Considering a new tranny for my GN.

[Sinistr6]

Hello. I have an 87 GN with 30K miles on it. At the moment it has the basic mods, but I have a 5857 PTE turbo, PTE SLIC, #60's injectors, RJC 3" DP, Turbosaver, RJC Boost Controller, RJC power plate waiting to be installed on the car.
The transmission and converter is stock at the moment, and I want a new converter and my tranny rebuilt.
I live in Norway, and the price on rebuilding my tranny is around 5000$ (just to make sure you read correct: five thousand big ones. no joking). That's why I'm thinking of buying a new one from the US and get it shipped over here.
After a lot of reading on the message board, I understand that Extreme Automatics is the way to go, but I would really like to hear your opinions.
I've also figured out I need a 2800 L/U converter (the car is only street driven), but not sure on what brand.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Boost231]

im sure lonnie will work with you and get one shipped out that way. for the converter i would call dusty and have him spec you one out. thats the best route IMOP

 

[grey racer]

I recently purchased my trans from CK Performance and am quite happy with it....a few other friends have used CK also and are satisfied customers.
I've been to his shop in New York and it is the real deal.
A buddy of mine bought a trans from Extreme Automatics, and he's happy with his also.....Can't say anything about any of the other trans builders,
but there are other good builders available on this board for sure. These cars are a different kind of animal as I'm sure you are aware of, but Norway ???
You must be a hell of a mechanic to own a GN in Norway....lol

 

[hensleyt]

Let Lonnie do the trans and converter,He was spot on for stall with my 5857, 21mpg highway 11.87 ET raceway.

 

[Evil Doctor Porkchop]

I have no trans input for you, other than my GN has a trans built by Jimmys it seems to work ok. On my last trip to Norway I was waiting on a taxi at the Stvanger and a young man came by in a nice Turbo limited, it still amazes me how many American muscle cars are in Norway. My hotel in Sandis had a nice view of the street on sat and sun evenings I saw more Muscle cars cruzing than I could count.

 

[Sinistr6]

Too much work the last few days, haven't had the opportunity to check in. But I understand Lonnie is the man for the job. Will try to contact him tomorrow.
But what about TBPT (www.turbobuickperformance.com) and David Husek? Are they still in business?

Yes, owning a GN in Norway can be a challenge sometimes. Thankfully there is a lot of information about these cars online, most of it here. Besides changing shocks and springs, I do everything myself. Nobody knows what a GN is, or looks at it twice. But the few who are in the know, loves it, and I've heard quite a few "Fy Faen!" ("Holy sh*t!" in Norwegian) from my passengers when I floor it.
I know there are 2 more here, but mine is the only one on the road of the 3. And yes, there is a lot of muscle cars in Norway ( check out this guy: http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/features/ghtp_1107_1986_pontiac_trans_am/index.html) .

 

[novaderrik]

why don't you change shocks or springs? they are easy..

 

[Mr.Spool]

dave is still in business,and i am running one of his billet 200 with a ptc converter its an awesome setup.

 

[captflash]

Lonnie Diers at Extreme for a great trans and over the top customer service.

 

[Phoneguy]

Another vote for Lonnie here.

Bryan

 

[Dusty Bradford]

Considering you are so far away the only thing I would suggest is using a non lock converter with a good external cooler along with the stock trans cooler. Most issues with the 200r are lock-up related. If your the states and have an issue it's not a big deal, but the distance your dealing with I would certainly want the most reliable trans I could get. A 2800 stall 10" converter is all that's needed for your turbo size.

 

[Sinistr6]

Considering you are so far away the only thing I would suggest is using a non lock converter with a good external cooler along with the stock trans cooler. Most issues with the 200r are lock-up related. If your the states and have an issue it's not a big deal, but the distance your dealing with I would certainly want the most reliable trans I could get. A 2800 stall 10" converter is all that's needed for your turbo size.

So, by changing to a non lock and a good external cooler, my tranny will handle the engine upgrades? With only 30.000 miles on it, I would guess so (at least for a while), but who knows what upgrades it will get in the future. My plan was to have the trans upgraded so i wouldn't have to worry about it. I sent Lonnie an email asking for his point of view, and how he feels about shipping a Stage 2 to Norway, but no reply yet. You're right, considering the distance I shouldn't buy anything but the best of the best. Even with a warranty, there would still be an atlantic ocean between me and the trans builder, if anything should happen to it. Which is why I would rather get it done here, if that was possible.
How will the car be to drive with a non lock and only a 5857?
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/transmission/converters.html
" They work very well on big cam/turbo combos. You trade off some heat generation (from the slippage) and efficiency losses, for the responsiveness gained. You need to make more HP to gain enough advantage in staying in the "sweet spot" of the RPM/torque/HP band to overcome the slippage losses and reduced efficiency."

Thanks for all the replies.

why don't you change shocks or springs? they are easy.

Because I didn't have the time, equipment, or place to do it when they needed to be changed.

 

[Dusty Bradford]

By changing to a non lock you rid yourself of one of the most common issues with the 200r4 transmission. Simply adding an external cooler to your existing cooling system you will have plenty of cooling for years of trouble free service.

As far as the trans handling the engine upgrades, the 200 is very capable of handling the power you will make. The trans is also one of the most complicated pieces of equipment in the entire car so there's no way to 100% guarantee how they will perform.

 

[turbodave231]

The builders you have mentioned are all reputable. It might be wise to inquire if your new transmission can be installed in a car with the new converter, pressure tested and road tested BEFORE they ship it to you. It might be worth the extra cost to have a proven unit. "Plug and Play" you might say!!

I really like these cars without the lockup converters. They are alot more fun and driveable. I think you will like the non-lock

 

[Nick Micale]

Hello.....
I live in Norway, and the price on rebuilding my tranny is around 5000$ (just to make sure you read correct: five thousand big ones. no joking). That's why I'm thinking of buying a new one from the US and get it shipped over here.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

I would suggest that which ever builder you decide to work with will put the trans in a turbo car for a complete field test with the converter that will go with it.

We are not one of the "famous" tranny builders, but have done a few hundred for street and strip tranny builds locally over the years, and an in-car test this is the most positive way to assure it will work properly in your car.

 

[hensleyt]

Lonnie did just that with mine before he shipped it to Hawaii, it came 100% spot on.I wanted a lock up TC and I'm happy but there are times I think a none lock would be nice Id ask more about the pros and cons between the two

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Too much work the last few days, haven't had the opportunity to check in. But I understand Lonnie is the man for the job. Will try to contact him tomorrow.
But what about TBPT (www.turbobuickperformance.com) and David Husek? Are they still in business?

Yes, owning a GN in Norway can be a challenge sometimes. Thankfully there is a lot of information about these cars online, most of it here. Besides changing shocks and springs, I do everything myself. Nobody knows what a GN is, or looks at it twice. But the few who are in the know, loves it, and I've heard quite a few "Fy Faen!" ("Holy sh*t!" in Norwegian) from my passengers when I floor it.
I know there are 2 more here, but mine is the only one on the road of the 3. And yes, there is a lot of muscle cars in Norway ( check out this guy: http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/features/ghtp_1107_1986_pontiac_trans_am/index.html) .

David Husek Builds a GREAT transmission, His customer service is top notch, picks up the phone and will go over your needs.
He can also test the Transmission before he ships it out -- Just not sure on how he works this out.
your best bet is to give him a call @ 1-516-285-1103. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

 

[turbodave231]

Nick,

You're reading my mind!!! Anybody who is good at swapping GN transmissions can have one unit out and the new one installed in about an hour. So you only talking about a couple of hours of extra labor to test a trans in-car. Money well spent considering the distance this unit is going to travel.

 

[sscamino]

Janis Transmission (by Vince) built full billit roller with CK Performance Competition Rollerized Componets. Pro Torque Non Lockup

 

[Sinistr6]

Still haven't heard from Lonnie. Guess I have to give him a call instead. After reading your replies, my plan was to talk to him about it first to get his opinion. And If I can't find a reputable builder who will test the unit, and ship to Norway, just go with a non lock and external cooler for a while.

BUT, interestingly enough, I called up one of the few legit transmission shops here in Norway yesterday, and asked if they were familiar with the 2004R. The guy I talked to said they were, and they had in fact a complete tranny which was not yet assembled. They were supposed to build it for a customer who had a Buick powered Firebird(?), but the guy never showed up with the money. He said all the parts were the best pieces they could find for the build, and were ordered from Art Carr. As far as I understand, that could mean either Art Carr himself, OR the company that bought the Art Carr name. I'm gonna ask them to mail me a list of all the parts and then repost here. He gave me a price and it will still cost me more to buy from them, than to buy in the US and get it shipped home to me, but on the other side I don't have to deal with the distance if anything should happen. They also have a 2 year warranty on their builds.

Again, sorry for my slow replies. A lot of working these days. And of course, Happy 4th of July!