tci converter

[skilletky]

i was at a local high performance shop earlyer who mainly deals in car parts, but they are a tci dealer. i asked him how much a heavy duty converter would be and he told me around 390.00. i'm not sure what trans i got. it is an auto with over drive, 2 wheel drive. i told him is was the 518 but i really had no clue. my main question is, dose that price sound right? it sounded a little low, and what trans do i have in my truck?


thanks
chris

[Philip]

Your trans is a 46RH/518 so you told him the right trans.

There are a few guy's on TDR running the TCI converter. None have reported problems. It is tighter than the stock converter. TCI rates it as a towing converter. That price seems about right.

[skilletky]

ok. thanks. i didn't want to order it and it be a piece or the wrong converter. now i just got to find a good shift kit.

[sdstriper]

That is the same one I put in to replace the OEM that was leaking, it was $360 when I bought mine. No problems and it is better than OEM. I would spend a little more if I did it again though. I expected more I guess...

[dodgetkboy78]

I wouldn't put no piece of crap TCI junk in a slant 6 truck, let alone a cummins.
TCi is the Wal-Mart of transmission parts, and good luck getting any warranty.
There is a reason a HD converter is so cheap.

[skilletky]

that is the same thing i was thinking. 360 sounded real cheap. when you buy cheap ya get what ya pay for. any one have a suggestion on a good converter? or would i be better off putting a 5 speed in? i plan on in the future
running bigger sticks and twins.

[CumminsPride]

that is the same thing i was thinking. 360 sounded real cheap. when you buy cheap ya get what ya pay for. any one have a suggestion on a good converter? or would i be better off putting a 5 speed in? i plan on in the future
running bigger sticks and twins.

If you're gonna run alot of power and try to hot rod that truck then I would definatley swap in the manual or just buy a different truck. I swapped a 47rh into mine and didn't build it. DUMB! Now I will have another 1800 in parts to make it last. I should have just bought another truck and sold the one I have.

[skilletky]

thats kinda the way i was headed also, but couldn't decide. i just cant find a decent 1st gen around here at a good price.

[sdstriper]

I wouldn't put no piece of crap TCI junk in a slant 6 truck, let alone a cummins.
TCi is the Wal-Mart of transmission parts, and good luck getting any warranty.
There is a reason a HD converter is so cheap.

I wouldn't put no piece of crap huh... You mentioned your superior intelligence in another thread not long ago. How about you show it without coming across like an ass hole? What exactly is your experience with the product or brand? I personally do not have any connection with the company. And I have not had a problem with the product, nor have a heard of others who have.

If you need a replacement for a daily driver either the TCI or the Hughes are in the same price range. Keep in mind not everyone can afford to spend big or should for that matter. Not everyone needs the high dollar parts if they use the parts they can afford intelligently? There were many respectable people that offered their experience with the product when I was asking. As far as reputable discussion group members opinions go, I found it was a toss up between TCI and Hughes for the lower end name brand converters. There are cheaper converters available for the application, not that I would recommend them. But it does give a bit of perspective on cheap crap, there's cheaper out there. I will report again the TCI is better than OEM but don't expect alot for that price.

[dodgetkboy78]

OK. Since you need a long drawn out reason I wouldn't run a TCI converter.

Here you go.

In 94, I cot a converter for a 1971 D200, it was a cheapo saturday night special. I put it on my rebuilt transmission, and stuck a mild (ish) 318 in front of it. After a week of playing around, it started to slip, I thought it was my transmission, but the fluid was clean, so I carefully drove it until a could figure out WTF.
Then, one morning, it started leaking. I took it apart, and found all kinds of neat stuff in my filter, all from the converter. It seems, knowing a lot more now, than I did when I was 16, that when they made the "sat special" they just bent the fins on a stock converter, well, the fins broke, and I was out a new converter. TCI said send it to em, so, I paid for the shipping, and sent it to em. They told me it was abused. Yepper, I tell you, a 318 has TONS of torque..........in a 4:10 gear truck..........they gave me every story under the sun as to why they would not waranty it. I put the stock converter back in the truck, and know what? Even though the stall was lower, it took off better anyway.

In 95 I started working on a 74 318 power duster. port-o0sonic, stage3 X Heads, solid roller, forgies, trayed, chamfered, honed with a plate, balanced, restricted, you know the drill. I, for some reason, bought a super streetfighter. When I put the whole mess together, and stuffed it in the little A body, with traction bars, and took it to the strip, I had a stall of about 3500, and the car did mid 12's.........it was OK, but something was up, it SHOULD have gone faster......
Well, one day, I stomped the gas, and it went in nuetral. Yep, you guessed it, converter...............(This one day, was about 2000 miles) Something had completely broke free in there, so, what do I do? I chuck the 600$ TCI converter in the core bin at our local tranny supply and converter shop, and have them custom build me a converter.......1100 bucks......
Well, I put it in, damn, I had a slightly lower stall, that was more consistent in the upper RPM's, and gained, well, from like 12.80 average, to 11.60's, best time of 11.53....(first run, go figure)
TCI was forgotten, till my buddy ordered a "street fighter" tranny for his 66 440 power D100 short bed............
The 440 didn't lope, didn't make anymore than say 375HP, and 500 pounds of TQ, and guess what?
slippity doodah, in oh, I don't know, three weeks of him commuting in it?
Well, a converter I don't know much about, but a 727? We dug in one thursday night.
What I found, was a bunch of cheap, POS, chinese made clutches, seals, and bands, and a three pinion, yeah, three pinion, ALUMINUM planetary, in a so-called "race" transmission.
TCI said those are rated to hold up just fine. After all, it was the clutches that were burned out.........not the planetary..............

We robbed the guts out of a 727 from a 77 440 2x truck, (four pinion, steel, if I remember) and the thing still works, with a NAPA rebuild kit, and the valve body off the TCI, and that brings me into the next TCI gripe, and B+M too, shift kits, but hell, I gotta get back to work, my trucks running.

[Cschafer]

I'm not gonna jump on the tci band wagon but they build car tranny's not diesel truck tranny's. The reason the converter is cheap is there not lock up. Call dave goerand and tell him what your doing with the truck and he'll get you fixed up and it probobly will be in the same ballpark.
563-778-2719

[skilletky]

that explains why it has a cheap price, it aint lockup. thanks for the phone number and all the info.

[Begle1]

Uh... None of our converters have lock-up?

When I was in the market, DTT wanted $750 for a non-lock-up, Goerend's wanted $550 (or $650 with a lifetime warranty), and ATS wanted way too much.

[Begle1]

Uh... None of our converters have lock-up?

When I was in the market, DTT wanted $750 for a non-lock-up, Goerend's wanted $550 (or $650 with a lifetime warranty), and ATS wanted way too much.

[skilletky]

that just goes to show ya how much i know about automatics. not a darn thing. i guess i really need to start learning.