. Most of the trans co's have kits for the do it yourselfer, if you are capable.

cheapskate

drive hard, yes. tow, just a boat. tranny shape???, it seems to operate fine, but it does have 185,000 on the original trans. i guess a complete re-build might be in my near future? i think my brother and i could do it, (he is getting ready to graduate from UTI and has worked on trannys before), but the problem is that this truck is my only mode of transportation, and my sole means of arriving at work. no work=no pay, and it 's hard to buy truck parts with no pay. buy a parts truck or maybe a blown 47re and work on that until it is time for the swap? hey, did the v-10 tucks have the same trans. as mine? if they did, and every thing is the same, i could buy a v-10 parts truck for a lot less than another diesel.

Troutstrannysvc

I would recommend a O/H on the transmission if you plan on putting those #s to it.
Get a HP o/h kit, a good v/b, a decent torque, and have the right builder and you should be ready to roll.
If you two where to overhaul the tranny yourself I suggest you get a manual/break down on it so you know what you're getting yourself into.
Also if you do go through with it, make sure you don't overstack your clutchpacks looking for more performance, cause if you do and not do it propperly you're not going to get the right clearence and end up effing somthing up.
Also while you're in there make sure you have steel planetaries.
As for the billet shafts go I don't see what the big deal is on them, ill stick w/ what I got.

The only thing I suggest getting are the billit strut/anchor from suncoast cause they have a tendency to bend/break.

Racer9

I'll agree with Trout, and add, the O/D unit has a spring inside that requires a press to disassemble/reassemble. DON'T try that on your own.
At 185k your on borrowed trans time anyway.
You could rent or borrow a car for a few days, we have a "Rent a heap, very cheap" place here that rents used cars, much cheaper than the national companies.
Let us know how it goes, and good luck.

John_P

cheapskate:

Welcome to the website and congratulations on the purchase of your Dodge CTD Pickup!

The members here are giving you some darn good advice! As far as wear in the stock transmissions, I can tell you that when I first had the tranny rebuilt in my 96' @ 98,000 miles there was alot more wear in there than I thought!
The stock torque converter was blue from excess heat and I began to have the dreaded OD "shudder" when towing heavy etc. Once inside, the fiber clutches were also pretty worn.

My feelings are that if you are going to change the TC, you may as well go on into the transmission and do the internals as the members have said! That is good insurance. With 185,000 miles on that transmission, you are going to see wear inside. Personally, I don't trust the stock TC AT ALL!
Anyway,.....good luck on whatever you decide.

BTW,......nice burnout!

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John_P

cheapskate

hey, thanx for the replies, guys. i just checked out HTS's site, and their prices are probably within my buget, i just wonder why so much cheaper than others? anyone with bad experience with them. i will probably give them a call sometime soon. as for re-building it myself, i think that is more of a pipe dream than anything.

sdstriper

Have you changed the fluid and was there any signs of wear parts in it or on the magnet? Do you have a trans. temp. gauge?

If your capable of DIY you will be surprised at the low cost of the Good Stuff rebuild kits and components. I would personally put a kit in with clutch's and steels, as well as bands and a few other goodies. If the OEM 47re Torque Converter is as inefficient as the earlier 3spds, I would swap that out and do a valve body reprogram first. With that burnout photo it looks to be grabbing pretty good even with the miles. With the exception of the OD unit, 700-800lb spring pressure if the person I heard that from was correct. And I would shop around for parts, your going to pay 2-3 times what a kit or parts are worth from the name brand tranny builders. Good name brand parts, Red Eagle & Kolene, Alto etc., no mystery no-name stuff.

Also, the V-10 parts are not exactly the same. I am not an expert by any means but some parts are interchangable from what I have read.

cheapskate

fluid change, yes, but the old stuff looked brand new. no discoloration at all. i do have a trans. temp gauge, although i was going to wait to install the sending unit on it until i wanted to change the tranny fluid again. hey, the truck has a factory trans. temp dummy light on it, does this mean that there is already a temerature sending unit in it some where that i can hook my gauge to? would that even work?

displacedtexan

But the thing about the big boys is that they build a tranny to be abused, driven hard a HIGH horsepower levels, and warrantied.

cumminsdriver635

Sure, you can take it to a shop close to you, and have them go through it, but they cant warranty it like the big tranny builders for these trucks can. Goerend has a 100k mile warranty on his tranny and a lifetime on the converter. Im thinking of rebuilding mine myself when the time comes, and when I do I will be buying all my parts from Goerend. And If I dont rebuild it myself, then I will be ordering one from Goerend. Honestly, its worth spending a few thousand on a transmission with a great warranty that you know will hold up, because you can use your truck how you want to and not be worried about it. From everything I have heard, these transmissions are about the easiest transmissions there are to rebuild. I will probably be buying about 1k dollars worth of billet parts for mine when it dies. And as for just throwing a shift kit in one. Yes, you can do that, and it is better than stock, but it isnt as nice as a built VB. My transgo I just took out served me well, but hit reverse really hard, wouldnt downgear when it needed to, and shifted too quick under light throttle. It also didnt have lockup in all forward gears. Im not saying a local transmission builder wont be able to do a good job, just likely not as good as a bigger company that specializes in these transmissions, and they cant warranty it as good. At the least I would buy a Good torque converter, and valve body like you are talking about(HTS makes good stuff), and then with the right pressures, if the transmission is setup right even stock clutches and steels should hold 700ft lbs for a long time. my tranny is stock internally other than the TC and VB, and I should be making 750ft lbs or more now. No slipping at all, and it does great.

Eric

sdstriper

Troutstrannysvc, I will not argue with you other than to say this. If you are a DIY kind, you can rebuild a trans. that is not in bad shape very reasonably.

cheapskate, Get under that truck and look at the cooler lines. Of the two cooler lines, drivers side, the front line may have the sensor in it if nobody has messed with the lines. That is the fluid out cooler line and a better place for a temp gauge than the pan or the other cooler line, which is the fluid return line. If there is a sensor port in there I would install a Tee and keep the sensor, adding the gauge.

Troutstrannysvc, I am interested to hear your opinion on diesel trucks under 300 horsepower. Where would you start to recommend spending the extra on billet shafts? Everyday driver type vehicles, camper and light commercial pulling type trucks. And I am not fishing or looking for an arguement, to clarify. Again I am no expert but honestly looking for an experienced opinion and glad to see someone with experience chime in.