TheBlizzard

Dropped the 08 GXP off at St.Croix Transmission in St.Croix Falls Wisconsin to get the transmission fully rebuilt by Chris Harmon. From reading he is right up there with Triple Edge Performance when it comes to our transmissions. And Chris is a fair amount cheaper than Triple Edge.

And he always answers his phone!

He is only and hour away from me so I just drove the car to him but I think he also takes trannys shipped in to rebuild as well. I will let him chime in on this thread if he sees it for other details.

I will update this thread as it gets done and give some feedback on the build.

It pains me to get the tranny rebuilt so early on (70k) miles, but at least I won't have to worry about it. My car was totally drivable and not that bad but it had the shuddering and torque converter slip issues while cruising in 4th gear. I didn't want the converter to come apart more and trash the whole tranny.

DavidGXP

iTrader: (14)

Good idea and good luck!
Any upgrades being done, such as gears?

TheBlizzard

No gears, he does quite a bit of stuff to them though, basically all the same upgrades as the street/strip Triple Edge rebuild. Transgo shift kit, Sonnax upgrades, new torque converter, etc.

Hopefully he will chime in and he can explain what he does to them in more detail.

Hawkins04

iTrader: (4)

What kind of turn around time?

DavidGXP

iTrader: (14)

You should really look into having him install some 3.29's with the 7/8" chain while he's in there.
Either way, I'm sure you'll be pleased. Adding the extra steel in the 2nd clutch pack makes a huge difference in shift firmness. (The trans-go shift kit instructions recommend this upgrade).
Sonnax valves are a must, and most shops use their parts.

TheBlizzard

Like three days, that is with him pulling out the tranny and putting it back in.

TheBlizzard

I thought I read somewhere that the 3.29s really kill the gas mileage of the car, is that true? This car will never have a ton of upgrades other than a tune, exhaust and CAI, is a 7/8" chain really needed?

I told him my intentions with the car and what its purpose is, reliability is the main focus along with some performance enhancements. I talked to a guy that did gears and he said its nice but it has its drawbacks for sure.

I guess I will have to ask Chris about the chain before he starts on it Monday.

08GXPLS4

When rebuilding a street light strip use 4T65E- Transgo sk, Sonnax sure cure kit, clutch clearance modifications for 2nd, 3rd, and input. New bearing kit, Washer kit, FWD band, New EPC, AC delco or Bosh for 03 up. AC Delco shift solenoids, Borgwarner TCC PWM solenoid. New chain set, Hardened 4th hub if needed 04 up are hardened. New front sungear (input). New side cover gasket and any parts that are worn or common problems are replaced. I do offer any chain setup for the 4T65E, I like to stay with the factory dual gemini it's much more reliable when your 350WHP or lower. When making more wheel power then i recommend the 7/8th chain and an input shaft upgrade. I used a dual chain setup in my regal from a V8 car for 2 years with no problems, making several 11.8 sec passes. Lots of reliability has to do with the driver not WHP. Our shop does any performance builds from drag cars with trans brakes to diesels. Any other questions I'm available @ harmon4127@gmail.com or 715-541-2558

TheBlizzard

Going to pick the car up today, can't wait, I am getting sick of driving my 05 Tahoe around everywhere, so boring.

Chris (08GXPLS4) said my tranny cooler was so full of metal it took 3 hours on the hot flush to get it all out. Basically the torque converter was metal on metal, shrug..... The brand of torque converter was 'dynamic', he said they are a huge pile of ****, so anyone reading this do not ever use one of these. There were a few other things that were trashed in the tranny as well, I am surprised it functioned as good as it did.

I will post up the results when I drive it home 70 miles today and explain how it feels.

I would like to add that the experience with Chris was great, he kept me up to date with the build through text messages, and always answers his phone no matter what. So any of you guys that need your tranny built I would highly recommend these guys.

TheBlizzard

I have around 90 miles on the car so far:

This whole rebuild along with the Transgo shift kit and along with some tuning makes it feels like a whole different car, the shifts are quick and hard, but not too hard so it is hard on the internals. I turned the DOD off and that in itself makes the car so much more fun to drive, I still get 25.7 mpg on the hwy.

If anybody needs one of these built like mine I would highly recommend this shop, it was $1750 for everything in the build, including them taking out and putting the tranny back in. Turn around time was 3 days.

I will update this as I get more seat time and things break in.

Hawkins04

iTrader: (4)

What was upgraded or replaced?
Edit: missed the post on the upgrades the first time

TheBlizzard

500 miles on it, clutches are starting to break in a bit and the computer is continuing to adapt, the shifts are getting even better as time goes on. Even if my tranny wasn't acting up I would recommend these mods, especially the transgo and the tuning. 25% or above the TC unlocks so it doesn't stress it too much as well.

This car is so much more fun to drive with a transmission that performs along with the engine and suspension.