Need feedback......having a school rebuild my tranny....

[8UWITH6]

Hi guys. I have a good friend of mine that is in an automotive program at the local college. He knows that my GN could use a tranny rebuild and offered to rebuild the tranny for me as part of his class. The deal is, I pay for parts, no labor. Over a 2 month period, they learn about the transmission, and slowly learn about every aspect of it as they go through it. They also have a transmission dyno that they test it on.

So what do you think? I remember pricing out a lot of the hard parts from Bruce a while back and it came to about 500 bucks. I figure if I give my friend the hard parts, and all the specs, he should be able to do a good job. Should I do it or not? If so, Ill need some help from you tranny gurus on what I need for a 400HP application. Thanks in advance.

 

[HOTTOGO]

They would need to follow this to the letter...

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31365

but I would be leary if they could, so called experts even have a hard time with these trannies, but ya never know?

 

[bruce]

Your kidding aren't you?.
How's going to pay for the tranny when they don't get it right?.

Turbo Buick trannies, aren't beginners cars.

 

[8UWITH6]

Originally posted by bruce
Your kidding aren't you?.
How's going to pay for the tranny when they don't get it right?.

Turbo Buick trannies, aren't beginners cars.

Im not kidding. This is a senior level class in college. Id think that they would do a little research on the subject before tearing into it. My friend already asked the instructor of the course if he could do a BUICK GRAND NATIONAL 2004R tranny and he said yes. I dont know, I just need a transmission that works well for a few years.

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by 8UWITH6
Im not kidding. This is a senior level class in college. Id think that they would do a little research on the subject before tearing into it. My friend already asked the instructor of the course if he could do a BUICK GRAND NATIONAL 2004R tranny and he said yes. I dont know, I just need a transmission that works well for a few years.

Best of luck.
Ask them about the warranty, who pays for towing if it fails, who pays for parts if it needs gone thru again.
What converter?.
Talk to some past referrals.
Why do they do it for free?. To gain experience, since they have NONE. How many 200R4s has the instructor done?.

 

[8UWITH6]

Warranty: IF it fails, they cover the costs to rebuild it.

Tow Cost: Really is no big deal to me, my dad has a trailer if need be.

Parts Cost: The school pays for the parts costs = to the amount I originally paid.

Converter: Same stock converter that has been in the car since Ive owned it.

Past Referals: My friend works at a dealership and has done a few transmission overhauls.

"They" do it for free: Its a buddy of mine who is in this class. The WHOLE class doesnt work on the transmission. Just my friend does.....its HIS project so to speak. The instructor is there obviously to help him if he has trouble.

Dont think I havent really thought about all these things your saying........I just dont exactly have 1800 dollars to pay PTS to do my transmission being in school and all. I just figured this would be a good experience for my friend and myself to learn about the transmission. Obviously Im torn both ways........

I just need some more options besides spending 1800 bucks I dont have to spend.

 

[GNandGS]

rather than get fancy I would have him concentrate on a nice average stock rebuild... You should be able to get this done fairly inexpensively and if all goes well, then well, things are, uh "well". Or something.

Anyway, I dont get the impression that the trans is broken - just worn. Have him re-use the sep plate, servos, and blahblahblah with a religious checking of the clearances. Consider it a "freshening".

KEEP IT CLEAN TOO!

Shawn

 

[GNVAIR]

When it comes to transmissions, you get what you pay for......and free dont get you much. No offense dude, but I went to a tech school too and tore into many transmissions. The instructors are definitely not experts and there is no guarantee it will even work when its done. To me, its not worth the aggravation of the tranny taking a dump at the wrong time. As such, you knew the answer to the question before you even posted.

 

[WE4]

Why do I think...

this is just the beginning? I don't know about this...

Good Luck but the odds are definitly against you.
Like the other Bruce said.... " These are not beginner trannys"

Pros get theirs asses kicked.

Again I say , hope it all works but being a betting man....

"Anybody want to start a pool? ROFL I am in for 10 bucks"...
LOL



Bruce
WE4

 

[SilverSleeper]

My friend rebuilt a th350 for his project in auto-tech class. Was a great tranny for a long time.
That said, 200r4's are a heck of a lot more complicated than that.
I had my original rebuilt by a dealership twice, and a race trans builder once, and everytime it lasted less than a couple of months. (of basic street driving, much less a track outing).
Its like rebuilding a turbo 3.8 versus an average sb 350. Two different approaches. What works for one doesnt work for the other, just because they are both engines.
I only wish I went to the specialists first. The one I got from Jack has been going for a long time now without any problem.
Trust me... these guys here too. They know these trannys better then anyone.
Bruce.. put me down for $10

 

[WE4]

Done..LOL