performance 48RE: DIY or builder?

[JEstes]

Guys, I'm getting enough pennies saved up where I think I can finally get my 48RE built the way I want to. I'm leaning towards ATS, because there's a local shop in town that deals with ATS. I figured if I had a shop install it, better to be a local guy if something goes wrong.

I do have a question though: Is there going to be a performance/reliability difference with buying a ready to run transmission, and having a shop install it, VS me buying the components and rebuilding my existing transmission myself?

The reason I ask, is because I'm finding about a $1200 price difference between the sum of the components, VS a ready to run transmission on the ATS website. That's not even including what the installation costs would be from a local installer. I just want to know if that extra $1200 is covering some kind of proprietary machining, or something else, that is only available if you get a complete transmission. They give you some hype on the website, but I'd like to know if that hype is worth $1200, or if it's just smoke and mirrors to get you to spend more money. Of course, a phone call to someone who sells ATS stuff told me "Yeah there's some extra stuff, but I'm not allowed to say what it is... "

Thanks!

 

[RKerner]

Guys, I'm getting enough pennies saved up where I think I can finally get my 48RE built the way I want to. I'm leaning towards ATS, because there's a local shop in town that deals with ATS. I figured if I had a shop install it, better to be a local guy if something goes wrong.



I do have a question though: Is there going to be a performance/reliability difference with buying a ready to run transmission, and having a shop install it, VS me buying the components and rebuilding my existing transmission myself?



The reason I ask, is because I'm finding about a $1200 price difference between the sum of the components, VS a ready to run transmission on the ATS website. That's not even including what the installation costs would be from a local installer. I just want to know if that extra $1200 is covering some kind of proprietary machining, or something else, that is only available if you get a complete transmission. They give you some hype on the website, but I'd like to know if that hype is worth $1200, or if it's just smoke and mirrors to get you to spend more money. Of course, a phone call to someone who sells ATS stuff told me "Yeah there's some extra stuff, but I'm not allowed to say what it is... "



Thanks!

Please take this in the most constructive manner:



A. How much is you time worth? transmission building is fun and time consuming and rewarding if everything goes right the first time. Murphy watches over your shoulder all the time and waits for noobs and experienced folk to not pay attention to an important detail. Then he reminds you that $1200 may not have been as much as you thought.



B. Will you have as much fun taking the transmission out the second time? I've had to replace ballooned convertors due to stuck OPR valves, valve bodies in Fords that refuse to work right the first time and hard parts when applying the some is good, more has to be better when enlarging VB plate holes and removing accumulator springs.



If you have plenty of time, a clean shop, and a reliable transmission shop that will give out free info and already knows the weak spots in a 48RE and which clutch packs will hold an extra steel and fiber, then by all means go for it. If not, it may be better to use the installer's warranty time and not yours.

 

[DogramTD]

I agree w/RKerner. But the first thing that came to my mind was (and maybe I missed something); if you have the skills to rebuild the transmission, surely you have the skills to install it. If you were to buy a ready to run transmission, why would you take it to a local transmission shop for installation? Save the $$ and install it yourself.