You've probably seen it happen with other diesel trucks-maybe even your own. What we're referring to is when the most enticing part of your pickup project, that noisemaker under the hood, consumes you. After countless hours breathing on the block, you get horsepower happy and forget about what's downstream from the engine. The result is a lopsided ride cranking out gobs of torque, but without an effective way to deliver it to the pavement. It's the automotive equivalent of getting all dressed up and having nowhere to go.
That's where a high-performance diesel transmission and torque converter comes in, efficiently transferring engine power to the tires. To see how to get all those Clydesdales to come out of the corral, we sought out the folks at ATS in Arvada, Colorado. We spent a full day touring the factory and foundry facilities and came away marveling at this Rocky Mountain manufacturer. (And we also found out why all the parts are painted royal purple, as we'll reveal shortly.)
 Transmission Pans Much of...  Transmission Pans
Much of the machinery used at the factory is either built or modified by ATS technicians. This transmission dyno, used to test loading on ATS transmissions, originally had a gasoline engine on the load cell. But ATS swapped it out for a torquey, triple-turbo, 5.9L Cummins to replicate severe applications. |  ATS manufactures transmission...  ATS manufactures transmission pans that are much deeper than stock (note the difference in the factory pan's size) and also offer other benefits in addition to 5 quarts of extra capacity. |  ATS makes transmission pans...  ATS makes transmission pans for all major domestic brands. A nearby foundry handles both mold-making and casting for a variety of ATS components. |
First, a bit of background about the relatively rapid growth of this Colorado company. Clint Cannon and Ranee Elder founded Automotive Transmission Specialists in 1993. At that time, the company specialized in transmission repair for all types of vehicles. In 1997, Performance Torque Converters was founded to handle torque-converter rebuilds. Bringing this capability in-house gave the company more flexibility to service its racing customers. As the popularity of diesel trucks grew and more people became aware of the power upgrades available for their diesels, problems with diesel transmissions emerged.
Cannon started research and development into a more robust torque converter to address the transmission issues. He figured out that reworking the clutch pack design was a key aspect to providing a better torque converter. His development of the Triplelok torque converter and a company focus on diesel performance products resulted in a rename of the company to ATS Diesel Performance. The company's Viskus clutch drive relies not only on conventional fluid transfer from the impeller to the turbine via the stator, but also uses Fluid Assist technology to increase performance efficiency.
 In the Dodge pan, the ridges...  In the Dodge pan, the ridges improve heat transfer and reduce the sloshing of transmission fluid under cornering and acceleration. |  A magnetic drain plug pulls...  A magnetic drain plug pulls metal particles out of the fluid. |  The extra thickness of the...  The extra thickness of the cast-aluminum pan (right) adds structural bracing to the transmission, which is critical in high-performance applications. Twisting in the aluminum transmission case can affect the fluid passages, warping bores that cause valves to stick. |
Today, ATS continues to broaden its reach at its 110,000-square-foot facility and offers high-performance transmissions, valvebodies, and patented torque converters. In addition to transmission components, the company has also widened its scope to include high-performance engine upgrades for Cummins, Duramax, and Power Stroke diesels. The range of applications for ATS products includes everything from trucks towing heavy RV trailers to high-horsepower competition vehicles. Staying true to its hands-on roots, the company manufactures most of these products on-site, something we enjoyed seeing firsthand.
But one question remains: Why is everything at ATS painted purple? Cannon thanks Ranee Elder for that color choice. She recommended her favorite hue when he was looking for a way to set ATS apart from the colors of original factory components and other aftermarket products. Nobody was using this royal treatment, and now it appears on just about every product made by ATS. That bright-purple color sure makes it easy to spot an ATS transmission underneath a pickup.