I was into these things 25 years ago. Industry was different then, more cool stuff on the road, than now. Got into other stuff, got out of mechanical line work. Now I am back. I noticed there are less independent transmission shops than there used to be, and of course there are the racing guys and the heavy duty tranny gurus out there when you can find them, but other than them I have drawn the conclusion is that most people today just rebuild their own on their own in their garages or what not, and thats why there less independent rebuilders. Am I wrong ? Automatics are easy really, compared to avionics, for example.
Just like crate engines, the popularity of crate transmissions has made ordering one an alternative to junkyard core and rebuild. Sent from my SM-A102U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If anything there more complex, I talked to the guy that owns the local Amco transmission about building a C4 for me and he almost seems excited about it. The best part is he can do it for half what I can order one for plus he will stand behind his work.
Vehicles go 300,000 miles and many never need trans work. If they do it’s either junk the vehicle or buy a used replacement with a few month warranty.
If you’ve been out of transmissions for 25 years,you’re going to get a surprise!Why do you think that guy at Aamco guy was excited to do a C4.He didn’t have to pull out his scanner to get codes and when he pulls the pan off there isn’t a control module staring him in the face.
That's rich.... I think you overestimate the confidence, if not the abilities, of most guys. Very few of us do our own automatics. And I only do old ones, those modern electronic overdrives are kind of tough to figure out. There are wires...and way too many clutch packs.
As a former dealership driveline mechanic. I see where a lot of hot rodders break out in a cold sweat when it comes time to even consider rebuilding a transmission, stick or automatic or rear end. Even automatic transmission guys who have been doing them for years won't even attempt doing a stick shift transmission. They won't hesitate to tear a small block Chevy apart and do a rebuild, but getting from the flywheel back to the rear end changes the game. I made a pretty good side business out of building 10 and 12 bolt Chevy rear ends for stock car racers When I lived in south Ga.
Like Squirrel said, a lot of us shy away from automatics. Over the last 50 years, I have rebuilt a lot of manuals, including big truck ones, but I leave automatics to others. Too many specialized tools. And those PNP or NPN transistors- you let the smoke out, game over.
A few years ago I thought maybe I'd tackle the trans in my 01dodge ram ,then the manual started talking about 7 shift solenoids , re-flashing the computer etc., I called my friend who runs a transmission shop & made an appointment !
Modern automatics are not the same as the old ones. My DD's automatic has a twin disc clutch and is basically a computer shifted manny tranny. No dipstick.
Yup, automatics are boring. But go to the drag strip and see what the faster cars are using. Even the stick cars are using a converter instead of a clutch.
I had to hook up my 12 Ram to a computer just to check the fluid. I remember the first automatic I ever rebuilt was a turbo 400. I had taken it to a transmission shop and they built it and it lasted one pass. No warranty . I was in the army and so I went to the base hobby shop and pulled it out and bought a kit. I bought a book and laid all the parts out on cardboard diagrams that I made so the parts went back in the right direction and order. I was so nervous that it wouldn't work. I got it back together and couldn't sleep for 2 days and was afraid to even put fluid in it because then I would have to see if it actually worked. To my surprise and relief it worked and I raced it for the rest of the season and then sold it to put the 4 speed back in the car. The next time I just dumped all the parts in the parts washer and spread them out on the bench and assembled it like it was nothing. It is more intimidating tearing into a big rig manual transmission than an automatic. At least the pre computer automatics. I retired just as they were getting to the point they needed rebuilding.
Now there's a new one for me, "manny tranny"; if I did't know any better I'd have thought it was something trans sexual, cross dressing, or something else. I call them "transamatic automissions"; never fails to get me a funny look when I say that.
I've always called manual transmissions that. Well now I understand the Bruce Jenner quote. Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I had a trans issue with the 46RE Dodge auto in one of my projects. The scan code showed a problem with the shift solenoid, so I replaced it. Then the scan tool showed a problem with the the speed sensor, so I replaced it. Then the scan tool showed a problem with the valve body, so I pulled it apart and cleaned it up. Then the scan tool showed a problem with a accumulator, so I dropped the pan for the 4th time to replace the accumulator and found chunks of band material laying in the bottom of the pan. With the ATF 4 at $5 a quart (it takes 8 quarts each time) and the parts installed, I had over $600 in a junk trans! The only local rebuilder wanted $1300 to rebuild it with a 60 day warranty, if I pulled the trans and took it to him. There was a 6 week wait before he could get it done. I could buy rebuilt transmissions online for $1400 + a core charge that would be refunded if my trans was a good core, with a year warranty. Just the basic rebuild kit with a torque converter was nearly $500. Most repair shops in town simply replace your auto with one from a rebuild company with a price tag of nearly $3,000. Used transmissions with over 100K miles were bringing nearly $700 with a 30 day warranty. I got lucky and found a brand new Mopar replacement trans on a shelf in some guys shop that I bought for $750! There is a reason there are not many transmission rebuild shops around, people can't afford to get them rebuilt. Gene
Hello, When we were teenagers and 20 somethings, there was nothing we would not at least try to fix ourselves. We used to rebuild those old LaSalle three speed transmissions, because there were a ton of used ones available and parts were always around, especially at the nearby Terminal Island Surplus Yard near the big bridge. But, it was relatively simple. An automatic transmission was a different ball game. There were several teenage cars that had automatic transmissions, and they took them to a place called Stu’s AE Transmissions in Northeast Long Beach. That shop could fix or replace anything in any car. The shop was famous for their complicated rear engine tiny dragster. A mini sidewinder with an SBC motor for power. Lions 1959 But, for every day transmission woes, even the families of our friends took their big sedans to Stu’s Transmission shop to get their automatic transmissions fixed. Jnaki But as simple as driving an automatic transmission car, we did make a cool automatic transmission floor shift lever. But, we stayed away from any internal problems or repairs. That northeast Bixby Knolls transmission shop was so close and the work done there was top quality, so they had cornered the market for many years. I went to the Stu’s Transmission Shop many times with other friends, but never had to have any service done on our teenage hot rods. When we got the C&O Stick Hydro installed in the 58 Impala, that small shop in Torrance/Gardena was an automatic transmission shop bar none. They had all sorts of auto trans in various states of being worked on and torn apart. Plus, below the counters were complete modified transmissions to fit every stock car or race car. That C&O Stick Hydro Transmission worked well without any problems from 1960 to late 1964 when I sold the 58 Impala to a friend. They, too, knew their stuff. Here is a creative solution to using an automatic transmission in a rear engine sidewinder dragster. SBC powered. Designed and built by Stu’s Transmission Shop. Lions 1960 PREVIOUS POST: Hello, When we saw this silver rear engine race car at Lions, we knew where it came from, in northern Bixby Knolls. The race car was built at Stu's Transmissions in NE Long Beach, just past central Bixby Knolls. That place was a gathering of almost anyone with transmission problems or set ups. The mechanics there were very good and popular with the drag racers and street cruisers/racers. Out of all the different transmissions in our high school group’s sedans, at one time or another, they were all in Stu’s Transmission parking lot and shop. Stick shift transmissions, automatics, old and new, were all serviced at Stu’s. In this NE Long Beach locale, there were plenty of outstanding shops that catered to the drag racers and home builders. From Stu's Transmissions, to Henry's Machine Works for axles/frame mods, etc. A great tire store and alignment place, as well as several muffler shops for the custom pipes and exhausts, were all within a block or two along Cherry Avenue. (just North of the famous Cherry Avenue Drags location) We all knew the location and directions on Cherry Ave, South meant the drags location, North meant the hot rod shops. Jnaki We were fortunate to be able to drive a short distance to give our business to those shops and mechanics. It was a hot spot just north of Bixby Knolls. Jocko's Porting Service was also nearby. This unusual race car was a fan favorite, just because it was unusual and rather odd. The noise it made was not like a 671 supercharged SBC motor (like our 292 SBC in our Willys Coupe,) but an ordinary SBC with long, straight pipes that made a different sound. For some reason, those 8 pipes made kind of a bee buzzer noise and not the heavy throated rumble of a supercharged SBC motor. The engineering was there, it ran well in its class, was a fan favorite, but dropped out of the scene rapidly. Luckily, we were there in 1959-60 to record some of the only runs made by this little dragster. Stu’s AE Transmission rear engine
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