I read the recent post and it brought up a question. I'm not trying to rehash what was posted in the other, but would like some honest suggestions.

I'm about to turn 200k on my stock 48RE. For the most part it's been fine, as it is a daily driver, I take care of it and I tow my camper about once a month with it. My issues have been the normal shuttle shift and on a recent trip through some small hills in and around Atlanta I noticed some slipping/shifting issues. By simply putting it in 2nd I ran up the hills no problem. I'll adjust the bands again at 200k and I'll drive it till it's done, but I want to be prepared and know exactly what I'm going to do when it does go out!

I was really interested in the Georand. After reading about them I understand they do great work and I like the mods that they do to remedy a lot if not all of the defencies of the 48RE from the factory. But I live in South Mississippi and everyone seems to recomend trying to find local guys for the service aspect. Again, not saying I'd get poor service, but I do infact have a very knowledgable transmission man right down the road and he does good and fast work. Most regular stock repairs he turns around in 24 hours unless parts are needed to be ordered! He builds dragsters, so I'm confident he can build a strong transmission, but I've talked with him once before and 48RE mods are not something he's familiar with.

So now the meat of the questions:
1. Would having one built locally by a talented builder be suggested over ordering one from tried and true builder that must be shipped a long distance?
2. If local is better, what info or direction should I provide the builder with so that he knows exactly what needs to be done so that I get back a solid transmission without all the "Stock" problems and can handle a little extra power?

Thanks for any guidance.

 

Give Goerend a call and see if they can recommend a builder in your area...Goerend is now selling rebuild kits...

 

Goerends is geat no doubt. Shipping is a killer these days though and trying to get a busy man on the phone can be challenging.

If you are frequently in the Atlanta area Garmons Diesel is in Griffin GA and is as good as they come.

If the local guy understand a 727 he is well on the way to understanding a 48RE. If he builds it for a TQ application he should understand what is needed.

 

Have your local guy you trust put in the Goerend parts. That's what I did. If he has any issues, he can call Dave. Got 40,000 miles on mine. I did not do a rebuild at that time either, wasn't needed.

 

That`s the very question I was going to ask. ( I also live in your area) Keep us posted on what you get & how it works.

 

Thanks for the input.
Here is what Georend does to their transmissions.
The testing before shipping is good insurance in my opinion. But I trust my guy who doesn't have all that equipment to dyno the trans etc...

I'll call and find out what all comes in the kit, but I see that Georend does some drilling of oil passages and replacing gears to increase oil flow, etc... Would these all be things a machinist would need to do, is it necessary, can I feel comfortable asking a competent and skilled transmission builder to replicate the work done by Georend?

 

Call Goerend! They told me they would work with my installer if I bought a kit.
So did DTT, they seem very will to work with an installer on the phone.

Either one I'm sure will walk an installer through the process.

 

Thanks for the great info! Glad to hear they are so helpful! So I think the question comes down to if my builder will do all the drilling and what not!

Thanks again!

 

No drilling needed if you get a VB from them.

 

Thanks for that! I didn't see at first where I could buy the VB from them! Now I have.

So Now I have more things to think about!

$3,950 for the trans/TC/VB + $450 for billet Flex Plate
Then tax/shipping/return shipping? and $1000 core that I'd get back.

or

$3,169 the trans kit/TC/VB/billet Flex Plate
Then tax/shipping/return shipping? and $600 core that I'd get back. And finally on top of all that paying my guy to rebuild it with supplied parts. Not sure how much a 100% labor job would be?

Looks like I have a lot of math and research to do... It might be cheaper to order from Georend and install myself.

A lot to think about! Thanks again for the help!

Then again... my sister live 40 miles away from Georend.... might be a good excuse to go visit for a few days!

 

It's funny how that $3950 trans ends up costing $6500...
Well, $6800 if I go with the BD Shift Enhancer....

 

Not true, drilling is required on the case for more lube flow to the rear sprag.

The OD planetary is also worked over to allow more lube. When towing the OD plantetary and sun gear are the critical failure points in a stock trans.

Intermediate shaft is also changed to a different design for better lube.

The last 2 parts can be bought, the first must be peformed on the case.

The original VB can also be modified to spec if so desired.

 

I beg to differ. I have none of those upgrades and my tranny works fine. Many a folk have just added parts to a 48re and not had any issues. Folks may have need it on the 47rh, I don't know.

 

Go back and read post #6, everything I talked about is part of Goerends and other builders additions to enhance the 47 and 48RE.

The differences between the 47 and 48RE are really just beefier parts in the planetary and input shaft area and extra clutches. The basic design is still the same on lube.

The mods mentioned are standard and have been for a lot of years. The OD lube is restricted on the OE setup and leaves a lot to be desired, both in quantity supplied and delivery. The additional work to the planetary and the intermediate shaft design is an attempt to get more lube to a critical area that will fail under hard extended use. Spend enough time talking to Dave and he will explain the problems he has seen and how he has tried to fix it. He will also tell you beyond a certain weight and duty cycle there is no fix for chewing the teeth off the OD plantery sun gear.

Drilling the case for more lube to the rear shaft support and sprag clutch is also a standard upgrade to handle heavy use. The OE gallery does not provide adequat eflow and lube to that are so it inherently weak. There are also upgraded rollers, springs, and races for that area. Mostly for out an out competition but that will negate a lack of lube.

The intermediate shaft carries the lube to the whole drive train, his is just one example of how to increase the supply and probably one of the best without compromises to integrity.

The OP asked if drilling was neccessary and the answer is yes IF he wants the full effect and all the fixes. Same as the steel planetaries, better clutches, etc, etc, etc.

Whether or not your trans got those fixes or whether or not it works fine is beside the point. If it didn't then you have a less than desirable build for the OP's intended use. There a lot of tweaks, changes, updates, etc, that are put in by every builder to make what they believe is a quality product. The listed ones are some of the basics and should be considered mandatory for a person that tows heavy or runs high duty cycles.