nicholas1978

I've decided to get my transmission, a manual T56, and the clutch rebuilt. I have no mechanical knowledge, at least not enough to get the transmission out myself. I know of a local shop with a good reputation, and I was wondering what I should expect to pay to have the tranny pulled, rebuilt back to stock specs, have the clutch fixed(rebuilt), and have it all put back together again. I don't want to over pay, so please, anyone out there that can give an accurate estimate, please reply!

thesource

iTrader: (60)

Labor to r&r trans $250-$350
Typical trans rebuild (out of car) $800-$1500 depending on what is wrong with it
clutch kit with flywheel and slave cylinder $450-$800 depending on the clutch
Fluid $18-30 depending on fluid used

Hope this gives you a basic guide to know whether the price you get locally is fair or not.

Ferocity02

iTrader: (60)

Honestly, it will be cheaper and better to send it to one of the sponsors that specialize in the T56s.

nicholas1978

Well guys, I decided to go with AAMCO in Gastonia, NC for a few reasons. I misunderstood them at first. They are going to rebuild the transmission(the parts that normaly wear with age) with OEM parts for $1000. At first they said they'd fix the problem for between $1000-1500. But in reality they are rebuilding it, and the extra $500 would have been for anything unexpected. They also are rebuilding the clutch(master and slave cylinder) for $400, and giving me a loaner van for free. They said it'd be ready Wed. morning. So, worst case cenario $1500 for the tranny plus $400 for the clutch is $1900, and best case would be $1400 with a 1 year warranty including parts and labor. Do you guys think that's a good deal?

thesource

iTrader: (60)

Aamco typically sucks!

t/a98

iTrader: (6)

Yea. Never understood why people ask our opinion then go the opposite route... Local shops usually screw you and our sponsors here may seem more expensive but In the long run you will save money and have a higher quality build. It's just the parts that go into it it's the knowledge. I would much rather have a guy that builds some of the fastest transmissions and does only a select few all day every day than the guy who fixes broken parts on every tranny under the sun.

Ferocity02

iTrader: (60)

Lets see, you can buy a new slave and master for about half they price they are charging you for a rebuild. And you can get your trans rebuilt with upgraded parts for under $1000 shipped both ways, by people who KNOW T56's and work on them everyday. Not by AAMCO which maybe sees the inside of one T56 a year (just a guess). So no, that's not a good deal. Only good thing is that you got a loaner car to drive around. That was nice of them.

I'm curious what parts they are replacing. Make sure you get a list of everything they swapped and have them save the old parts for you so you know what was replaced.

NHRATRANSAM64

iTrader: (12)

I would go with Tick shift. They are not very far away from you. And specialize in the T56. Give them a call and see what they can do for you. I know their quality is top notch and customer service is incredible.

www.tickperformance.com

Fry_

Seriously you live an hour and a half from Tick Performance and your going to a freaking AAMCO, they're like the Jiffy Lube of transmission shops.

nicholas1978

I understand what all you are saying. The reason I didn't go with tick or another builder is because I don't have the equipment to get the tranny out myself. The local shop here in Blacksburg refused to work on it, but did say they'd pull it and reinstall it when it came back for $350. But, then there was the problem of where to store the car while tick rebuilt mine. I wasn't about to pay storage for 2 or 3 weeks. Plus, I'd still have to pay the local guys to rebuild the clutch on top of the $350, so for me, it just seemed alot more convenient and less time consuming to go with AAMCO. They say I'll have it back Wed. morning. I'm going to a local 8th mile track (Shady Side) on Thursday night to see how good of a job they did. I also told the people at AAMCO that very same thing, so they better do it right, or they'll be doing it again!

nicholas1978

I should've done more research with Tick. If I find out that they would done the same thing in the same time frame, I'll feel like a dumbass, but I looked at there website and it looked to me like they don't do the install or clutch work, pretty much just build great transmissions all day. I was thinkin' I'd be without a car for up to 3 weeks, and that's not an option.
And for T/a98, the first question I asked was about transmission shops, so don't be a cry baby because someone didn't take your advise. I have a stock car. I don't drag race every weekend, not that there's anything wrong with that, I just needed my transmission fixed with a full one year warranty including parts and labor(included pulling the tranny out the reinstalling it. As far as I know, most of these transmission factories don't fool arould with that kinda stuff, just the tranny itself. Sorry to have offended anyone. I'll report back on how the car runs, what parts were replaced, and the final cost sometime on Wed. when I get her back.

nicholas1978

$1200 got me all maintenance on my tranny, plus my major issue fixed in the tranny and a whole new clutch kit. There isn't any comparision to the car it was before this service. It really drives like a different car. With a nationwide warranty on parts and labor, I don't see how it could be a bad deal, but I'm sure some of you haters will have your snide comments anyway.

nicholas1978

Oh yeah, just wanted to add that the service was done at AAMCO in Gastonia, NC. Those guys even installed a short throw shifter that I picked up and delivered to them for free. And I know it was free, because they installed it after all the other service was paid for!

Sales@Tick

iTrader: (3)

We do everything from selling parts, building T56s and Tr6060s, to installing bolt-ons, blowers, turbos, nitrous, building engines, all the way to building 7-8 sec 1/4 drag cars, there simply isnt anything we wont do when it comes to LSX Performance. It sounds like you got a great deal in what you did purchase for your rebuild. Keep in mind our level one rebuild is a BIG upgrade over the stock T56. If you ever have to go down that road again or are ever looking to step into the performance side and want stuff done to your car, please give us a call we will be grateful for your business!!!!

Todd Neyman

yea i was going to add, i think he was looking to go the OEM route. not everyone wants to turn their car into a racecar...

thesource

iTrader: (60)

If they charged you $1200 for the entire job including parts, I really doubt they even touched the transmission. You probably got a clutch job with hydraulics and new fluid in the transmission. There is no way that they could rebuild the transmission plus all the other parts for $1200.

NHRATRANSAM64

iTrader: (12)

Even the occasional cruiser / twice a year drag car should have a smooth shifting T56. All it takes is one missed gear and and there goes your junk stamped steel key or a shift fork. Especially with stock clutch hydraulics.


nicholas1978,

Good luck with your build. Hope everything works out for you. Let us know how it turns out. I am picking up my rebuilt trans from Rick with RKT56 tomorrow. I am pretty excited to bang gears again. I haven't had 3rd gear in over a year. (I don't drive the car often)

Which clutch did you end up going with?

nicholas1978

Well Guys, Looks like you may have been right about them not doing everything they claimed. The clutch seems nice, and the gears are too, all except 4th(which was the problem in the first place along with the clutch). I started noticing problems a couple hundred miles after I got the car back. I contacted them Friday, they assured me the work was under warranty and would be fixed. This time though, I'm gonna make sure they show me what they replaced, and explain to me why it wasn't done the right way in the first place. I admit that I was wrong not to have contacted Tick. I was just really trying to make it easy on the people that were going to be helping me get from place to place while my car was in the shop. Not to mention that I really trusted the person I delt with at AAMCO. Oh well...live and learn!

Ferocity02

iTrader: (60)

SStolen

iTrader: (22)

That sucks. There really are some things you should always upgrade no matter if the car is a DD or a drag car. Upgrading the 3/4 shift fork is one of the main things but replacing the stock keys with Billet keys is another basic in my opinion. You said yourself you are going to the track this weekend. Like mentioned above, it only takes one time, stock car or not. I blew up my first tranny on a stock motor with nothing more than a lid and cutout making 330rwhp; I wasn't even running drag radials then.

I hope I'm wrong but I think you will not get anywhere with AAMCO. They will probably work on it again and you'll have the same outcome. You really should have driven the car to TICK in the first place as close as they are (sorry man, that is just a no brainer) which is what you will probably end up doing anyway. Good luck. Let us know how it works out.