Tranny build

[lamoparpower]

ok guys... i've decided that instead of buying a tranny i am going to buy my parts piece by piece and get it assembled locally by a guy i know... he rebuilt my old 47re and ive given that thing heck and its still kickin....

1st things first... shafts... who makes the best ones? I was thinking going opie billet? Or should i go HTS?

2nd torque converter.... i have no idea where to go on this one... let me hear your input...

3rd valve body.. i was thinking HTS...

4th flexplate... again i was thinking HTS....

im sure i missed something... let me know your experiences and thought guys... and any tips will do too!

 

[t-boe]

I plan on doing the same. As far as shafts I would go with Opie's. Never heard anything bad. He's done his research and has the most bullet proof ones out there. I'm going with a Goerend for a converter, but that's just preference. HTS uses Suncoast converters which are pretty top notch too. I'm also going with a Goerend valve body due to preference, but HTS or any of the others will do you right. The flexplate HTS uses is also the Suncoast laminate I believe unless they're using billet which is probably ATS. I'm going with a billet. There has been some debate on laminate vs. billet in terms of flexing and strength. That I'm not sure about. I'm sure someone here can steer you right for that.

 

[BgBlDodge]

Sonnax makes a pretty good billet input shaft.

Converter, you need to talk to all the companies and see what they recommend. Most people are partial to whatever converter they are running. I'm partial to DTT. Their singles can hold as much as the triples out there and it's less weight to turn. But their tranny's are designed around a single disk. That's why they hold. The other's are designed around a triple and that's why they hold. Is one better than the other? No. Just two different styles of thinking.

Who's ever converter you get I'd get their VB as well. That way that company knows all the details about the converter and your truck and they can set it up to work great right out of the box. Case in point, I installed a DTT VB in a dead stock tranny and it held 496hp with nothing else done to it. They then took that VB and installed it in my full built tranny. They knew what I had and the settings on that VB and were able to custom tailor my tranny.

Can't help ya on a flex plate as they aren't needed on my year truck but I've heard that BD makes a good one.