Rebuilt transmission - nothing but problems

[HBarlow]

It's not that hard to rebuild a factory stock unit for a trained automatic transmission builder.

But there are only a limited number of builders nationwide and in Canada who have access to the aftermarket hard parts and have the knowledge and skill to build a 48RE that will live behind the Cummins engines pulling very heavy trailers every day or survive behind a highly modified Cummins engine producing as much as 1000 ft. lbs. of torque or pulling sleds and other extreme demands.

TDR forum members can name several builders who can build one that will stand up to whatever you want it to do but you'll pay serious money for it.

 

[HBarlow]

To add to cerberusiam's comment above...

Courtesy of Allpar... .

Snip.....

The Legendary Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge Torqueflite automatic transmission
“The Chrysler Torqueflite transmission is one of the smoothest and trouble-free units in the world, even when compared to Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce. ” — Wheels, 1966

The TorqueFlite transmission was Chrysler's mainstay from its introduction in 1956 through the early 1990s, remaining in duty in modified form (for front wheel drive) through 2001 in the Neon, and continuing even today with electronic controls for trucks.

Though the first TorqueFlite was the revolutionary A-488, called the best automatic transmission in the world, the most legendary Torqueflite model is the A-727, which replaced it in 1962. Assigned to the most muscular engines, heavy duty applications, and trucks, the A-727 used an aluminum case (rather than the A-488's cast iron case), saving about 60 pounds; in some models, it used a pawl (lock) for parking, actuated by a lever (1962-64 models) or by putting the transmission into Park (see sidebar).

Snip... ...

Our transmissions are based on the TorqueFlite and do well to stand up behind a Cummins.

The TorqueFlite is a sound, proven design and has been used by many manufacturers in the last 40 years or so including American Motors and International Harvester.

I owned a 1973 Travelall with a 392 IH truck V-8 in it.
Had a Holley carb on it the size of a 10qt. pail.
A TorqueFlite transmitted the power.

If you have never driven an IH engine I can't possibly relay to you how much torque was going thru that little transmission when that 392 was doing full throttle upshifts. It would kick the tires 1-2 and 2-3 every time. That is not a small vehicle to be doing that with.
I used and abused that thing, but the motor and transmission never failed me. Blew up a couple of posi rears but that was it.

They have added things along the way but way down deep it is still a TorqueFlite with a willing heart and soul.

Mike.

I had a variant of one of those dogs back in the '70s. I had worn out a Chevy C-2500 w/350 ci four barrel with miles, hard treatment, and pulling a 23' Prowler travel trailer and bought a used '73 IH w/392. It was not a Travelall but a factory modified version of one with the top half of the rear body chopped off and a useless short bed behind a crew cab, smooth sides like a Travelall. Ugly as sin and a useless vehicle.

I stupidly thought that big 392 would have lots of power to tow a trailer. It was the worst dog I have ever owned. All it was capable of was sucking gas like it was free as RCurtis described. I have no idea what could have been done to it before I bought it but it wouldn't outrun a 1950 Chevy Powerglide six cylinder but drank gas like it had a hole in the tank. And it only had like 20k miles on it when I bought it. It may have been a large displacement engine but it ran like it had 6. 5:1 compression and about 97 hp. Pitiful dog.

I didn't keep it long.

 

[mwilson]

I had a variant of one of those dogs back in the '70s. I had worn out a Chevy C-2500 w/350 ci four barrel with miles, hard treatment, and pulling a 23' Prowler travel trailer and bought a used '73 IH w/392. It was not a Travelall but a factory modified version of one with the top half of the rear body chopped off and a useless short bed behind a crew cab, smooth sides like a Travelall. Ugly as sin and a useless vehicle.



I stupidly thought that big 392 would have lots of power to tow a trailer. It was the worst dog I have ever owned. All it was capable of was sucking gas like it was free as RCurtis described. I have no idea what could have been done to it before I bought it but it wouldn't outrun a 1950 Chevy Powerglide six cylinder but drank gas like it had a hole in the tank. And it only had like 20k miles on it when I bought it. It may have been a large displacement engine but it ran like it had 6. 5:1 compression and about 97 hp. Pitiful dog.



I didn't keep it long.

That sounds like a WagonMaster.



Mine did not run well until I changed carbs, the factory one was terrible.

Once I did that it came alive.



I couldn't believe in factory form it was that bad, I could look out the window of the dealership and watch the exact same engine in a Loadstar 10-wheeler going happily up Route 2 with 8 cord of wood on its back. just didn't make sense that the very same size powerplant wouldn't take that Travelall up to warp speed.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

Yep, that's what it looked like. The one I owned was light gold where that one is red and was a 3/4 ton with big 16" wheels and tires. It probably weighed 10k lbs.

The 97 hp it produced to move 10k plus a trailer was good for 6 or 8 mpg.

It had a huge Holley carb but I hated it so bad I had no interest in improving it, just getting rid of it.

I remember though that back in the '60s and '70s 1/2 ton IH Travelalls were excellent trailer pullers and very popular.

 

[cerberusiam]

Yeah, well all the gassers in the world won't eat a trans like the Cummins will. At 430 HP/+900 TQ it is only a matter of time until something gives.



I have used the 727 in behind 500 HP 440's pulling 15k trailers, 400 HP 360's doing the same thing. Biggest problem was burning up the front band playing and backing trailers. Reverse needs help if you are going to shove 10k backwards thru mud.



I even stuck one in reverse at 110 mph. Took it apart threw new seals in it and dropped it back into another race car and ran it for a year then threw the whole setup in a truck and pulled trailers around for another 3 years with it. Sighh..... the good ol' days.



Just smoked the intermediate band in the 05 tonight. Been babying for a while and all it took was a little too much throttle when pulling out into traffic. It pulled hard then bounced the tach off the rev limiter a couple times. Ah well, time to fix it so I can drive it hard again. :-laf



Direct clutch pack and bands take a BEATING behind a diesel like no gasser will ever provide.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Mike,



Yep, that's what it looked like. The one I owned was light gold where that one is red and was a 3/4 ton with big 16" wheels and tires. It probably weighed 10k lbs.



The 97 hp it produced to move 10k plus a trailer was good for 6 or 8 mpg.



It had a huge Holley carb but I hated it so bad I had no interest in improving it, just getting rid of it.



I remember though that back in the '60s and '70s 1/2 ton IH Travelalls were excellent trailer pullers and very popular.

I drove 1/2-ton Travelalls as company vehicles for a year while I worked for I-H. When I was transferred to a different division, I furnished my own vehicle and was paid mileage. When I went to work for an I-H dealership in 1969, I drove demonstrator 1/2-tonTravelalls. I would put about 10k miles on them and then sell them mainly to people to tow travel trailers. I was towing too on the weekends and during vacations, and based on my towing experience, I ordered the Travelalls equipped for towing and worked very well until 1973-74 when the emission rules changed. The excellent trailer tow vehicle was bogged down with crude emission controls and they became fuel hogs. At that time I quit driving them and bought a '74 1/2-ton Chevy pickup with a 454 V-8 to tow our Airstream travel trailer. I never towed a trailer with a Travelall after that. In 1978 I bought a 1/2-ton Chevy Surburban with a 454 to tow our trailer. Between the two vehicles I put close to 500K miles towing until 1984 when I bought a Ford F250 with the 6. 9L diesel. It towed better after I put a Banks turbo on it, but not as well as the big block Chevys.



Bill

 

[Mark31]

Harvey, I have a 74 C60 Chevy that has a 5 speed direct with the "short" 4th and all the lower gears are slow. (NP542CL) 6. 65/8. 85 two speed. 900 x 20 tires. A four bolt main 350 cammed for low end torque, 155hp that pulls from 1200 rpm, but runs out of breath by 3400 rpm. I could embarrass 345 and 392 Internationals 1600/1700s easing around in fields when loaded with grain. But on the road where they could get the rpm up, those things would honk! I don't remember but one that didn't have busted/leaking exhaust manifolds and biscuits. The only thing I can think of that would have killed that bootiful truck of yours would have been the smog stuff at that time.

 

[HBarlow]

Mark,

Yes, I had forgotten about the early days of gasoline engine emissions controls until Bill and you mentioned it.

That was why the '73 IH fooled me and disappointed me so badly. I had bought the '70 Chevy C-2500 with a four barrel 350 and TH-350 new and it had NO smog crap and aftermarket dual exhaust. It was a great old truck that could do everything I asked it to do and more but by 1974 or 1975 when I bought the lousy IH the old Chevy was approaching 100k hard miles and using oil and I was unfamiliar (naive) about the effects of the EPA crushing performance and economy. The '73 IH I had was rigged with all sorts of smog crap on it that was crude and inefficient in those days. I think it had EGR and a big belt driven pump on top of the intake manifold. What was that stupid big pump for? I'd forgotten about those miserable products until tonight.

 

[rscurtis]

You are correct. Emission controls were not kind to Internationals of that era, particularly in the light duty vehicles. The one I had had no air pump or EGR, but the carb was set up lean and the timing was retarded with very little vacuum advance. It got just over 7 MPG when new, but I managed to get it up near 10, quite an improvement!



The company I worked for at the time had a '63 C120 4X4 with the 266 V8, and it pulled just about as well as my 345. Even when worn out with broken rings and lots of blowby, the exhaust still passed 1980 standards when tested.



The pump you refer to was an A. I. R. (air injection reactor) that pumped air into the exhaust ports to burn anything that didn't burn in the cylinders. Engines with that set up ran a very hot exhaust that could easily burn up manifolds and mufflers.

 

[mwilson]

People come in the dealership all wound up about the EGR system, the DPF's, DEF, etc. and I tell them that we are at the point with Diesel engines that gas motors were at in the '70's.



Remember Lean Burn and some of those other fiascos????



Now who would know it?

A current gasoline engine with modern fuel injection and computerized engine management will give 200,000 trouble free miles unless it is just a complete pile as opposed to 50,000 miles back then.



The Diesels will get there as well.



Mike.

 

[timelessconstructionllc]

I agree 100% about calling James Northum in midlothian. He rebuilt my reverse direct clutches. He has helped me tremendously and away given me far far far better customer service than the company that I paid $7000 for a built transmission.

 

[TCDiesel]

People come in the dealership all wound up about the EGR system, the DPF's, DEF, etc. and I tell them that we are at the point with Diesel engines that gas motors were at in the '70's.



Remember Lean Burn and some of those other fiascos????



Now who would know it?

A current gasoline engine with modern fuel injection and computerized engine management will give 200,000 trouble free miles unless it is just a complete pile as opposed to 50,000 miles back then.



The Diesels will get there as well.



Mike.

Soon after Jan 1 2013 My guess (hope) the 6. 7 In Dodge Application will be done away with and replace with the New High tech motors that most Engine builders have been working on for over 3 Years,these engines will be smaller meaner and just as Green the 6. 7 Blue Tech, the need for DF will still be needed ,the PF will be gone alone with the add-on EGR.

 

[DToy]

Wanted to update this thread. Things are looking up. Builder finished putting the transmission back together on Friday. He drove it Friday and Saturday and then brought it to my house today (Sunday). Combined we've driven it 200 miles and it seems to be working flawlessly. He put a full tank of fuel in my truck and offered to put a mag-hytec pan on it whenever I want to take it back in for my trouble. Despite all of the problems (that appear to all be related to parts failures) the builder stuck with it. I'm cautiously optimistic that this transmission will work this time. Alot of other shops probably would have tried to weasel their way out somehow, but he stuck with it. Says alot about his integrity and makes me feel better about the whole situation.