MAJORCOMMOTION

I’ve decided to upgrade the transmission. Money is an object so I’m not going to do the whole transmission the first time, which I know some of you guys might think is a mistake. I started by emailing the big 4 aftermarket companies, and received a response back from 3 of them so that helped eliminate one of my decisions. I then started looking for installers in the Houston area, and I’m still looking for installers if anyone has any suggestions (talked to Relentless Diesel and Diesel Innovations both very nice). I know I’m definitely upgrading my Torque Converter/Value Body, but I can’t decide which company to go with. I’ve read all I can about each company and am aware of warranties, and customer service from these 3 companies. So my question has to do with using a single disk torque converter with a higher pressure value body verses using a triple disk converter, which one is better and why? Along with the TC/value body should I have a billet input shaft installed while the tranny is out? Are there any other upgrades/parts I should have replaced while the tranny is out? Here are a few things that have been suggested:
- billet 1-2 shift lever
- Servo/Accumulator
- Font Seals
I appreciate anyone’s help on this. My goal here is to have a phase 1 strong tranny and phase 2 bullet proof tranny. Phase 1 I would like to be over 400 horse power and then phase 2 over 500.

bchesley

Wow, I just had the tc/vb done with the billet acumalotor and billet servo last friday by relentless diesel in willis, tx. I will be honest, I was so skeptical about spending that kind of money, however I am sold now. Every truck that I own in the future is making its first stop be relentless. I can not tell you how much of a difference that those parts made. I had a buddy drive my truck before I went, and then he drove it yesterday. He was floored on what a difference. It drives like a totally different truck. I also have a tremendous amount of faith in chris's work. I watched over his shoulder all day and he was more than gracious to explain each part and tell me the reason it was upgraded. When you get a valve body kit there are other little parts that DTT replaces. I am also sold on dtt products. I am sure there are others but the detail that they put into this is awesome. I wish you could drive my truck to see the difference!!!

Brad

TexasCTD

Brad,

Are you able to give us some idea on what that set up cost? My Christmas wish list for Santa is growing every month.

Tom488

Well... here's my take on single vs. multi-disc converters.... if a single disc is so good, and a multi-disc so bad, why do aftermarket builders always add additional clutch discs to the main clutch packs, instead of just cranking up the pressure to some obscene level?

More clutch discs=more holding capacity, and is limited by the space that they must fit into. Higher pressure also equals more holding capacity, and is limited by the quality of the seals that have to hold up to that pressure.

For me, I was sold on the idea of multiple discs... AK RAM posted an excellent write-up several months back, summarizing this. I suggest searching it out and reading it.

As for what else to upgrade, a billet input shaft is nice, but not required at the amount of power you're looking for right now (the stock shaft will easily hold well over 400HP)... better to swap that when you have the rest of the tranny tweaked. It would be a little more (not much, however) labor to install it if you're just replacing the TC/VB - the front pump needs to be pulled, and the front/rear clutches removed.

What you should do is get an upgraded front band strut (might as well get a higher-ratio lever while you're at it, too). The stock band strut is painfully weak, and is susceptible to bending. The servos and accumulators are fine... again, wait until you get the whole tranny (minus the TC/VB, since those will swap over) for this kind of stuff.

And, if you're interested in what some of this stuff looks like, I just got finished with a minor repair to my ATS Stage V tranny - you can see all the pictures here:

48RE Transmission Teardown

durango12

tom great post !!! and great pics of teardown and assembly. not trying to flame or start anyting just a question, how come ats doesnt use a rigid band with more friction material in the first place? dtt uses the same or similar (sp) front band strut in there upgrade but also adds an upgraded strut on the other end ( adjustment side) of the front band . wich are also very prone to breaking.
d12

RamWheelsBy4

Tom,

I agree, that is so far the best set of pictures on a 48re r&r and explanation I have seen.

Thanks for the information.

MAJORCOMMOTION

Thanks for the post so far, and thanks for the pictures/explanations too. Keep the information coming. I’ve read that the input shaft is not necessary until you go big HP or doing 4X4 launches, which I don’t think I’ll be doing. My main goal for my “Phase 1” is to have a more reliable transmission and add a little extra HP. Your post are great.
Ryan

bchesley

PM me for a price on what I had done. As for the questions on multi-disk or single disk that is a question that I cant answer. I know that the converter I am running will handle all the power I am going to throw at it. I know this because there are plenty of people putting down serious power with one. The other parts of the tranny that I changed were to prevent internal leakages. The biggest thing for me to used dtt is the attention to detail like the billet strut arm, and other small billet replacement parts. It really is unbelievable how much better it drives. The coolest part now is my hard lockup is gone. Every once in a while I could bark the turbo on a really hard lockup due to the amount of rpm drop. The tighter converter cured that and made lockup a lot less harsh. I highly recommend spending the money now, it really is worth it.

Brad