I am trying to put a list together of what I need to buy if I do my own suncoast level 3.


So far I have:



20 quarts of ATS for trans
2 quarts for transfer case


Gasket between trans and transfer case


I have allison service manual and the manual from Mike L.


What more do I need?

Are there any special tools I can buy in advance that I might not already have?

I am trying to put a list together of what I need to buy if I do my own suncoast level 3.


So far I have:



20 quarts of ATS for trans
2 quarts for transfer case


Gasket between trans and transfer case


I have allison service manual and the manual from Mike L.


What more do I need?

Are there any special tools I can buy in advance that I might not already have?











20 Qts of ATS?


Is that a Freudian slip?http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gifEdited by: Trippin

your gonna need more fluid, I usually figure on 6 gal with a triple disk and a deep pan


You need the tools to remove it and a young feller to put the trans on his belly and shimmy out with it.


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

Gasket between the transfer case and trany!? I though that was a reusable deal like the pan gasket. SOB!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Angry.gif


Do I need one and and I hope most chevy dealers stock em? OR i could always go the RTV super Black route.....built many a gasket with that stuff. SOB SOB SOBhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Angry.gif


I'm planning on doing it this weekend.


I havent done one yet but things I have run into needing besideds regular hand tools. You will either need a copressor to squish the c1-c2 deal in so you can get the snap ring out/in....I'm going to have a friend handy so that should work.


I fabbed up a cool man adapter to stick on my PTO cover and stuff the whole works into a regular engin stand. I also made a plate to stuff into my floor jack and make trany installs/removals easier. You can buy em or I will let you barrow em but the price of shipping a couple of knarly hunks of metal might get up there


I assume you got the regular kinds of tools like a good snapring pliars and a long 3' 3/8 exension?


If I get my trany appart and relize i forgot something i will let you knowhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif

I have all the regular hand tools. I even have a hoist, I just don't have a tranny jack but I will try to borrow one. Tools shouldn't be a problem.

As far as the gasket between the trans and transfer, I don't think it is 100% necessary to replace it, just a good idea.


ratlover, how long are you expecting it to take you?Edited by: Max Power

About $2200 Dollars... http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

your gonna wish you had that gasket if it comes apart and rips. Its a common part at any light truck dealer, fits most of the full size trucks, less then 10 bucks.

I'll be getting one then. Once again you guys may have saved me much possible cursing and agitationhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Hug.gif


Plan is to yank her friday night and maybe tear it down. Then do the rebuild sat morning and have her back in by the afternoon. I've seen Eric do it and even with BSing with us and answering all my questions he was able to get it done in what 5 hours at JK's? I figure 8 hours for me?


I can lend you my deal to turn a regular 3 ton floor jack into a trany jack. If your jack has the little round pad that does the lifting that comes out and its spud is 1" or so in diameter it will work. I think they are all prety standard. If you are doing it up in the air though my deal wont really help you.


Need a way to get it off the hoist to were ever you are working on it at. I have a bobcat with forks or a excavator. I have a pit and a trany jack. Also have a hoist but it only rasies a truck a foot or so, I'm thinking the pit will be easier. I'm going to drain the fluid and yank the converter ASAP so it isnt as freaking heavy.


It would probably be a good idea to reset your TAPs. an alli dealer should be able to do it or you may be able to find someone close to do it with a snapon scanner or a tech 2. its not 100% critical from what i hear and you can drive it a bit and then do it but its still a good idea IMO to to it as soon as you can.


2200$ or so for the kit, 130$ or so for the fluid, beer/pizza $ for helpers, cans of brake cleaner. A box of laytex gloves(I like to have clean hands when doing internal type work, laytex gloves make it easy to keep clean mitts without constant washing, although brake cleaner turns em to goo)

Phil, your gonna throw them gloves in the trash, no good with atf on them... good for the R&R though

Yeah, lots get trashed in the process, I ussual do the gruby stuff and the dissasembly with gloves and make switches fairly often, install is with bare/clean mitts....never had a problem with ATF eating em if thats what you mean? I always liked laytex gloves because it made going from oily slippery dirty hands to clean ones a breeze, either peel off the gloves and have clean hands or get a new pair and final clean up is a snap too. They are pretty easy to work in too but make your hand smell like a foot in short orderhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif Used to have friends in the medical field so cost was never an issue.

i use them freqeuently, but find them a pain cause they make your hands real slippery when handling tools and parts when covered with atf..

I thought maby the rubber gloves were to work on your friends innards when he lifts that tranny out for you.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif A digital camera might be handy to take some dissassembly pictures for reference.

My friend that will be helping me is a big boy, hopefully if the trany falls off the jack he will do a good job of braking its fall, I dont want my allison geting F-ed up. Hopefully it dont fall though, i dont know how i will pick it up if it squishes him.....well i guess i can go get the excavator to pick it up and put it on the stand, ok...I'm all set i think

Good luck, if enough of you weekend warriors do your trannys and dont mess them up mabe it will give me the guts to crack the case myself.

If you want to see the innards of an alli mine is coming apart this weekend in Peoria IL. You may not get to see the right way to put it back together or even get to see it go back together but I should be able to handle tearing it into a bunch of peiceshttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif

If you want to see the innards of an alli mine is coming apart this weekend in Peoria IL. You may not get to see the right way to put it back together or even get to see it go back together but I should be able to handle tearing it into a bunch of peiceshttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif


You sure got a set of cahoney's I don't think I'll attempt do my own. Good Luck

Pepperidge

The only tool i need when i do mine is the key and my discover card.... or dont you take discover eric???? visa MC???? hahahah

I accept all 4 major cards...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif

Eric made it look easy, although when i get arpit deep in atf I may be asking myself how the hell did he remember all this crap!?


Yes I have balls tearing apart a perfectly good trany in a truck underwarantee barely a year old and more money than brains.....then again I am broke so what does that tell ya about my smartshttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif LOL


Having a pro do it definatly aint bad but I really want to do this. Spending a bit extra for not having to worry about it working or coming up with the tools and the facility to do it isnt all bad. Actually pricing it out Eric isnt a whole lot more expensive than DIY. I'm doing it mostly because I like to be able to say I worked on my truck or I actually did mods to it and i like working on my truck. Its almost embarassingly easy to get HP in these trucks, a credit card and a couple of plug ins and you are rolling. I guess I'm just used to having to work to get HP.

nothing like a job well done... when you do it yourself, good sense of satisfaction.

I used rtv between the tranny and transfer case, works just fine, also, I didnt loose any fluid out of my transfer case. Didnt need to have any compressors for the clutches, mine went together just fine by hand. A parts washer is a nice thing to have handy. Also get some stuff to clean the case of you Ally, that way you dont have dirt and stuff on it. I would also have a pan so you can soak your clutches in atf before installing. Have a strong arm ready to break the tq converter bolts loose, them suckers are tight!

Where did you pick up the Allison tranny manuel? Are you using a complete package from suncoast, ie: clutchs and transgo kit, converter?





Mark

your gonna need more fluid, I usually figure on 6 gal with a triple disk and a deep pan


You need the tools to remove it and a young feller to put the trans on his belly and shimmy out with it.


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif





Eric, don't forget the guy with skinny arms to get that top-most bellhousing bolt!!! *LOL*

Thats what the 3ft extension and swivel are for!

Thats what the 3ft extension and swivel are for!


You weren't at Kennedy's....kind of an inside joke! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif


Tom http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Pig.gif

the bolt is the easy part, its that pesky bracket for the transfer case venthttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Angry.gif

Oh, yeah....that was it. Sorry, had had a few beers...*LOL*


Tom http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Pig.gif