Dynamic

Old thread, I know. But I wanted to clear up the fact that the heat exchanger is not there to bring the fluid up to temperature. It is there to cool the extremely hot fluid coming from the torque converter when working it hard.

There are a myriad of differences: bell housing bolt pattern, clutch count (all except forward clutch), band lever ratio, planetaries (all 3), line pressure curve, TV pressure curve, shift points, etc.

Why did you replace the governor solenoid housing? EDIT: Never mind, I reread your post. For what it's worth, that modification is completely unnecessary and actually does nothing. As a matter of fact, most of the GM conversion housings that are on the market actually orifice the feed to the solenoid. The governor circuit is a dead end circuit, so there's no flow, making the need for more volume to the solenoid nonexistent. I typically introduce a small calibrated leak into the governor circuit to allow a small amount of flow through the system which smooths operation and quickens the circuit's response to commands from the solenoid.

If you're locking the converter in 2nd, make sure it's manual 2nd to prevent a locked 2-3 shift. A stock 47RE valve won't lock in manual 2nd.

If you're asking me, yes, I'm a big fan of higher line pressures and firmer shifts, but not at all a fan of using "shift kits" to do it.

A stock 47RE valve body won't lock in 1st or manual 2nd. You'll need valve body mods to make that happen.

You're definitely going to want to replace the governor pressure transducer as well. I recommend the Rostra HP. I don't see anything that is going to raise your line pressure up to where things need to be, and firm up your shifts. That is arguably the most important thing you could do to your transmission. Like I said before, don't expect great things from that manual valve with a stock PR setup. It's a fine piece, but by itself will have limited effectiveness.

No, most of what I use is of my own design. I use my own separator plates (laser cut specifically for me), and the hydraulics and pressure control are of my own design as well. I do use an off-the-shelf manual valve, and the PR setup is similar in design to one of the "box kits", but most of it is my own design, and the calibrations certainly are my own.

No. The shifts are quick and crisp regardless of which lever is used.

Transmission core charge is technically $1200; $1000 for the transmission, and $200 for the freight container. Sound expensive? Remember, I don't want your core money, I want your CORE back so I can build it for the next guy! Having said that, I generally don't charge for the core on most deals. I'm kind of old school, where if you verbally tell me that you're going to send my core back, I trust you. The only ones who win by me charging your card $1200, only to refund it 2 weeks later is the bank. And the one who loses on that deal? Me... So far, I have not had any issues with transmission cores. Now converters and valve bodies? Different story... Those always get a core charge. The Stage 2 uses the stock 3.8 band lever, the Stage 3 uses a TCS 4.2 lever.

The Sonnax manual valve by itself won't get you too far. Your results will be disappointing. The Sonnax valve works well (I use a ton of them), but not with the stock pressure regulator setup. It will change very little from what you have now. If you're looking for other mods while you're in there, I'd replace the plastic accumulator piston with a Sonnax billet aluminum, and replace at least the intermediate servo cover with a Sonnax billet...or, better yet, replace them both with TCS units. I would also replace the pan itself with a deep aluminum unit.

If you're at or under 400 hp, then the Stage 2 would be fine. If you're over 400 hp, you'd be on borrowed time with your stock input shaft. That is the most significant difference between the two kits; the billet input shaft in the Stage 3 kit. I would probably lean toward the Stage 3 with the mods you have listed. Yes, there is tech support for every kit we sell.

A stock input shaft becomes a liability at about 400 hp. If your plans include more power than this, a billet shaft is a must. I, personally, will not run a single disc in any application behind a Cummins. They all get triple disc converters, but then again, they all run my valve bodies as well. Lockup calibrations are critical to making a triple disc converter work well. I run triple disc converters on stock input shafts all of the time. FWIW, a 47RE already has a 3.8:1 band lever... Here are the kits that we sell here. They are, quite literally, the parts lists that we use on our in-house builds (with the machine work already done for you). https://dynamictransparts.com/transmission-rebuild-kits-do-it-yourself/dodge-rebuild-parts-kits?product_id=60 https://dynamictransparts.com/transmission-rebuild-kits-do-it-yourself/dodge-rebuild-parts-kits?product_id=61 This is the valve body that I would recommend. https://dynamictransparts.com/dynamic-quantum-valve-body/dynamic-hd-towing-valve-body

Set your TV cable so the WOT 1-2 shift occurs at 2900 and leave it. Don't be messing with the lever stop adjustment. Set it to factory specs and leave it alone. It sounds like your TV cable is on the tight side if it has no slack in it at WOT, your upshifts are coming in late, and your downshift are early. Did you use the TV pressure regulator spring for the Transgo kit? Was there wear on the end of your TV plunger? Wear in the TV regulator valve bore? So your 2-3 shift orifice is at .106"? That's pretty small at that pressure. Enlarging it will firm up that shift. Where do you have your front band set? That will affect the feel of the 2-3 shift also. The orifice sizing I use for the 2-3 is much smaller because I have the boost valve on once the 1-2 shift is completed, so it wouldn't be much help to you. Line pressure will not affect your shift points. That is determined by TV pressure and governor pressure, not line pressure.

What are your orifice sizes; 1-2, and 2-3?

I guess I'm not following you. I don't typically shut my engine off between reverse and drive. A converter will drain back when it sits for extended periods with the engine not running; ie. overnight.

The converter drains back when it sits with the engine not running.

Converter drainback is normal, but the time it takes to refill can be minimized within the valve body. A good valve body will fill a completely "drained back" converter before you even get your seat belt on. But 5 seconds to engage forward AFTER you have already backed up (converter functional at that point) gives me a little pause, though.

What kind (brand) of governor solenoid is in there right now?

Those are governor pressure readings. They look completely normal.

The first suspect in any problem with gear selection in the first 3 gears would be the transducer and/or possibly the governor pressure solenoid. If I had to throw parts at that problem, those would be the ones (replace them as a pair). To verify, though, I would put a pressure gauge in the governor pressure port and monitor what the governor pressure is doing.

I have no experience with PATC whatsoever. I use either DPC or Goerend converters. They are the best on the market, in my opinion.

I don't run a single disc converter in any 47RE or 48RE setup. Only triples leave my shop. You definitely DON'T want kevlar bands.

The stock converter is not a very good piece. A good converter is your best friend when setting those things up. 47RE's are dime-a-dozen. Finding one should be easy. Getting one apart and back together is pretty easy, but knowing what to do when you're in there, and what parts to use? Priceless... JB Weld can work, I suppose, but it's not exactly the right way to do it.

I like the WOT 1-2 shift at 2900-3000. It won't shift that high unless you go WOT. It's a good benchmark to use for setting the TV cable. There are no "kits" on the market that I can say really address everything that needs to be addressed. That's why there are guys like myself that custom build valve bodies. These valve bodies are complex in some ways, painfully simple in others, but definitely unique in how they operate. There is a LOT of R&D that goes into a good setup...