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Allison Trans

jfnemt1ff1

Member
526
1
18
Location
Higgins Lake Mi.
I have a question has anyone swaped out a allison trans into a stock deuce. I have one that came out of a school bus that just had a rebuild done on it. So I thought it would good to have in the one that I am converting into a RV.
John
 

tm america

Active member
2,600
24
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Location
merrillville in
is it a at545 or at1545p if so they are dirrect drive for the fourth gear .they will kill your top speed unless you go with 15.5s or 395s even then you will only have a top speed of 53-54mph.that is the same trans used in the a3 but the engine in the a3 revs higher than the multi does. other than that it would be a great mod it would make the truck acell alot faster as the torque converter is a torque multplier but dont expect more than 54 for a top speed
 
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shannondeese

Member
651
17
18
Location
High Springs Fl
I have a 6 speed heavy duty allison that I am going to put in my Deuce. So you're not the only one thinking about this. I just have about 7 other projects to clear out before i get to installing the tranny.
 

tm america

Active member
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Location
merrillville in
a3 has the same ratio diff they just have a higher reving engine and taller tires that give it the same top speed as a stock a2 with9.00s only differ between the a2 and a3 alxes is the ctis
 

ALFA2

Member
205
2
18
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
shannondeese, what type of Allison are you planing on using in your Deuce?

Does it have overdrive, and is it electronic or hydraulic/linkage controlled?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks.

ALFA2
 

mudguppy

New member
1,587
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0
Location
duncan, sc
if you are using the multifuel, i think you'll need to take some measurements - the at1545 is a good bit longer than the spicer 5spd.

it will be tight without relocating the transfer.
 

Unforgiven

New member
675
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Location
Las Vegas, NV
It will depend greatly on which Allison you choose. I've crawled under the truck with a measuring tape. With any of the medium duty Allisons 2000 & especially 3000 series you will have to remove/relocate the crossmember.

The second big issue is the width of the Allison. They are large, round cylinders. The front driveline may not clear the larger models like the 3560 since the front pumpkin is centered. The 2000 series might, but they don't have as low of a first gear. The 3560 with a high torque ratio converter would actually have a deeper granny gear than the stock Deuce. Perhaps if someone were insistent on installing a 3000 series Allison they could make a two-piece front driveline that swings sideways to a carrier bearing with CV joints, mounted to the passenger side of center. Since the front axle is mostly used at low RPM that might be a viable solution to clear a big Allison. But I don't know who would be crazy enough to try such a solution :mrgreen:

One could also have a chop shop make a custom Rockwell front axle with a pumpkin shifted to the passenger side. But that would be $$.

The third issue is the depth. The tranny would hang much lower than the Spicer. If an entire drivetrain swap were performed, you could raise it a few inches for better ground clearance, at least up to the constraints of sheet metal/linkages.

A fourth issue is the control module. All the newer Allisons require computer programming. There are stand-alone ecu's for the 5 speed Allisons. But I have yet to see one for the 6 speeds. You would have to know someone who can tweak the 6 speed programming to optimize performance behind a multifuel.

A fifth issue is the flex plate/starter. To keep the multifuel engine you would need to find or custom make a flex plate + starter. The bellhousing should be okay.

A sixth issue is double overdrive. The 6 speed Allisons have overdrives in the neighborhood of 0.65. I'm not sure if the multifuel has the horsepower at 2500 rpm's to maintain speed without lugging, even with the directly locking converters from Allison.

A seventh issue is a tranny cooler. You will have to plumb a cooler up front. If you live in a hot climate that could mean trouble for overheating in the summer b/c the radiator in these trucks are rather small comparably speaking. But on the + side, All the Allisons are easily adaptable to tranny retarders. So if you worked out a good transmission cooling system you could install an Allison with a retarder. Your braking ability would increase significantly. And the wear/tear on the stock brakes would go down significantly. Some people poo poo tranny retarders, claiming they overheat the tranny fluid. If that were so, then city busses would be exploding trannys left and right. I think retarders in these trucks would add a significant safety factor. It would be nice to find a used Allison that already had a built-in retarder. Your bus tranny might already have one installed.

In the end, it might be well worth the money/effort to say goodbye to the multifuel engine & go with an already-bolted-together Cummins/Allison combo. That way you would have no flex plate, starter, torque converter, or ecu issues. There might be room to pull the Cummins/Allison forward a few inches to save the trouble of relocating the crossmember & transfer case. Certainly if you went with a slim-line electric radiator fan you could lost the belt driven fan and pull the engine forward several inches. You might stll have front driveline issues. Would the transfer case handle a Cummins? I don't know. I say go for it. If it explodes then replace it with a better transfer case.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I hope that I've helped to stimulate some ideas.
 

Unforgiven

New member
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Location
Las Vegas, NV
I should add, the front axle pumpkin is already slightly shifted to the passenger side. But it's not nearly as shifted as a regular 4x4 like Landcruisers, Broncos, and so forth. What you should try to avoid is shifting the center-line of the transfer case rear output. That's why the front driveline clearance becomes an issue.

Do you have any pics of your bus tranny?
 

shannondeese

Member
651
17
18
Location
High Springs Fl
My allsions trans is a RDS2500 6 speed with over drive and 1st is granny gear specialy built by Allsion for me and programed to my specs. Once I get the trans installed Allison is going to send reps out to me to install the computers and run through the final tweeks until it is fully operational. So yes it is computer controlled but I am not going to have to mess with the set up or the wiring. Makes it a little easier.
 
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Unforgiven

New member
675
18
0
Location
Las Vegas, NV
How are you going to connect it to the Multifuel engine? If you found a flex plate and starter, please be sure to provide us with parts numbers and hyperlinks.
 

tm america

Active member
2,600
24
38
Location
merrillville in
the at545 and 1545p were both used in the a3.i dont think the driveshaft would be an issue .with either of those. the at545 is a 4 speed non overdrive non lockup trans the at1545p is a 4 speed non overdrive with lockup. i'm no sure on the lenght but the pto is on the wrong side . newer allisons are computer controled and there is alot to adding them even if you got it to fit in there .computers and water dont mix.
 
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