Allison 6 spd conversions for Dodge Trucks

[Paddy McMahon]

Has anyone else been lured in by this false statement that was part of Sun Coast Advertising? After not finding anything on their website to substantiate this offering I called them. They stated that they were working on a proto type but it was far from ready for public consumption..... So this begs the question why advertise it? Issue 55 of the TDR ran this ad from Suncoast on page 27. I hear great things about the Sun Coast company and their products, but come on! This is just simply false advertising in my eyes. Like many other Dodge diesel truck owners I would jump at the chance to have the allison transmission as a drivetrain component. Anyone else have a comment about this?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

AH, more "Vaporware"... :-laf



Yeah - gotta love it when vendors promote goods and/or services that are far more products of their overactive imagination, than reality...



But, it's a lot like fishing - can't catch suckers, if you don't toss out the bait... :-laf:-laf

 

[KHaines]

Check out DESTROKED: Cummins Conversions

They have adaptors & a controler.

 

[cerberusiam]

Check out DESTROKED: Cummins Conversions

They have adaptors & a controler.

That is a great site Oo... . but... . OUCH!!!!



$1400 for the adapter and flex plate, $1700 for the controller and TCM and THEN buy the trans and start building it.



Billet pieces for the Ally are not cheap and you really need them to address the inherent weaknesses in the trans.



I can see why the $10k number is a realistic one, but, while 6 gears would be nice are they worth the cost?



I guess its all about what you believe.

 

[Motorhead]

I don't know what it took but when I worked at UPS, just before I retired, they bought some Freightliner chassied package cars with a 215hp 24valve Cummins AND the Allison automatic. Knowing UPS, they wouldn't and didn't spend any great amount of extra $$$ for that combo.

 

[Paddy McMahon]

Based on what I've looked at I forsee ending up at Brown's Diesel doing the Goerend upgrades to the 48RE I have. Thanks for the comments.

 

[ROGER/DODGER]

Stick with the R-48. I took mine a 06 to Browns and couldn't be happier.
Richard is a A-1 person to deal with. Also on a business level he's very honest and will do you right.

 

[cerberusiam]

I don't know what it took but when I worked at UPS, just before I retired, they bought some Freightliner chassied package cars with a 215hp 24valve Cummins AND the Allison automatic. Knowing UPS, they wouldn't and didn't spend any great amount of extra $$$ for that combo.

That package was available but it was only in a detuned version. OEM you could NOT get the HO versions as combo.



Kinda tells you what the Ally 1000 was capable of stock.

 

[TJarecke]

Wait a little bit and you can just get a built 68re. I am sure there will be an easy swap for it soon. I know there are or will be parts to make them plenty strong.

I think Fleece Performance does the allion swap too. Adapter seems high. Isn't I just an SAE #3? The parts are out there. They bolt the 1000 to cummins in freightliner chassis. I believe the transmission uses a TCM that is close to a stand alone, just needs reprogrammed. At least that is how I understand it.

 

[BHolm]

I switched to Dodge and the 48RE specifically because the Allison in my '03 Chevy took a dump. Stock truck, never worked it hard, It was the second 1000 Allison I had, never cared for either one of them, most overrated trans ever.

 

[TFucili]

I switched to Dodge and the 48RE specifically because the Allison in my '03 Chevy took a dump. Stock truck, never worked it hard, It was the second 1000 Allison I had, never cared for either one of them, most overrated trans ever.

I was starting to think I am the only one sour on the hallowed Ally. I lemon-lawed an '04 Chevy with an Ally they could not/would not make right. No thanks.

 

[BHolm]

I was starting to think I am the only one sour on the hallowed Ally. I lemon-lawed an '04 Chevy with an Ally they could not/would not make right. No thanks.

I fought and fought with them. After weeks of this run around I did get what I wanted from them and promptly traded off the truck. GM customer service called me a week or two later to see if I was happy with the outcome (of the repair). I told them I was very happy with my new Dodge:-laf



In '01 my D/A truck wouldn't pull a load in OD and was getting 5 mpg towing. Allison sent an engineer to me, we loaded it up, cruised around with a laptop hooked up trying to figure out the problem. Nothing like product testing on the customers time



Lots of hype, you couldn't give me one.

 

[KWilkinson]

I like the 48re, but if I had the money for a standalone and adapters I'd like to have a torqshift... let the bashing begin, but I really like those transmissions. Had great luck with them, but maybe the motor just wouldnt ever hold up long enough to hurt the trans :-laf

 

[KHaines]

The ally is capable of alot more than the dodge, stock or modified.

That package was available but it was only in a detuned version. OEM you could NOT get the HO versions as combo.



Kinda tells you what the Ally 1000 was capable of stock.

 

[cerberusiam]

Not even mated to an under powered engine will it take the abuse a Cummins is capable of delivering.



Even the Ally techs have a good ch uckle over that idea.

 

[BHolm]

The ally is capable of alot more than the dodge, stock or modified.

Just because you say that, we should all know it to be true:-laf



The 1000 series isn't even a true Allison. It was *******ized by GM bean counters and that is the reason for its poor performance. Allison makes a heck of a good trans when it is their clean sheet design. The 2000 series and up are great, the GM Alli, is just that, more GM junk.



I owned two of them, I owned them at the same time I had Ford and Dodge trucks in the fleet. My drivers preffered the 7. 3 4r100 Ford to the D/A and loved the two HO/48re Dodges over all.



Lots of hype about the Allison, it simply did not deliver in my application which was stock trucks towing max loads daily. They might work great in empty daily drivers but they are a joke in a work truck. That is my first hand experience anyway.

 

[JDiepstra]

The ally is capable of alot more than the dodge, stock or modified.

My only response to this is :-laf

 

[cerberusiam]

The 1000 series isn't even a true Allison. It was *******ized by GM bean counters and that is the reason for its poor performance. Allison makes a heck of a good trans when it is their clean sheet design. The 2000 series and up are great, the GM Alli, is just that, more GM junk.

Not to rain on your flame here, and I do agree with you that the GM version is junk, but the 1000 is a true Allison trans and it is a relatively decent one, IF USED AS DESIGNED.



Actually, there is very little difference between the 1000 and 2000 series units, and the 1000 is rated to higher HP than the 2000 series, just at less weight and duty cycle.



If you tried to push the 2000 series like GM tried with the 1000 you would see most of the same problems. The reason you don't is the 2000 is used in MH and medium duty applications where longevity is the key, not the big power and car like reactions.



The 1000 and 2000 transmissions used in the 250-270 HP applications work fine, but, the trans is managed differently and so is the engine. Even Allison shakes their head at what GM did to the trans control system and cites it as the major problem. :-laf



Statements like "The ally is capable of alot more than the dodge, stock or modified" just underscore the total lack of knowledge of the actual track records of usage. It is rather funny that end users are making these statements while the manufacturer is busy trying to fix the damage to their image reality is exacting.



Suncoast has been promising this for a while and I think ATS and DTT just quit addressing it. Overly optimistic vaporware is a lot closer to the truth. :-laf:-laf

 

[KHaines]

Where are you gettting your info????? 1000, 2000, 2400 series all have basicly the same internals.



Look at the transmissions. Anyone could see by the size of the allison compared to the tiny dodoge trans, that the allison is built heavier. You guys love this comparison when it comes to connecting rods.



Give Gorend's a call & ask him which is the better thans.

Just because you say that, we should all know it to be true:-laf



The 1000 series isn't even a true Allison. It was *******ized by GM bean counters and that is the reason for its poor performance. Allison makes a heck of a good trans when it is their clean sheet design. The 2000 series and up are great, the GM Alli, is just that, more GM junk.



I owned two of them, I owned them at the same time I had Ford and Dodge trucks in the fleet. My drivers preffered the 7. 3 4r100 Ford to the D/A and loved the two HO/48re Dodges over all.



Lots of hype about the Allison, it simply did not deliver in my application which was stock trucks towing max loads daily. They might work great in empty daily drivers but they are a joke in a work truck. That is my first hand experience anyway.

 

[TFucili]

My Chevy was bone-stock, and developed serious issues with 1,200 miles. Nobody, including some wizard who "Gimmick Motors" flew in to sprinkle pixie dust on it, could make it right. It took me a year, but I managed to insert a 2500HD crew cab straight up their corporate backside.



Is the Ally physically larger? Yup. Are planetary gear-sets better? Yup. Does it prove to be better in the real world? Nope. I have owned three GM vehicles, and all of them were trash.