Trans upgrade help
 

hi guys, i have a 2003 ram 3500 with the 5.9 in it. with 187k miles, the trans is now due for an upgrade, the TC will unlock and relock at random times espeshly going into third gear. and alot of times i'll get to 2400 rpm's going out of first gear. so i decided i'm going to just rebuild it by a mechanic but buy all the parts my self. i hardly haul, if i do its either a load of scrap or an occasional grain cart, but i am a young guy going into college so i like to have a lead foot every now and again so i want something thats going to be dependable for awhile. i've been searching around and i'm stuck between a few choices. should i go with an ATS triplelok torque converter, or a Goerend triple disk? which one would be more reliable or is there no major difference? also for valve bodies, should i get the BD power valve body from xtremediesel.com or the High Pressure Valve Body with solenoids from Goerend? i'm trying to get the most bang for my buck with these parts.thanks in advanced for any help.

I would get a Suncoast ValveBody and a DPC Triple Disc Converter

Luke

why would you recomend that?

Stay away from suntoast! For the best service deal with goerend! NOBODY has better customer service and warranty! get his triple disc and his constant pressure valvebody! just spend a little time on the phone with him to figure out what you really need!

DPC makes one of the best converters on the market without spending a small fortune.

Luke

thanks alot guys. any more input would be much welcome! i'll start calling around when i get some time

I don't know how mechanical you are, if you are pretty mechanical I would do the shift kit, it will save you a chunk of cash and will give you the same end result as a full VB. Obviously get a shift kit that is custom tailored to your application not a one size fits all.

im pretty mechanical, but why wouldnt you just replace the whole valve body so more fluid could flow and incase anything internal is damaged/worn because its a stock VB

Pretty sure an aftermarket vb is just a stocker already modified then sold at a much higher cost. Only difference is, if you buy a vb more than likely it's been installed on a transmission that's been ran on a trans dyno and tuned for specific results. Most shift kits you buy have different little "tweaks" you can do to affect the characteristics of the trans but nothing is really spelled out for you with the kit and you kinda get what you get. They give you specs for possible desired results like "towing" or "competition". Firmer, softer, and so on. The factory vb, modified attributes to other components in the transmission failing, not the vb itself. Vb modifications can wreak havoc on your servos and the apply struts.


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Most company's do different tweaks to their valvebodys. The biggest difference in that and just a shift kit is they test their before they ship it out

Luke