Most of the used trucks that I see posted on various sites have 10-speed trannies. Is it feasible to buy one such and change it to a 13, or preferably, an 18-speed ? What are the cost implications ? Would it also involve an engine rebuild, or a new engine altogether ?

Also, would the same be feasible for upgrading the front & rear ends to something like, say 13.6 and 46 for eg ? How much would that cost ?

 

No need to do motor work to change tranny. We've changed several over the years b/c we found a good deal on a truck that just wasn't geared to our liking. ...same for the rear ratios except you have a few more choices, you can just do a ratio change or you can replace the chunks or swap the whole rear or change the entire suspension.

I'm getting ready to change from a 15 to a 13 or 18 right now. I much prefer an 18 and that's all we've run for years BUT they are much pricier than 13s and we really don't need the lower gears as light as we run most of the time.

On rears; last year we did a ratio change b/c the rears that were in it were new but were 3.36 and I wanted 3.08s. Year before last we quit heavy haul and changed our then truck from 3.55 to 3.36 b/c we didn't need as much pulling power and wanted a little better fuel mileage (gained .6 mpg).

Either is easy to get done and doesn't take more than 2-3 days but it is pricey.

 

Thanks for your prompt response. Wouls you be able to give me some idea about the costs involved ?

 

I'm sure that you'd get a pretty wide difference depending on the area of the country and the chosen shop.

Transmissions have generally run us approx $12-1800.00 to swap, that's w/new clutch, pp, bearing and input shaft if necessary; PLUS the cost of the transmission itself. Transmissions vary greatly; the 13s and 18s that I have been pricing in the past few months have ranged from $2500 exchange, for the cheapest 13 take-out to over $5k for a rebuilt 18.

My new chunks were a little over $4k installed, ratio exchanged was quoted $18-2400. I haven't priced anything used or rebuilt in the rear department in a couple of years.

For cut-offs, I just got a quote of $6500 for 2 rears with complete Pete low-leaf suspension including the rebuild. That really doesn't cover removing and replacing accurately b/c that truck is currently being rebuilt on new rails and much of the labor is covered in that bill.

Depending on your area, Richard Kerns in Atlanta generally has a large inventory and has always been quick in the past. The last time we had them change a transmission, it took them less than a day. It actually took longer for them to carry the driveshaft to the shop for cutting and balancing than it did to change the the transmission.

 

For the second part of your question don't forget that some places only go by the tag on the door for axle ratings. So you could put heavier suspension under your truck just to find out they won't give you any morer weight at the scale. Usually you can can upgrade to a 13.2 front axle without changing the steering gear but above that you might have to run two steering boxes or a single heavier one. I would talk to the DOT/MTO before spending too much money. Good luck.