Well, my tranny went today, so I'm gonna have to replace it, but I have a couple of questions...local guy will rebuild...he's very good, if you are in the Houston area, you'll know him, Mike Kurtz at Century....anyway, his quote was about $2650.....a little more than I have tucked away for this. Mike is known for his tranny's, so I would not have a problem with him doing it, just having a hard time choking down the price...I was looking on e-bay, and the tranny guy with the best feedback is "MAD DOG" lou...wondering if anyone has any input on this guy, and any experience with his trannys...I don't race my car, so I don't really need anything exotic...any responses are appreciated...

Cheers,
Michael

 

It seems to me that Mike is about a grand too high. I know prices vary from market to market, but... See what Pete K. says.

 

WAY too high. I had my transmission rebuilt for $1440 (with Raybestos clutches and Borg-Warner steels-no cheap crap). Shop around and hopefully some of our forum members can chime in with someone you can trust to do the job right the first time.

 

I have zero first hand experience with mad dog transmissions. Therefore, my opinion is neutral. I will say this:
He builds them, provides a torque converter and ships them cheaper than I could buy parts alone. PM sami85l98. He had 3 (if I recall correctly) mad dog transmissions, saw his shop and met Lou.
If the shop is charging $2600 for a stock overhaul with a stock remanufactured torque converter, I would admit that he is approx $700-800 than a shop here would charge. I do them for friends and forum members significantly cheaper, because I have little overhead.
If he is providing quality aftermarket upgrades, shift kit, performance converter etc, then the price is better justified.
Again, all my humble opinion.

 

Stock rebuilds here in Long Island run about $1200 - $1400.

Vic

 

Forum Member RichandLisa84 almost had vette toast after the MDL tranny puked a seal a caught fire not long after the install

 

That's way too high.
If you do get a trans from Ebay or somewhere else, were you wanting to have a shop do the swap or were you going to do the work?

 

I got mine for $2800 but mine needed a trans case.
Yes trans go and all that stuff.
I don't know why your whole trans would be shot something should be good.I blew nitrous throuth mine for a year.

 

Well, thanx Pete...Mike does provide all the quality upgrades, as you mentioned, for the $2650...he is the premier builder of trannies in this area, and has a very good rep throughout the Midwest...does an awful lot of work on vettes...the $2650 is his top of the line tranny for performance vettes, so your statement makes a lot of sense...I'm meeting with him today, and I'll report back...Thanx again...

Cheers,
Michael

 

I'd have the shop install it...at 60 years old, I just don't want to lay under the car in my garage, trying to get it all back together....and I already owe Mike for the tow, and the work to find the problem...

Cheers,
Michael

 

Michael,
I would bet a $10 bill that Mike will make you much happier than any trans you buy off e-bay. The transmission is probably the most critical(internally) built piece on the car and attention to detail is required. This is time, and time is money. You and I know this, but I wrote it so the younger members may see it.
I typically spend 25 hours on a 700 build. Gm allows 18 hours (if I recall correctly).
Sami told me that mad dog spent 2 1/2 hours to completely rebuild his trans in front of him. The 2 1/2 hours was from the time the trans hit the bench, until the last of 4 test rides and governor changes.
Imagine, 2 1/2 hours to:
disassemble
clean
overhaul trans
reinstall
road test 4x
4 governor mods
Sami about fell over when I told him 25 hours to build his unit.

 

Well, ya know Pete, maybe age DOES bring wisdom...the only reason I considered the MadDog tranny was because of sticker shock...guess it's just my age, but it's hard to let go of that money that I worked so hard for....anyway, thought you might like to know what I ended up with..I went to the Raptor site that Vader suggested, and took down the parts list from the next to the top of the line tranny, and went to see Mike. Luckily for me, his shop is only a half-mile from my house. I showed him the parts list from Raptor, and we talked over how I was going to use my car, and the Mods, I had, and he said, OK, I think the parts you've got here will work great with what you've got in your car. So, I asked him, "How much"?? Since I had done business with Mike before, and was a repeat customer, and since he has a soft spot in his heart for vettes, he said, "I'll build you the exact same tranny, with the exact same parts, for $1900, and I'll throw in a Transgo shift kit...now I don't remember the price that Raptor had on their tranny, but I said that sounds ok...and the 1900 includes the towing, pulling and replacing the tranny, and he said he would give me an 18 month/18000 mile warranty.
Now Mike has been featured in several magazines, he has them posted in his office, and I have only heard good things about him, so I'm pleased with that price...if anything goes wrong, he's only a 1/2 mile away.....I'm pretty happy, even if I am out $1900

 

Sounds like you are in good hands, and a very reasonable price, considering the upgrades.
In the unlikely event of a problem after the build, it is very nice to have the shop close by. Internet trans sales can be stressful if you have to pull it and mail it back for warrantee reasons. Post the results when you are fixed up

 

Hey Pete nice pun...neutral. Sorry could not resist. Jack

 

I did not even notice my own pun

 

The fact that the guy is Half a mile away makes up for the additional cost.

Saving a buck or two and have things shipped back and forth...dealing with two vendors(re-builder and Installer) I'd just as soon pay the bux with the reputation and the warranty.

 

Thanx, Pete, I value your opinion...I thought he was pretty reasonable...I've spent a little time in his shop, just shootin' the breeze, and mike built my rear-end, too, so I felt pretty comfortable with him. When he was building my rear-end, he invited me back to the shop to watch...mainly because I just presented him with an empty case, some yokes and the gears,and a rebuild kit...I ordered a new posi unit, because my original rearend was a 2:73, and I was going to 3:31, so I needed a 3 series posi, well, wouldn't you know, the posi showed up at his place, delivered by Brown, but it was just an EMPTY BOX....seems the posi fell out the bottom of the box, but they delivered it anyway!!, anyhow, when he finally got the new posi, he invited me to come on by, and watch him set it up, and put it together...quite an experience for a non-mechanic to watch some one who knows what they're doing...I was very pleased...Mike's a really nice guy...

 

If you have a chance, spend a bit of time watching the overhaul of the trans. Lots of interesting stuff inside.

 

Wow, I agree with you. If something happens to the tranny after install, it'll be so frustrating. Especially if you are paying someone to remove and install. It looks like you dont really have a choice. . . but the choice that you have is a good one.

If the tranny doesn't work, we'll send the boys from CF to give him a little talk... =