I can't seem to find much information online about tranny alternatives. Really don't want to replace it with another stock GM tranny only to clunk out again. Anybody know of aftermarket beefed up or performance transmissions options anyone has heard of or have experience with. I know they will be more expensive but am looking for a more durable option than the stock GM tranny.
The car is a 2004 Intimidator.

 

At stock power levels youre better off just getting it rebuilt by a good trans shop. Most of the upgrade parts are made to hold higher power. They really do nothing for the reliability of the trans. Thats if you can even find them, theyve been long gone for a while now.

To answer your question tho, google "4t65ehd triple edge performance".

 

Thanks I'll do it right now.

 

I looked them up and wanted to call for a price but only email.

 

Once I settle on one and while it's being installed I'm going to have the engine rebuilt so as to not waste the opportunity.

 

I wouldnt say thats necessary. These engines are pretty tough and doing it at the same time as the trans shouldnt have any preventative effect regarding cost later on down the road. For reference, my engine has a little over 200k and the biggest repair its needed is the intake gaskets.. Unless thats what youre talking about.

EDIT: Ive even hydrolocked it once.

 

My car does have 173,000 miles with an oil leak. I was thinking of doing it to save money since the engine is going to be taken out so I wouldn't had to pay again for the engine to be taken out if a rebuild was necessary.

 

Well I think they drop the subframe then drop the trans out the bottom while the engine stays attached in place. Someone pls correct me if thats not the process. The reason I say this is because to remove the engine (if my assumption is correct) will probably be anywhere from 500-1000$ more for labor/fluids/unexpected problems taking it out.

What exactly are you wanting rebuilt tho? You wanting say like, crank bearing, piston rings, all that? Just a full refresh on the engine?

Do you know where the oil leak is coming from? I know the engine has to be removed to change the oil pan gasket if thats leaking..

 

It's a relatively low volume shop- I'm sure they dont want to spend all day on the phone answering questions (especially with how popular they are on this platform) but would rather focus on work during the day and answering emails in between when they can. Send them an email - theres definitely a reason they're the most reccomended 4t65 builder out there. They're very responsive from the one interaction I had with them.

I do agree theres no need to go with a crazy high end build either - one of their basic builds sounds fine for your needs. You just need someone working on it that knows the common flaws of this transmission and how to fix them (rather than just slapping in a rebuild kit and calling it a day).


It sounds like you're pretty frustrated- how many transmissions have you went through?

IMO just fix the oil leak and keep on moving. Unless its been abused / not taken care of, I bet you've got at least 50k more miles in it - especially the bottom end.

A full rebuild done correctly isn't going to be cheap and TBH the results tend to be mixed on longevity. If you're dead set on something lower mileage, just pick up a used engine and drop that in (with fresh gaskets - at least in the hard to replace spots).

 

The engine rebuild would be for peace of mind. I don't have any maintenance history on it and want to have the car for as long as I can and would rather just have a rebuilt transmission and rebuilt engine. And yes a full refresh on the engine but a lower mileage engine is another option. Whoever owned the car before doesn't look like they cared to much for the car. I actually just purchased the car this past weekend but one problem I can't stand is transmission problems on a car. I'm looking into getting the transmission fixed and just want it to be done right with the best option so I won't have to worry about for a very long time.
Thank you for the triple edge performance recommendation. I'll get in touch with them and see what they say.