jtsdad13 said:
met a gentleman today who owns a local transmission shop. he said he has built many 48RE tranmissions for high horse diesel applications. i may be relaying the information incorrectly, but he said they can replace our bands with the beefier ones from a 727. is this true? he says he can also build a bullet proof 48RE for $1700 or just upgrade bands. i have plans of forging the bottom end and either doing strykers/cam or a roe in the future. i know i will need stronger tranny and had planned on going with one from stinker . i will prob still spend the extra and go with stinker, because we all trust him. i have had my bands tightened twice and would like a little extra peace of mind for now. so what would be a good price for a band transplant or should i avoid it/cross my fingers and wait till i can get the tranny from stinker.
The trannys are basically a 727 with an overdrive unit (4th gear). They are based on the diesel trans but there are some significant differences, esp. in calibration. It isn't a perfect choice for our trucks but it was a use-what-we-have-in-stock solution for Dodge and they are fine for a stock truck. "Torque Management" really helps keep the stockers alive but short-changes the buyer with the performance they thought they paid for but don't get until they reprogram their e.c.u.
I used a 1-2 band from a 1970 Chrysler New Yorker (440) which is a rigid band. It is a durable piece compared to the flimsy stocker. That and some valve body mods, good friction clutches, billet shafts, custom drum and a shift kit went into mine as well.
Once you add some power to the stocker, it doesn't seem to last long; especially if you use drag radials. My stocker was well maintained but when you hit the trans with more power and a 1-2 shift at 6000+ r.p.m. through drag radials, in a 5600 pound vehicle, they WILL complain (and eventually break). The stockers lack the clamping force and materials needed to hold the additional torque for very long under high(er) performance use.
So far, so good but if I had to do it again, I would have gone a different route than having it rebuilt locally.
Yup check out the deal(s) from Stinker. If mine fails (again), that is what I am doing.
I would question "bullet-proof" for $1700.00...
The Strikers are a hoot! It is not a cheap route but I still think it is
THE WAY to go with these trucks.
Just make sure you get a bit of a cam in there to take advantage of the Strikers.
Ron
