AUTO to MANUAL?

[steermaster]

I have a 2004 dodge ram with an automatic trans. I just blew my 5th transmission today and saying screw it i will convert it to standard. Has anyone done this before? or know where to start? I have spent about 5k on my current transmission with 3 different builds on it so I am going to try to get some money back and look into the swap. Thanks in advance!

 

[Kotta390]

Either you are making an insane amount of power or you need to find somebody else to rebuild your 545RFE. That's ridiculous.... Converting it to a standard will be more than $5k I can assure you and you do not want to put a NV3500 or anything like that behind an engine I am assuming you have built.

Two possibilities.

1. Install built 727
2. Install a built TR6060

 

[steermaster]

I had a local guy build first 2. He sucked. Then I had super street build me the next three. I have spent over 5k just having this one from them rebuilt three diff times, including the price of original of course. First one was claimed as install error, second on map sensor. Well I had Sean at hemi fever tune me up correctly for everything for the third one and I got th ego ahead to drive it. Doing 70 down the highway just cruising flat land it started going crazy then I got off the highway and wam bam she's toast again. I am tired of dealing with automatic transmissions and wasting money on it.

 

[breg]

That many problems from multiple transmissions leads me to think that something is out of whack somewhere, or you're finding REALLY ****** transmission builders.
Now if you really want to swap you could always try to find a donor truck with the manual. The getrag 238 6 speed behind some of the 4.7 and V6 trucks will bolt right to a Hemi. That is the preferred transmission for Hemi swaps in Jeeps with manual transmissions. However you MAY need to change the flywheel and I have no clue how the stock computer would react, so you may have to try and find a 2500 Hemi manual truck so you can take the computer too? I dunno maybe someone else can chime in.
Seems easier to me to have everything checked on the truck and find a better transmission builder, even if you have to travel a ways to get to one.

 

[ST-8]

T-56

 

[charonblk07]

With big power comes big responsibility ... I mean problems. It's not impossible to do the swap, just a pain. A T56 will bolt up or there's the TR-6060 from the cars. Either way you need your PCM reprogrammed for a manual which will drop all the transmission tuning then the physical install which will require a new cross member and driveshaft. The computer's sensors will be the biggest problem, the ram uses the abs sensors for the speed and the T56 and TR-6060 use a output shaft. The swap can be done, but you needs to plan it out very well first. A few have done it over on NAdodge.

I am already planning my automatic 6L80 swap since I'm putting a much bigger blower on the truck and I like automatics more than manuals.

 

[SilverStreak88]

There's a guy in my neighborhood that an 03 or 04, 6" lift, hemi and he converted to manual from auto. All he had to do was pull the carpet and pop the plate out of the hole for the shifter then he was golden. He had CEL's, but went to the dealer for a reflash and all is good.

 

[steermaster]

That many problems from multiple transmissions leads me to think that something is out of whack somewhere, or you're finding REALLY ****** transmission builders.
Now if you really want to swap you could always try to find a donor truck with the manual. The getrag 238 6 speed behind some of the 4.7 and V6 trucks will bolt right to a Hemi. That is the preferred transmission for Hemi swaps in Jeeps with manual transmissions. However you MAY need to change the flywheel and I have no clue how the stock computer would react, so you may have to try and find a 2500 Hemi manual truck so you can take the computer too? I dunno maybe someone else can chime in.
Seems easier to me to have everything checked on the truck and find a better transmission builder, even if you have to travel a ways to get to one.

The first couple of trains, yes they a werehtty builder but but these past 3 were good builds from a reputable builder. The first one I toasted was install error, second was tuning issues. Third one I had them install it and got Hemi fever to tune me before I started driving it. Got the green light to drive it and I was cruising down the road and whammy she **** . It was thought that I had map sensor issues but I swapped out for the SRT map and fixed the issues with voltage and kpa. I Would prefer an auto trans but seems I just break them to easy!! And I know other trucks like mine pushing way more hp and their trans are working so maybe I have just had bad luck

 

[steermaster]

There's a guy in my neighborhood that an 03 or 04, 6" lift, hemi and he converted to manual from auto. All he had to do was pull the carpet and pop the plate out of the hole for the shifter then he was golden. He had CEL's, but went to the dealer for a reflash and all is good.

Can you haven his guy email me lol [email protected]

 

[SilverStreak88]

Can you haven his guy email me lol [email protected]

I don't talk to the guy... The neighbor that I drink beer with said something about it, but him and that guy got cross-ways so...

 

[charonblk07]

The first couple of trains, yes they a werehtty builder but but these past 3 were good builds from a reputable builder. The first one I toasted was install error, second was tuning issues. Third one I had them install it and got Hemi fever to tune me before I started driving it. Got the green light to drive it and I was cruising down the road and whammy she **** . It was thought that I had map sensor issues but I swapped out for the SRT map and fixed the issues with voltage and kpa. I Would prefer an auto trans but seems I just break them to easy!! And I know other trucks like mine pushing way more hp and their trans are working so maybe I have just had bad luck

Just curious what you're running for an engine and power adders to toast the trans this quickly. I've had my L&M trans behind my engine for 2.5 years now with no issue and it makes 580rwhp with the D1SC and peaked at 738rwhp on the bottle. I also managed to make my stock 545rfe last on a high compression head/cam/nitrous 3rd gen when everybody else was blowing trans. Driving style has a lot to do with it, I'm not gentle by any stretch but I do drive to the trans' weaknesses.

 

[steermaster]

I copied my list and pasted below. I am not sure why it blows so easily. This last time I had it tuned from Hemi Fever to make sure everything was going well, and got the correct SRT map sensor (was stated the problem before) once everything was good to go It **** on me
I didn't want to break it so the only driving I did was when I was getting tuned and did it prescribed by sean, I am just tired of throwing money at it, and i figure a manual will take it since automatic seems to be the devil for me lol

2004 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L
Hedman LT Headers w/o cats
Electric cutouts
Flow Master Super 44
NGK Iridium IX Plugs
3200 HP-II Circle D TC
4:10 Gear Ratio
Super Street Performance Transmission
125 wetshot ZEX nitrous
180* Thermostat
RMD Custom forged driveshaft
6 PSI Torqstorm Supercharger
60lb DeatschWerks injectors
2 Bar Map Sensor
Innovative motorsports digital AF gauge
Trans temp gauge
Oil pressure gauge
Nitrous pressure gauge
Boost gauge
Diablo Trinity
Hayden-Cool engine oil cooler
Hayden-Cool High performance transmission cooler
Devils Own Stage 2 Progressive Methanol/Water Injection Kit

 

[charonblk07]

hehe, supercharger, water **** injection, and nitrous ... why and I blowing my transmission? I am surprised that you're having issues with the Super Street trans, Jerry knows a lot about them and was making some huge claims when he opened shop, looks like he's not having as much luck as he thought he would. Which clutch pack is it frying? Still the 2nd prime pack? All too often I found it was the driver, not the transmission since me and a few others have made stock or modded transmissions last for a good length of time while others have roasted them in short order.

 

[steermaster]

actually there is a lot of trans that Jerry has done that hold up well, thats why I went with his trans. I actually have not even tried my nitrous since I have done any of the trans, its just kinda "there" lol. I don't know what is wrong with the ones I have had...I actually got to see Jerry's truck and its a BEAST. he is running the same trans as mine and doing just fine so I'm at a loss...I have faith in jerry and his build cause damn does he know his **** but maybe i just had a rough time i don't know... This last one was holding u well, and just went out during tuning..i have no idea though

 

[charonblk07]

There's always going to be one or two that cause problems I guess. Mike had a few with issues as well but the rest all hold up just fine.

 

[Belgiquebasterd]

Just finished a T56 swap in my 2003 hemi. Ran into some problems along the way but the end result is worth all the trouble, truck is 10 times as fun to drive now.

Running a quicktime bellhousing, act twin disc clutch, mildly built T56 and a carbon fibre driveshaft. Ecm was reprogrammed with a manual tune by arrington and am running diablsport custom tuning for the engine part.

If you have any questions I'm happy to help.

 

[usaf2006]

Piiics!

 

[Belgiquebasterd]

Testfitting on a spare hemi block, I chose to use a bellhousing designed for the challenger, therefore it is designed for a TR6060/T56 magnum, therefore for tit to work with my T56 I needed a 5mm spacer.



'Machining' the spacer out of 5mm aluminium plate:



More testfitting



Measuring slave cylinder travel/engagement



Rebuilt transmission with some minor upgrades, brass fork pads, brass shifter cup, carbon syncro's, billet syncro keys.



Carbon fibre driveshaft, reason for this is that I run low profile 20" tires do my driveline speed is higher than when you run normal tires, when I wen't faster than 100mph I reached driveshaft critical speed and got very bad vibrations.



Couldn't find the SRT10 manual shifter interior so just put the shifter on the floor. Button is for the reverse solenoid.





About a 1000 miles after installing the trans the rear yoke bushing came out of the trans when going 125mph, transmission seized and I had rebuild it again :-(



So as I said before I had some troubles, but in the end it is well worth it, the truck is so much more fun to drive than with an automatic.

Click to play:

Youtube clip:

https://youtu.be/utWxRvlUaN8

 

[hemihustlin]

So as I said before I had some troubles, but in the end it is well worth it, the truck is so much more fun to drive than with an automatic.

Click to play:

Youtube clip:

https://youtu.be/utWxRvlUaN8

Whats your tire budget like

 

[ST-8]

Are the cup holders still useful?