I own a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 360 auto.

I'm taking my spare transmission in to a shop to have it rebuilt I want to do some upgrades so i don't eat another tranny in 2 years.

I figured I'd just explain what I use my truck for and you knowledge folks could give your opinion on what would be some good upgrades

My truck is my daily driver. I tow 8,000lbs or less very seldomly maybe 4-5 times a year.

Truck has 194k miles I've owned it since 90k and I've put 4 stock rebuilds in it already.

I got 4,000 for a budget

 

Check out the upgrades that PATC does to build a Mega Viper. Also consider a billet torque converter, a deep pan and a filter extension to get the pickup deep into the pan, a remote filter to keep the cooler from becoming fouled, and of course the check valve delete mod. All of those things combined should yield a transmission that outlasts the rest of the rig, and you should be able to bring it in for less than your $4k budget.

I bought the Mega Viper from PATC, with those add-ons mentioned above, and it came out to about $3200, delivered.

 

Okay I'll take a look.

This may sound dumb but can you explains the difference between a stick convertor compared to a billet one

 

I put a Sonnax shift kit in my, along with the aluminum doubled oring plunger and you can remove the overdrive thick steel plate and add 2 extra clutches and 1 extra steel. I did that plus hd clutches and steel, it drove and shifted so crisp and clean and towed like a monster!

 

A billet converter housing is milled out of a solid piece of metal, so is stronger than a stamped or cast piece. If you're not putting serious horsepower (enough to balloon a stock housing) through the thing it's not, strictly speaking, necessary to run a billet housing. The win, though, is that in almost every case the internals of a billet converter are of higher quality and the workmanship is far better than you'd find in a stock/stock replacement converter. Going with a billet housing, though, even when you aren't pumping serious power through the thing, should in theory get you a longer lasting converter because the billet piece just won't flex at all so there won't be that stress on the welds.

If you're having a custom converter built you can probably save a few bucks by going with a stock housing with upgraded internals. Personally, I will always go for the billet part -- my own guesstimation was that if the new unit will go 300,000 miles then the converter upgrade cost is about a tenth of a penny per mile, which just isn't much at all to pay for the peace of mind. Other guys disagree and tell me that I'm spending money needlessly, but I'm a huge fan of peace of mind.

 

What gear ratio are you running? You may also want to consider helping on that end too. 33s and 4.10s do very well. People also love the common 4.56s, but it drinks a bit more.

 

I've heard of the "level 10 bulletproof kit" to be quite decent, I can't say from personal experience, but definitely something to look into, maybe someone else will chime in here.

http://www.levelten.com/Level_10_PTS...cr110-1000.htm

 

I'm on 35s and 4.10s but the tranny is in the shop getting billet TC and billet shafts as well a shift kit and all the upgrades

 

Awsome tell us how it works when you get it back in your truck

 

I sure will truck will be back on the road sometime next month. I ordered a redhead steering box tonight then when it shows up I'll install it my steering brace dual
Steering stabilizers. Fix the broken bolts on my exhuast manifold then I'll be happy once again lol