Hey Fellas, A close friend is restoring his Mom's old 1957 Buick Riviera 4dr hdtp. This car has special family ties, as he was brought home from the hospital, in the damn thing. Any-who...When it came time to overhaul the transmission, he turned it over to a shop, in the Orlando area, who has supposed experience with antique's. Their initial estimate was in the $3500 range, which alone is enough to make your wallet explode. Then after a complete tear-down, the price has risen to $4921.64 Keep in mind, I am a 30+ yr professional technician, whom had his own business, worked in many places and most likely rebuilt 50? slush boxes. Granted, the vast majority of the truck transmissions, at the Dodge/Jeep dealer were under warranty. so I did not get to see the bill. But, all these hard parts and the 11hours of labor are gonna eat this guys lunch. Hell, there is a complete '57 Buick, on an auction site, he could buy for that price. Anyone having similar experiences, with these vintage units?? Here is the estimate and parts list. Excuse the jumbled parts prices. Had a hard time copying his estimate. TRANSMISSION BENCH JOB: Dismantle and rebuild Dynaflow Transmission on Bench.121,140.00TTR Rebuild Kit, Rebuild, Dynaflow1477.25TD102A1 Low Band1112.00TD122 Rev Band1112.00TD122A Kit, Bushing1172.47TKD106A Kit, Washer1146.11TKD111A Gear, Park145.50T1195735 Plate, Front Pump1286.50TD43B Pump, Front1565.25TD01A Drum1280.00TD06D Spring & Roller Kit, Converter163.00T1391959 Sprag, Converter2244.50T1195037 Pump Plate, Rear149.00TD43D Pump, Rear1374.50TD60 Ring Gear, .579"/14,95mm thick1185.00TM1SA Retainer, Torque Ball1159.08TD1109A Bearing, Extension Housing (approx cost)187.50TParts Approximate Shipping (3 to 5 days)1 100.00TShipping Subtotal................................................................................................. 4,599.66 NOTE: A DEPOSIT of $1000.00 will be required to begin the rebuild repair.
So the shop has it, in pieces, on their bench. I've seen posts on the HAMB from guys who've done many a Dynaflow and say it's no big thing, maybe they'll chime in. Knew a guy named Bob Miller years ago in East Tennessee who could do them in his sleep, and had a field full of Buicks from the 40s to the 60s. Always wondered if he became a Buick guy cause he was good with Dynaflows, or got good with them cause he just liked Buicks. Not sure if Bob is still around, but it sounds like your buddy needs to find a Bob. My dad drove Buicks when I was a kid. Then, the corner gas station had a guy who did Dynaflows in a 2 bay garage, and my dad had many of them rebuilt over the years.
Fatsco, in NJ, said they could save him some money, but requires shipping it back and forth. Net difference would like $800 clams. Allot of money, but the shop will most likely charge him a tear down fee. AND...God forbid, if ! little snap ring is missing. I suggested to tell the Guys in Sanford to sharpen their pencils, on the bottom line. Hells bells, for 2 cents, I would take the job on, but figured best to leave it to someone, whom has recent experience. Could it be any harder than an Olds Slim Jim or Hydro? Both, which I have fixed.
A local shop replaced the output bearing and rebuilt/refurbed my '55 Hydramatic for less than $1000 earlier this year.
Should have checked around. Would have done the job for 1K labor. You would pay for parts and shipping
I was quoted $2,900.On my 56 buick wagon so I bought a used one.Man got lucky on that .It had no leaks and shifted fine.I hope things work out for you.Bruce.
I am a transmission shop owner and operator, in the same location, for 33 years in Chicagoland and specialize in only vintage, hot rod and muscle cars nowdays. No late model stuff anymore. I will agree that the price is somewhat high based on the parts list shown. But not crazy high. Most early GM transmissions end up around in the $3000.00- $3500.00 range plus tax on the parts, towing would also be extra. That would be to completely rebuild/restore the trans, not patch it up and only replace the bad clutches etc. and use some old stuff over to get by. What some people dont seem to realize is I can easily spend 15-20 hours or more, removing, rebuilding and reinstalling one. Some can be a real chore to remove the trans from the car after 50 or 60 years of being in there. Many have been boogered up by backyard experts over the years (manual linkage, throttle linkage to the carb, cooler lines etc., the list can go on and on) and all that has to be corrected. Rebuilding the trans can also gobble up a lot of time just cleaning it. Then you have to deal with the possibility of stripped threads, broken off bolts, poor previous rebuild etc. that the trans may have encountered in the last 50 years. Sourcing quality rebuild parts takes time also. As the years go by, they are getting harder and harder to locate. Its not uncommon that I may have to source the parts from 3-4 different supplieres to get the parts I want to put the trans together with, which means more time on the phone and more shipping expenses. There are many parts in the after market that just plain suck. They are wrong, just plain dont fit right or not at all. Most rebuilders just booger them to fit. Case in point: Use aftermarket friction clutches in an early Hydramatic and you will be guranteed a 3rd gear shift that will make your vision blurry. OEM friction/cork lined clutches can cost $20.00-$30.00 each and there are 8 of them. Aftermarket steel clutches are flat and the OEM ones are waved. Those will set you back $10.00 to $15.00 each and there are 8 of them. Now you still need a rebuild kit, bands, filter, hard parts, torque converter or fluid coupling parts etc. to finish the job. Part prices can escalate quickly. Quality OEM type parts cost money. I can easily spend $800.00-$1000.00 in rebuild parts, soft and hard to rebuild a vintage transmission. My labor rate is $85.00 per hour. Its easy to see with the labor times and parts costs, that with a markup in the parts prices, that the costs can be in the $3500..00 range. Some of you will say that my labor rate is high, well then you dont live in Crook County Illinois. The costs of running a real business is high. High real estate taxes, business taxes, workmans comp, insurance, payroll and shop expenses all dictate where my labor rates have to be. Modern late model cars transmissions are $3000.00-$5000.00 to rebuild. Why would an old car be any different. In some aspects an older car is harder to work on due to its older. Im sure there are flybynights out there that will do it in their garage cheaper. Good Luck. Hopefully you are dealing with a shop that still has some old timers there. Because most of the new generation of "Automotive Technicians" are unable to diagnoise and repair your old car because they cant hook up a scanner to it to tell them whats wrong with it. I wish you good luck with the repair and get a good job. Bill
Bill, I truly appreciate your input. Like I said, based on my backround, it doesn't surprise me that much. Just allot of dough, for a "Joe-Lunchbucket", like you and me, trying to restore an old car. And, as I mentioned, he already had the trans out of the car. He is doing a ground up, body off of this sled. All this is just another reason, I decided to upgrade, my '64 Olds with a Caddy TH400 and adapter kit, from Ross Racing. Not easily done on a "torque-tube"application. When I swapped a 5 spped, into my buddy's '54 Belair, we changed the entire driveline, to a open driveshaft and '57 rear axle. I think this case is closed. Will keep y'all posted. JT
just had a 4l60e rebuilt to a renewed rating not a disc overhaul , other than a planetary exploding ( common problems in trucks ) and having to buy a new set, the base price without a convertor was $2700 , add another $500 for a new not rebuilt convertor spent $3500 for the whole shebange and I had to drop it and bring it in . my last th400 for my firebird was $2200 , granted it was a little hopped up . but still put together right all the clearances checked and built at the guys shop , not a Jobber trans ( built elsewhere and just swapped out ) . and thats a common trans . the convertor was another $500 ( rebuilt and stalled ) but the thing would move your teeth when it shifted .
I just had a friend rebuild one that came to in in a box in pieces with a Fatsco kit as the owner just lost his patience. He's built plenty of other autos over the years but never a Dynaflow. Well it all went back together with no left over parts. When rebuilt it wouldn't shift properly, turned out to be a vent tube was blocked. Good as new now.
You can always find someone half way across the country say they can do it cheaper. Spend 6-700 for shipping back and forth, take more time than stated, or sits 2-3 months like we hear on here, comes back and has problems. If you have a reputable place close by, you have some one to go back to if there are problems, and a place to bug if they are dragging their feet. Just they way I decide things.
I called my go to guy, National transmission, in Boynton Beach and he will give you a 3 year warranty and save you around $1,000 or more on that overhaul. 561-737-6073
Thanks Fellas, I will relay all this good info, to Shawn. Boynton Beach, is about a 3hr drive, each way. a Grand would buy allot of gas. I dusted off my old Chilton's manuals and looked through the Dynaflow rebuild section. WOW, this is one complex slush box. Very interesting how the switch pitch torque convertor operates. Trouble with this build, is this car will not see the road, for at least a few years, so the trans just sits, collecting dust...like a $5,000 paperweight. Same with the Nailhead, which is already done. JT
Well, here she is. All brandy new. Too bad it won't get used, for at least a few years. Although, I think Shawn is going to assemble the entire chassis and driveline first. Will most likely fire the motor and test the trans at that time. JT
What happens if there is a problem when he fires it up in a few years? Warranty gone?, Company out of business?
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