Transmission decision
 

I have to have my tranny rebuilt very soon. thinking of going with Midwest Transmission Supply; they use Goerend parts & pieces, but it does cost more. Thinking about a local Aamco also. Any thoughts would be very appreciated. Right now I tow a boat and haul a big slide in camper. Future I might haul a fifth wheel, all up and down big mountains

Thanks[coffee]

Avoid Aamco.....sounds like you are on the right track looking at good parts like Goerends. When it comes to the trans parts you really do get what you pay for ;)

AAMCO isn't going to be "cheap", just less than a quality rebuild. Price and quality. Go with someone reputable!

Ditto on avoiding Aamco. You must... absolutely must get your trans rebuilt by someone who has done Dodge Cummins truck trannys before and who is reputable.

Somewhere I read that the Goerend folks use Raybestos frictions, which is what most rebuild shops will use too. I got estimates from MTS and also the PATC folks, and in the end I went with the local guy and talked to him about some of the Sonnax parts like a billet input shaft and also a TFOD shift kit. I didn't quite save as much as I was hoping to, but I think I'll be OK with the build (I haven't put it in the truck yet).

If you have a local builder you like, then maybe get a Goerend torque converter (which I wish I'd done). It's just that unless you go with their valve body I'm not sure you're actually getting much more in parts, or anything different. Experience does help, however. But I decided that someone to go to locally when it was "making funny noises" was helpful.

But yeah...sinking $4500 to $6500 in a transmission was a scary decision for me. I'm seriously thinking of buying a core at some point, and learning how to rebuilt it myself, next time.

My $0.02