Online Transmission Rebuilder Recommendations?

[MMcc]

Hey fellas - I'm about ready to hit BUY on a remanufactured 4L60E for a DIY install.
Do you have any insight/opinions of online sources?

Top of my list are:
BestBuyTransmissions.com 100k mi 5 yr warranty $1800 shipped
SPPrecision.com 3 yr unlimited mile $1840 shipped

Warranties dont pay labor if I self-install. Kinda worthless anyway b/c they pay <$50/hr if a shop does it.

Both claim to make similar upgrades but who can really say!...

 

[stutaeng]

I don't have any experience on those on-line places...

But why not find a local rebuilder? Seems you are in a big city, so finding a reputable place with warranty shouldn't be too difficult. Just a thought.

 

[MMcc]

Well there's a thought. I shopped around town for a shop to do the whole job ($3300) but didnt think about the possibility of pulling it myself, having them rebuild, then stabbing it back in myself. It'd add some time, but now that I have a garage...no big deal.
Guess I have some phone calls to make!

 

[Schurkey]

Warranty on a mail-order trans (or engine) is problematic.

Who pays for shipping? Who pays for fluids? Who pays for labor, and at what "shop rate"? Are the "shop supplies" and "Environmental Fees" included?

Generally, the warranties are written to discourage a customer from using the warranty. Which, of course, makes the "warranty" worthless.

 

[Erin]

Warranty on a mail-order trans (or engine) is problematic.

Who pays for shipping? Who pays for fluids? Who pays for labor, and at what "shop rate"? Are the "shop supplies" and "Environmental Fees" included?

Generally, the warranties are written to discourage a customer from using the warranty. Which, of course, makes the "warranty" worthless.

Speaking from experience, I’d take it out & bring it to a local shop. I had to send mine out of state for warranty five months after I bought it. Cost me around $400.

 

[Erin]

I also had to pay a shop in town to confirm it needed to be serviced.

 

[kennythewelder]

When you do the trans, you really need to replace the torque converter too. A coworker did a mail order 4L60E. He had to end up putting in his OE valve body into that trans to get it to work rite. In February, I blew my 4L60E in my 97. I had it performance rebuilt with a HD master rebuild kit, hardened and thicker sunshell, Corvette survos, a new torque converter, flushed out the lines, and all I did was drive the truck there, and pick it up once they were done. They gave me a 2 year, 24,000 mile warranty. All this for $2800. Well they also installed a shift kit, and turned up the pressure on the regulator. Well 2 months later, I broke the final output shaft. I had the truck towed back to the same shop, and they pulled it again, replaced everything again, along with the case that broke when the output shaft broke. Reflushed the lines, ECT, and the only thing it cost me, was the tow there. I told them to leave out the shift kit, and put the pressure back to OE. Its been grate since. Nice crisp sharp shifts. It will bark a second at 3/4 throttle and above. But the shifts are not supper hard. So buy the time you buy a torque converter, add all of the trans fluid, ECT, is it really worth saving maybe $300-$400???, And you have to do all of the work your self. Shop around, and find a trans shop, that does or has done some drag racing, or that build transmissions for people that do.

 

[sweetk30]

i have been dealing with greg for years now . he is a SOLID member over on ck5.com ( Greg Ducato ) . https://www.phoenixtrans.com/

he has sold a lot of trans to guys all over the usa for us members. he has sent me parts i needed and even modified stuff i sent him EXACTLY how i wanted it to shift 1st time .

call greg up and talk with him first . he is top notch . . . tell him sweetk30 sent you

 

[Erik the Awful]

Most reputable shops won't warranty their work if the customer does the removal and installation. There are too many guys out there who could screw up pouring water out of a pitcher if you told them the instructions were on the bottom. Transmission shops absolutely hate it when a customer doesn't get the three clunks on torque converter installation, they tighten the transmission down and crush the innards, and then they blame the shop.

So now you have to weigh how risk averse you are against the cost. How pissed are you going to be if that mail order transmission is dorked? Can you afford to have the truck down for a month while you ship parts back and forth and send emails defending your ability to properly install a transmission?

Can you find a reputable transmission builder locally? How long will they have the truck for? How much more are they going to cost?

 

[MrPink]

I am with all the others find a local shop. Have them do everything. Don't do a mail order trans, too much hassle and what ifs. I have 2 places by me that will rebuild a trans to my spec for what I want to do for right under 3k. One builds diesel and drag race transmissions, the other is a local guy that's been doing this for 50yrs. For what I want I am going with the one that does drag transmissions as I will be putting at minimum 600hp through the 4l80E.