Rescue Rogers

Have you taken anywhere else and asked them to check the linkages and shift cables? Seems some advice from an actual transmission repair place would be worth it. Like Kidvette said everything is working as it should, its just setup to shift at the wrong rpm. I can't see you spending all this money without having it checked by a transmission mechanic.

Most places ive dealt with will give an estimate for free. Don't tell them you think its bad. Tell them a new engine was installed and you just need it adjusted, that it just shifts to high. Less info can be better. If they give you the run around drop your knowledge on them and take your car to the next tranny shop.
Try it please. Its cheaper than a $750 rebuild by Bubba the the tire repair man. The $800 would probably last longer, it might have a high rpm stall converter or something, but that can be switched

lurch59

If you rebuild your existing tranny, it will bolt right back in and it will have a guarantee. If you buy a tranny from something else, you may be in for some modifications or headaches, and probably no warranty. I would be very careful dumping much money for labor in fixing (but not rebuilding) your old tranny with so many unanswered questions. No one here has answered my original question which was, how long does anyone expect a 38 year old neglected tranny with 140,000 miles to last? I'd say you did alright with it if it had regular service, which it has not.
The real problem is you cannot do the labor yourself and save some money. Labor will be a good portion of the cost. I've seen people go through 3 transmissions from the junkyard to save money only to pay the mechanic $500 each time to remove and replace each one until they got a good used one to work. Ouch!

Kid Vette

Kim Moulton Miller

Can you guys tell me why I shouldn't buy the newly rebuilt, still in plastic, 350 tranny that was built to go in a '69 Chevelle (800hp)? The torque is new. He will guarantee it one year. Install is guaranteed for one year. I just scraped up the money and ready to roll. I miss my car.

Kim Moulton Miller

I haven't taken it to a bona fide trans shop. The trans is out now so it's not drivable. (Took the trans out expecting to install the used one from the RV, but that fell through.) My son-in-law said he trouble shot many things to see if it was anything but the trans, and couldn't see a problem elsewhere.

Rescue Rogers

Knowing that and With the warranty I would buy the new $800 one. If its setup for street driving I don't see why it won't work for you. Drag strip trannys use stall converters for hole shots which you do not need. Since its the beginning of spring you can easily put a couple thousand miles on it if you drive it every weekend so if it has any problems you should catch it during the warranty

Just have the cooling lines flushed first, cant hurt

ddawson

Is the shift kit mild or hard.

It's one thing to have a little chip from 1/2 it's another to kick you sideways on that 1/2. You may get tired of the stiff shifting.

What stall converter does it come with? Normal or something like 4 grand.

Just want to make sure you would be getting street transmissions and not a 1/4 mile one.

If it just a build up streets trans to handle the power and some one handles the warranty including removal and installation if something goes wrong do it.

lurch59

That's a good guarantee, if something wasn't done right you'd likely find out within a year. You might ask for a longer written guarantee, why not negotiate. He knows it will be lightly used and not behind a 1/4 mile race car engine.

Compare your old trans to the new one and make sure they are close enough not to cause additional expenses buying brakcets etc for the swap. As others have stated, what is the stall speed for the converter in your application? Stall speeds vary with engine torque. You might want to take a ride in a car with a shift kit in the auto trans. My wife doesn't like the hard shifting and you might not either!

Kim Moulton Miller

Thank you SO much for having me ask these questions, because it is hard shift kit and my friend said I definitely would get tired of that for recreational cruising. SO! Cook's Transmission in Spartanburg, SC, will be receiving my tranny this week and will either rebuild it or sell me an identical one already rebuilt for $700. This includes fluid, etc. The install is happening at my friend's shop who will warranty the install. The tranny will have a warranty from Cook's for 3 years/36,000 miles. This is my best shot for my budget and to get it back in my hot hands. I'm READY for her!!!!! (She has to be a her with all those curves, you know.) I hope you all agree with this route. It's been a whirlwind.

http://cookstransmissionrepair.com/

Thank you ALLLLL for your help!! My next project is the A/C and then a paint job and then the interior.

Kimmmm

jim-81

Cool. Hope it works out there is a whole driving season ahead of us. A lot of knowledge here. And we need pics... (of the car too lol)

Kid Vette

Smart move.

Kim Moulton Miller

Thanks! I will put a pic from this morning, but compared to the car babes I see trending, well, ummm....I'm pretty plain!!! I'm just a simple Mom to 3 adults and Nana to 4 grandbabies.

ddawson

Wise choice. I've got two adult boys but no grand kids.

lurch59

Good choice, I was just afraid you'd throw good money after bad with a transmission that old. Who wants to pay labor twice to R&R the transmission!

Rescue Rogers

Congrats on the transmission!!! On to the next job!!!

Rescue Rogers

Time for an update. Hows your transmission working out?

Kim Moulton Miller

Well....I just got back from Florida because my Dad is sick, but the vette is still at the shop - transmission in. Was told the engine skips when idling, but goes away when driving. They are checking it out to see if it's a bad spark plug or loose wire. UGH! Also, the oil gauge doesn't work so troubleshooting that now. (I posted a new thread and got some advice that I forwarded to the shop.) I hope to get the car back Thursday morning and see. Still waiting to hear from NAPA about replacing the A/C system. Trying to say it was only a 2-year warranty when I was told it was a lifetime. Manager working on it. I posted a thread about it, too, to buy one if they warranty doesn't work. Wish I had better news, but it's still up in the air it seems.

cv67

havent read the whole thread but

Perhaps mr race car driver was test driving your new motor they just dont "go out" I mean can but not usually. Sounds fishy

Sometimes when screwing something up they may "make good" but find anotehr repair. You really have to be firm with them or they will walk all over you. Sad but thats the truth

Kim Moulton Miller

OK...so car not skipping, but the rpms seem really high. At 63 mph the rpms are around 3100-3200. My friend who just installed the rebuilt trans is still concerned the rearend got switched out. Thinks it is geared way too low. I drove the vette to Florida twice and I don't remember it running that high. There's no Overdrive, but still. Am I just imagining a high rpm? Does this seem right?

Kim Moulton Miller

Yes...the same place removed, rebuilt, and installed engine. Took it back as soon as it was clear something was wrong...ended up being the transmission...just had it rebuilt by another shop in Spartanburg with 3 year/36k mile warranty. Now just concerned rpm's too high. IDK. I get the car back tmrw or Thursday.