It's finally time to make my tranny shift properly so I called Goerend and spoke with Denise... I explained that I use my truck to haul my camper and I tow (up to 7500lbs) frequently, and that I have limited engine mods and I never race/drag/brake-stand/boosted-launch etc (NEVER!). But I do need it to handle towing loads and I want to build for reliability.
Denise recommended that I install one of their triple disk TC's, a valve body and a billet front apply lever... and she cheerfully referred me to a local shop that installs lots of Goerend stuff to get the work done.

Well I stopped by the local shop (name withheld, but they're a reputable place) that Denise spoke so highly of, and the sales person there said that I should do a full Goerend rebuild with billet input an output shafts to the tune of $5100. This is quite a bit more than I had planned to spend and when i asked about the billet shafts (which add $1500 to the job) the salesperson said that if I didn't replace them now that I would just be coming back to get the tranny fixed later.

I know that I need a quality valve body to get the tranny to shift properly and I believe that the new TC is important to get the power to the ground... and from what I have heard the apply lever is a weak link at higher pressures.

So, my question: How do I make an educated decision about what I really need?
If it makes a difference my '05 has 90K miles on it and except for the sloppy shifting and lack of hook-up, the transmission is working properly and has been very well maintained and I'm not planning any additional engine mood's.

Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
-Mark

 

I would say yes, get the billet parts. I put a billet input and flywheel when I rebuilt mine. I tow my 5th wheel about 12k, and I am glad I spent the extra money. Good luck.

 

My recommendation would be change flex plate, stokers have been known to fail, and do the billet input shaft. Flex plate I used was http://www.prw-usa.com/2624 has worked great and trans shop was impressed with fit and quality over the thin stocker. If input shaft breaks it gets ugly and costly. The crisper/no slip shifts load the input and it could become the weak link. I would pass on the billet output though. You say you don't race or run big power mods so stock output should be OK. It can be changed without pulling the trans from what I hear as well. When I did mine I was told the output was my choice my mods put me on the edge and I plan on doing some track time so I did it on mine. That is my my suggestion but I'm now trans specialist.