48RE Success

rottenronnie

rottenronnie

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OK update time..

If anyone requires tranny work on a 48RE for an SRT-10 or diesel CALL THIS GUY: Steve at Commercial Powertrain in Balzac Alberta.

He doesn't care what kind of power your engine is making as he can build them accordingly. You can pound on his trannies and they keep coming back for more.

There seems to be a real problem keeping these things working properly unless you can find the right shop which isn't as easy as you might think.

..Just dropped the pan and changed the filter and oil on mine and it is like brand new inside. The other builds I had done by other shops were completely DONE by now!

So, the 48RE CAN be built to work properly AND last behind the high horsepower stuff.

As mentioned in another post, my tranny is now good for 1500 horsepower and can be built for more, if required.

Cheers
 
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Thanks for taking time to get this sorted out and keeping up updated. What did this builder do differently from the others?
 
Hello Caveman!

I'm NOT a tranny guy so I can't say for sure but I don't believe it is as simple as just one thing that makes his work, when others fail. He is a great guy to talk to and talks straight up. His trannys just work and that is all I really care about at this stage. I do like the tech stuff a lot, but I'm after results.

He has been building racing trannies for 30 years and is exceptionally good at what he does, IMO.

He is also (as mentioned previously), a Hydraulics Engineer.

What I can say is he doesn't use aftermarket shift kits (which is a departure from what I thought was needed for the past 45 years!) but his trannys shift like a Mother!

I've talked to guys that have had theirs fixed by Steve ONCE, and then just enjoy their trucks, which is the way it should be. Watching some of these 1900 horsepower, 7800 pound Dodge diesels launch and run 9s, run after run, is quite a site!

(Hey, can you tell I'm pretty pumped about having my tranny finally working properly!!??) :)

In fairness, I AM going to pound on this thing (before the snow flies) and let the guys know IF I run into any problems.

If the weather cooperates, the drag radials are going on this weekend. :burnout:

Info exchange is what forums like this are for!:rock::rock::rock:
 
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rottenronnie said:
Hello Caveman!

I'm NOT a tranny guy so I can't say for sure but I don't believe it is as simple as just one thing that makes his work, when others fail. He is a great guy to talk to and talks straight up. His trannys just work and that is all I really care about at this stage. I do like the tech stuff a lot, but I'm after results.

He has been building racing trannies for 30 years and is exceptionally good at what he does, IMO.

He is also (as mentioned previously), a Hydraulics Engineer.

What I can say is he doesn't use aftermarket shift kits (which is a departure from what I thought was needed for the past 45 years!) but his trannys shift like a Mother!

I've talked to guys that have had theirs fixed by Steve ONCE, and then just enjoy their trucks, which is the way it should be. Watching some of these 1900 horsepower, 7800 pound Dodge diesels launch and run 9s, run after run, is quite a site!

(Hey, can you tell I'm pretty pumped about having my tranny finally working properly!!??) :)

In fairness, I AM going to pound on this thing (before the snow flies) and let the guys know IF I run into any problems.

If the weather cooperates, the drag radials are going on this weekend. :burnout:

Info exchange is what forums like this are for!:rock::rock::rock:
Click to expand...

Did he have anything to say about the limitations of the transmission in tall gear? For example, and I know it's not at all the same, it's strongly recommended not to apply a lot of power to 5th and 6th gear in my Allison.
 
There was no discussion (nor concerns) about the O/D section of the 48s being a weak link in his transmissions.

I can ask him about the Allisons, if you like.
 
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That's awesome to hear Ron , I've had AMAZING luck with HTS tranny in my truck also, it's been checked after every season it's been ran, and I drive the truck like it's built to be driven!! Ask anyone that's seen me in my truck!! Lol and the oil still smells and looks like new also, I haven't had any issues with mine either except trying to manually shift it on the column!! Like trying to ride a bull and eat a bowl of cereal!!! LMAO.
 
Glad to hear it Joe!

Ace-O-Matic assembled your tranny...correct? It's too bad he decided to move onto other things.

When you find someone that knows what they are doing, it's a bonus, that's for sure. It sure is nice when the power makes it all the way to the back tires, reliably!!
 
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I heard of only a few shops that are able to make it reliable.

The only concern is neither the power or the torque but the limitations
of permanent high speed runs that we are facing in Germany.

So far i killed the transmissions due to high heat on autobahn chases:D

No one has so far a precise info on how to tackle that other than bigger trans-oil pan and extra oil cooler. But guess what..... I had it.....
 
Arska2 said:
I heard of only a few shops that are able to make it reliable.

The only concern is neither the power or the torque but the limitations
of permanent high speed runs that we are facing in Germany.

So far i killed the transmissions due to high heat on autobahn chases:D

No one has so far a precise info on how to tackle that other than bigger trans-oil pan and extra oil cooler. But guess what..... I had it.....
Click to expand...

My transmission was build 2 years ago in Holland.
TransM Transmissie Revisie
Martin does a great job and is also truck-drag-racer for years.
 
Ok Thanks!
I think its great to post this information up, wherever you might be living to let people know where you can go to get these trannies repaired.
 
thats good news to hear, wish somebody like him could write a book and share the knowledge on these re trannys, i have a book that john cope sent me on 727s, btw he was a re engineer at chrysler till he started doing raceing trannys on his own, iv done a few tq flite 8s and a couple of re trannys but with the electronics involved i havent done enough to figure out how to do a bullet proof re besides throwing billet parts in it, the valvebody, pressures and fluid passages are the way to make these things live
 
I was out at Steve's (Commercial Powertrain) tonight for a few hours, shootin the breeze.
I mentioned Arksa's comment about heat in his trannies on the Autobahn and he said there was absolutely NO reason why they should or could be failing from heat unless they were improperly clearanced when assembled.
There was a 2000 hp Dodge Diesel that the owner was getting a maximum of 6-8 runs (out of the 48s) and he got used to taking spare trannies to the track.
The 48RE Steve built for him was now in it's 3rd YEAR of competition in the same 2000 HP truck!
 
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caveman said:
Did he have anything to say about the limitations of the transmission in tall gear? For example, and I know it's not at all the same, it's strongly recommended not to apply a lot of power to 5th and 6th gear in my Allison.
Click to expand...

Hello Caveman.

I was trying to keep the discussion 48RE (somewhat) :)

I asked Steve last night about the Allison. He showed me one he had in his shop and he said they are plenty strong in 5th (and 6th) however, most guys dragging with their heavy trucks don't get into 6th during a pass.

Steve's number is 403.651.6921

It might not be a bad idea to hear the information directly from him.

Ron
 
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UPDATE: No issues with the 48RE, very solid and precise. It has already outlasted the previous (2) complete overhauls. :)
A planetary was replaced (damaged from being stuck in 2 gears at the same time) and the TCI torque convertor took a shit-kicking so it was completely overhauled as well.
Kevlar rigid band and some lightweight rotating goodies were installed.
Custom Tobler valve body (no shift kit required).
Using GM-spec Dexron 6 fluid (because it smells nicer) :)

Nice crisp w.o.t. shifts @ 6500.

Light throttle shifts are good without clanking the u-joints.

It should be aok from here on out but if anything comes flying out through the case, I will post.
 
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