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48re Budget Build and What each component means?

9K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  THE MEGACAB  
#1 ·
So a few weeks ago i blew my trans in my 2007 Dodge 2500. Its the 5.9 with the 48re auto. So i have an exhaust, intake and a smarty tuner. Id like to max out the tuner so ill prolly be pushing close to 500hp when done but probably wont ever go over and i do really no heavy towing. I read all over people say do this and that but stay away from boosted launches and easy on the pedal well life is too short to live a boring life. Im gonna run the piss out of my truck lol. I dont race or pull but i like to have fun so.. lol. I have the ability to pull the trans and install one my self, so i figure that saves me at least $1000 in labor. Im not too sure about rebuilding one though.

My question is, I plan to do boosted launches and play to floor it often so what upgrades should i be looking for when possibly taking it to a shop to rebuild? Tripple Disc TC? Billet Inputshaft? Im curious to know what parts fail and what causes them to fail? so i know what i should be doing to the new transmission? And im not trying to break the bank. Would love to stay at $3K maybe pushing to $4k if i have to. So what do ya know?

Thanks Andrew.
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
lol if you are planning to have someone build it for you, and you want to do boosted launches + feel pretty comfortable with it. Probably looking over $6K minimum. Not within a mile of $3K. $3K is going to be a hair above stock.
 
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#5 ·
lol if you are planning to have someone build it for you, and you want to do boosted launches + feel pretty comfortable with it. Probably looking over $6K minimum. Not within a mile of $3K. $3K is going to be a hair above stock.
A quality 3 disc converter plus a billet input shaft plus the labour to install it with a gasket and seal kit will take care of $3K. This will help somewhat with the boosted launches but you really need the better friction discs, valve body modifications and a bunch of other heavy duty parts to make the transmission live. Your transmission is only as strong as it's weakness link.
Well doing further reading and research I may be open to just rebuilding the whole trany my self. At this point it doesn't seem to unattainable and it would keep the cost down as much as possible.

I understand ill need a tripple disc and billet input to hold the power and launches, as well as a full rebuild on the tranny, upgraded bands, servo, strut, anchor, and extra friction plates. Fire Punk sells a nice kit with all that for a comp 1 trans. I also would upgrade my valve body. But, my new question is do i need to get a billet output shaft? since my truck will never see over 600hp i seem to read you only need to look at upgrading the output shaft towards 800hp but because i plan to abuse this tranny especially with launching it should i also upgrade the output shaft?
 
#4 ·
A quality 3 disc converter plus a billet input shaft plus the labour to install it with a gasket and seal kit will take care of $3K. This will help somewhat with the boosted launches but you really need the better friction discs, valve body modifications and a bunch of other heavy duty parts to make the transmission live. Your transmission is only as strong as it's weakness link.
 
#6 ·
Full billet triple disc converter (billet stator is a must), billet input shaft, custom valve body, billet servos/accumulator piston, billet band lever/strut/anchor, GPZ frictions throughout, increased direct clutch count, cooling mods, lube mods, etc. These are all things you're going to need if you want to survive at the 600hp level.
 
#7 ·
Just my two cents, having done both a 5.9 rebuild and a 48re rebuild, I am not a mechanic, but always worked on my own stuff. If you have access to a shop press, willing to fab a few tools you will need, and are mechanically minded, know how to measure tolerances with a calipers, micrometer, etc. you will have no problem rebuilding a 48re. They are one of the simpler transmissions you will find, but as mentioned already above, you will drop some cash making it 'bulletproof'. Triple disc tc from goerend will run you around $1000 iirc, they sell an economy input shaft and flex plate stiffener that will save you some dough and will hold 550hp easy for around $550, for more power you'll need bullet input shaft and HD flex plate which you're looking at probably $1200 for those two items, then upgraded valve body for $800-1500 depending on what features you want, then probably another $800 or a bit more for the basic rebuild kit you'll need for high power applications. A few more odds and ends I can't think of right now, deep tranny pan, upgraded cooler, maybe auxiliary filter, but that should give you an idea. Long story short though it is not a difficult project. Make sure you get the blue 48re rebuild manual, I think it is called tech Tran or something like that.

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#8 ·
I would recommend buying the manual for $30 on Amazon, read it from cover to cover, and if you're still comfortable with the idea of diy then take it to the next step

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#11 ·
Hence why I stressed good mechanical skills are needed. It's not for an average diyer, but someone that knows their way around gear trains and advanced equipment maintenance will have no trouble understanding the concepts involved. I rebuilt my 5.9 and my 48re at the same time and guess what, the transmission was orders of magnitude easier compared to the engine I did after. Now I had some guidance on a few things such as measuring thrust washer /selective spacer tolerances, but my transmission runs amazing, now with 2500 miles on it. The important thing is not to skip any steps, if you do the measurements and get a built valve body from someone who knows their stuff, there really is no way to mess it up. Obviously if you have any doubts about your skills this is not for you.
 
#12 ·
Im currently a studying Marine Mechanic, ive built engines, pulled motors, rebuilt a jeep transfer case, etc etc. I also have a very knowledgeable neighbor and a few auto mechanic friends. So rebuilding the tranny doesn't scare me at this point. Im very mechanically incline and have all the tools to do it. Now im just want to make sure im getting all the parts i need and getting them at the best price i can, im not trying to cheap and and cut corners but i dont want to install parts that i dont need to.
My current list of parts is this.
  • Goerend Triple disc TC
  • Firepunk Diesel Competition Master Kit rebuild kit with includes billet strut, anchor, and servo
  • Heavy duty flex plate from FirePunk
  • Sending my valve body to Firepunk to be built for high pressure (which i was curious if that was needed? Or if i can just do a shift kit? since its nearly $600 and three weeks for firepunk to do that and a shift kit is around $70?)
  • Billet input shaft from Pure diesel power, Goerend is on back order for there economy one, i believe this is the same thing? 47RE 48RE Transmission 300M Cryo Treated Billet Input Shaft
  • Then a deep trans pan also from fire punk
This brings a total to roughly $3500 shipped

Anything im missing? Not to mention i appreciate the feedback you all are giving me, im very thankful!
 
#13 ·
I also want to clearly up the most HP this truck will see is 500hp to the crank, everything is mostly stock besides exhaust, intake, and tuner. So a stock rebuilt tranny would probably last another 150000 miles but i want one to hold the abuse of a lead foot and 37inch tires which is why i want to make some decent improvements.
 
#14 ·
What gearing with those 37" tires . Wowzer ,, i would def take them into consideration with the build, specifically
the TC stall .
IMHO 37" tires are a mistake , multible reasons . BUT to each his own and its your rig .
PS . RevMax , Mulldoon and others do detailed and great modified VB's .
 
#15 ·
If you're going to run 37" tires, the most important mod you need to budget for is for re-gearing the truck.

Be careful when shopping valve bodies. There are several good valve body builders out there, but there are also many others on the market that are simply shift-kitted stock valve bodies. Do your homework...
 
#16 ·
i would suggest if your going with the goerend triple disc that you also use the goerend valve body, dave will basically build your valve body for your needs, and they are fully tested before they leave his shop. Give goerend a call and discuss with them your plans they can direct you to what parts you need. I ended up using all parts from geroend, i think my total build cost was around $4000.00 i used the 15ss triple disc, his billet flex plate, the modified billet input shaft, his valve body, a bunch of billet parts, aluminum pan, they also did some case modifications, dave also built the overdrive unite for me. Dont think i used a full rebuild kit dave said it was not necessary, cant remember all of what i used it has been a few years since i rebuilt it. It has over 60k on it, i dd, tow and sometimes play with it.