Do I need a billet input shaft?

Flyin Brian

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2011
I am getting my 2004R freshened up and changed to non lock for my new PTC 9.5" converter. It is a well built transmission and I think everything but the input shaft is billet already. Realistically I hope to run mid tens with my new combo. I am not running a trans brake. Should I spend the extra $300 on the billet input shaft while I have it apart? Or, is it not really necessary at this level? Thanks.
 
Its always good to upgrade your trans with any billet parts you can . with a non lockup i would put the billet shafted forward drum thats the weakest link at your power level it could break anytime
 
Thanks Vince. I think I have that? Build sheet shows a billet forward drum with C.S. ($700 part), billet OD ring gear (I broke the stock one), billet OD planet, and all the usual high performance stuff. Guy at the trans place said he had only seen the stock input shaft fail in a few rare high HP cases. So, maybe the billet input shaft would be a little much at this point. I could sure spend the $300 somewhere else.
 
With what I am looking at in your sig I would absolutely install the input shaft. Why cheap out at this stage? Then have to take the tranny out again, get it repaired and reinstall??? Seems like a no brainer . Just my opinion.

Bryan
 
Well, perhaps I will try to scrounge up the extra 300 bucks for the input shaft. I do seem to have the ability to break high horsepower drivetrain parts.
 
Just something to consider. "Usually" when the input does break it doesn't hurt anything else, so if you do break the stocker you won't be out anything more.
 
new_pics_11_23_037.jpg


This is the ck billet shaft forward drum.
I'm not sure where to get a billet input shaft.

The shaft on the standard issue forward drum is known to have issues.

The splines twist off.
 
Ok, now I am confused a little. I have the billet forward drum and shaft assembly like in the first picture in the above post from Rich. It was like $700. I looked at an exploded view of the 200-4R on Extreme Automatics website and also went to the Raptor200-4R website and looked at the 200-4R 300M part number 84 input shaft. I think this is also called the turbine shaft in the exploded drawing and it passes through the forward drum/shaft. So I guess my corrected question is do I really need the billet turbine shaft? Thanks for all the responses. I am not a transmission guy.
 
Just something to consider. "Usually" when the input does break it doesn't hurt anything else, so if you do break the stocker you won't be out anything more.
It doesn't hurt anything else except the engine.
 
I would install the billet input shaft. When you upgrade the ring gear and OD planet, you should always upgrade the input shaft. If you need one, I have them in stock and they are less than $300.00.
 
So does the input shaft(turbine shaft i.e. not the forward drum/shaft) transmit the power or does the forward drum/shaft transmit the power? Or do they both transmit the power? I will be talking to my trans builder tomorrow afternoon when they get it apart. Hopefully there are no issues and it is just a matter of changing it over to non-lock and possibly changing that shaft.
 
If you don't install the billet input shaft, you will go from Flyin' Brian to Cryin' Brian.

Do it right the first time.
 
I got the billet input shaft. Input shaft and forward drum/shaft both apparently transmit the power. I also had an issue with something near the front of the transmission that had migrated and was causing my shift points to be high. Forward clutch pack was a little toasty as well. It is all fixed up and switched over to non-lock now so it should be bulletproof again. Can't wait to get it back tomorrow and start putting it back in the car. Should be fun to drive with my new PTC 9.5" n/l converter!
 
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