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A/T Trans Questions

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green_bread

15+ Year Contributor
52
1
Sep 20, 2005
Columbia, Missouri
hey everyone! first off, thanks for stopping by to try to help me out! let me try to explain this the best i can:

i just bought my first DSM about a month or so ago and have been doing work with the engine/turbo to get it running better(slapped some 450's in to replace the 390's, 14b exhaust manifold, 14b with ported exhaust housing... stuff like that)

my next focus is going to be on the transmission. i have been thinking about keeping the auto in there- wait... before the crap starts flying let me explain my reasoning! the best reason i can give for this is because i would like to keep boost while accelerating where as you will lose boost after each shift with a 5 speed. also, there arent that many people around here that put the work in to a good auto setup, so i would like some people to go, man, thats a decent idea... pretty original, good job... along those lines.

now... what i was thinking about...
the guy i bought the car from had a shift kit installed a while back. i was thinking of a good high high stall converter and something like a rachet shifter or the like. i am looking for suggestions from anyone that may have 'beefed' up their auto tranny or who would know what i should look in to.

i know this is kind of vague, but i really appriciate any help that can be offered. if you need any other information, just let me know and ill do what i can to get it to you.

thanks again!

ADAM
 
thanks for the links, guys!

i have already checked out IPT for some info and the AT DSM site wont come up here at work for me... darn firewalls, anyway!

Basically, I am looking at the manual valve body from IPT and their custom torque converter for the DSM. do you guys think that this is going to be any better/ a cooler idea than just converting to the 5 speed. i mean, i am looking for a target of 300-350 bhp for this car and i am on a pretty tight budget. with the manual valve body and TC, i am looking at around $500 or so where i could buy a 1g AWD 5spd and rebuild it for less than $300.

any ideas/suggestions?

thanks again!

ADAM
 
You're on the right track. The PARTS for the valve body and torque converter are one thing, but you'll most likely need a shop to install them; not a real good project for even an experienced DSMer, IMO. Are you sure that TC price is accurate? Most aftermarket units I've seen are around $1K.
 
I also have a a/t awd . Check out the Parts Catalog on this website for a/t parts. for $250~ you can get performance parts to rebuild shiftkit/end clutches which will help handle the horsepower of upgrades.
 
Shift kit and end clutch kit are the most common AT upgrades. The shift kit will, surprise, surprise, help out with your shifting. Depending on which spring you use in the kit (there are 4, ranging from very soft to very stiff), your shifts can be made very quick and tight. But the shift kit also helps with fluid flow and clears up some other issues with the stock valve body. The end clutch kit is an overdrive upgrade, so it doesn't really help with performance, but it's good to do, because the OD on these trannies seems to go a lot.

A high stall converter is a must if you plan to run any kind of decent times. A good conv. wll run you $500- $1000, depending on stall and brand. IPT has some pretty cool new electronic gadgets. I've never used any of them personally, but they do have a good rep. and the ideas seem good.

Another thing you'll need to do is upgrade the tranny cooler, this is very important in my opinion. Get a nice, huge one and stick it wherever it fits. I run two in series, they are in place of my AC condenser. And change the filter and replace the fluid with synthetic.

Then, when the tranny breaks (when, not if), you can do a nice rebuild with upgraded internals and build a nice, strong AT.

Good luck, keep the AT.
 
doug said:
You're on the right track. The PARTS for the valve body and torque converter are one thing, but you'll most likely need a shop to install them; not a real good project for even an experienced DSMer, IMO. Are you sure that TC price is accurate? Most aftermarket units I've seen are around $1K.

If i get the parts, I have a friend who works in a transmission shop so it wont be a big deal to get it installed. The TC is from IPT... they are asking $475

Here is one thing I was looking at:
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this is a re-worked valve body from IPT. they installed a trans-lab shift kit and the manual valve/electronics. you can pick one of these up for $389 and it comes with a new filter and pan gasket.
---

Here is the manual valve for $37 from IPT:
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and the torque converter for $475:
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IPT is able to custom modify these to your specification-at least it says so on their website.

----------------

Anyway, if I end up sticking with the A/T I will probably end up picking up this torque converter. Like I said, I already have a shift kit installed, however, if I went with the re-worked valve body, it would probably be a drop in install and it would have the shift kit installed on it already, as well...but, if I decide to just get the parts and get them installed, would I have to get a manual valve BODY, too, or can I just install the manual valve on my tranny with the shift kit already in it?

I just need a few opinions on which route to take... anyone else looked in to this or done it?

ADAM
 
That TC looks pretty good. About the valve body, though, I don't really see putting down almost four bills for another one if you already have a shift kit installed in the one you have now. The cost benefit ratio is not in your favor on that one, IMO. I'd think you could find much better bang for the buck things to get for your $389.
 
doug said:
I'd think you could find much better bang for the buck things to get for your $389.

thinking of maybe an end clutch rebuild kit. would you think it would be necessary with the mods i am planning on doing here?
 
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