Sawdust And Loud Noises - ATS Diesel Remodels

Customer service can be difficult with the droning buzz of a jackhammer mere feet from your desk. The customer service crew at ATS Diesel has found creative ways to be 'flexible' and persevere through the daily construction that has been part of a massive building overhaul at their Arvada Colorado HQ. Since neither the construction nor the day-to-day operations at ATS can be put on hold, much of it has occurred during the same hours.

Somewhere around six months ago the ATS building began undergoing the second major remodel in its six year history (the first being the initial move-in during the 2004-2005 transition). When the 104,000 square foot building was first purchased it was just an empty shell and it was difficult to know exactly what layout would be most effective. Over the years a number of ideas and plans were discussed to help streamline the production of a product line that now covers some six hundred products.

With many of the truck owners who upgrade their diesel wishing to have installation happen at ATS, the Arvada building tends to become a temporary home during the day to those that travel to Colorado from other areas of the country. For that reason the showroom and lobby areas have been a big focus and include some new amenities including a projection screen entertainment center lounge and video game room.

Complete ATS Newsletters: http://www.atsdiesel.com/ats2/newsletter/issues.asp

Manufacturing is being streamlined and departments such as engineering are shifting to different areas of the building to update procedures and increase efficiency. The ability to have a clean engineering area with updated technology will mean that products continue to be the best quality and fit for installation on trucks. Consolidating production areas like converter machining and laser cutting are already helping to make a difference in production turnaround times. Things have come a long way from the previous ATS facility and even the current building in its original form.

A Billet Converter By Any Other Name Is Not The Same

We see a lot of 'billet' torque converters on the web and in ads these days and wonder how many people understand the inner workings of them enough to know the differences in brands and what offers the biggest advantages. So many of the converters available are simply a stock-style rebuild stuffed into a billet cover with few true modifications to make them better and stronger than stock.

While the billet cover is a feature that we build into the Five Star and TripleLok Torque Converters which prevents warping and 'mushrooming', that is just the beginning. The other main components of the converter's internals are just as critical to supporting increased power output from the engine and serious towing weight. These other areas include: lockup clutch system, lockup apply piston, turbine and impeller, stator, bearings, and hub. When ATS builds diesel torque converters all of these areas are given equal attention and all aspects are greatly enhanced.

Torque Converter Info

By looking at the internals of the Five Star or TripleLok Torque Converters compared to the stock unit (above) it is clear how much work is really done to provide increased strength. Most other upgrade converters simply change part 'A' (billet cover), but the rest of the internal structure is mostly just a stock rebuild. The ATS cover begins to show drastic differences from all others in the fact that the mounting surface features a twelve bolt design (with bolt holes incorporated into the cover) versus the factory six (with bolt holes welded on externally). Stock converters are completely missing section 'B' and have a single clutch friction surface bonded to part 'C' (piston). Our design is very different in that we add a multi-disc clutch pack (part 'B') which more than doubles the torque-holding ability by distributing load and using locking square tabs on each disc. The square tab design is patented and exclusive to ATS. The stock stamped steel piston 'C' is replaced with a billet dampened piston that doesn't warp and provides a cushioned engagement compared to other aftermarket designs which don't have a dampener. The turbine and impeller (parts 'D' and 'F') are furnace brazed and reinforced to prevent flattening or damaging of the fins due to fluid pressure wear. Finally a proprietary billet CNC machined stator ('E') is used to provide optimized fluid redirection between the turbine and impeller.

Conveying how different and how much stronger the ATS design really is versus stock and other aftermarket units is always a challenge, but those that have visited our manufacturing facility in Colorado instantly see quality and workmanship that set the Five Star and TripleLok Converters apart from all others.