Should have taken Tim Sirons advise!

[V8 Perv]

As many of you know I have been trying to get a rebuilt
transmission installed in my blue trike. Some of the members
on the other site strongly recomended Brads Transmission
from Whitehouse Texas so I decided to purchase a rebuilt
transmission from Brads. Tim Siron strongly warned me
about dealing with out of state builders as I was looking
for problems. I thought he just wanted the job to make
the money. We recieved the first tranny and Shane
installed it and it didn't work. So Brads replaces the
tranny with another and Shane installs it (at my exspense)
and it doesn't work either. After a couple weeks I finally
get a call from this Brads and he tells me he shipped both
trannys with a manual shift valve body so he now knows
why they wouldn't shift. Tonight Shane is installing the correct
valve body and I hope this nightmare will come to an end.

Botton line is I see why Tim Siron said I need to find a
local shop to rebuild my transmision. Just wanted to
vent a little as this has been a bitch!

[Butterfly]

If any one understands needing to "vent" it is Eagle and I! We hope this 3rd time fixes your problem! You know what they say..... The third time is the Charm!

[Puff]

Ron,

Shouldn't Brad have gone over that little detail
with you before he ever sent a tranny??

Bill

[sled350]

Ron, It sucks when your toy breaks. With our chevy work trucks we have found local trans shops to be hit or miss. Our solution is to buy a GM factory rebuilt trans, it cost a little more but hold together better.

Howie

[SRF]

Ron, It sucks when your toy breaks. With our chevy work trucks we have found local trans shops to be hit or miss. Our solution is to buy a GM factory rebuilt trans, it cost a little more but hold together better.

Howie

That would be great if GM still built a 350 transmission. I checked and double checked today and no luck. I am trying to get a 400 trans for a truck also and having just as hard of a time with obtaining it.

Shane

[SRF]

Unfortunately the correct valve body was not enough of a solution. The first transmission did have a manual valve body, although did not completely work correctly as a manual either. The only way to get first gear was to shutoff and restart the engine while the shifter was in first range. Second and third worked as a manual valve body should. When I contacted the builder I questioned if there was anyway possible this tranny had a manual valve body or a mix of manual components. Was going to change the valve body on this one before sending it back, but when I dropped the pan had more debris than I was wanting to see, since the valve body was there and I knew fresh parts would have some debris I was still going to give it a try. After removing the filter I found some fiber on the filter thought maybe clutches, but almost seemed to be paper towel lint. I later found out it likely was paper towel lint. I found 2 holes in the filter of a transmission that had only been ran enough to verify the problems. These 2 holes made up my mind I was wasting my time trying to repair the transmission.

The second tranny did not have a manual valve body or at least the governor and some spacers that needed to be changed from manual to auto were already auto components. This transmission did shift automatically but then would slip. When changing valve bodies the manual valve in the body was found to have pits from rust which appears to be the cause of a neutral condition over half of the time when starting from a stop. The new valve body seems to have repaired that after using the manual valve from Ron's stock transmission because the new one with the valve body was bent in shipping. The valve body did not help the slipping while driving though. Rust new and old was found on many components in the pan area of the transmission.

It is amazing how hard it can be to get a quality transmission. I might have a few places to call in the morning, but at this time Boss Hoss replacement is looking like a good decision or rebuilding the stock tranny which was still operating better than either of the replacements.

Shane

[V8 Perv]

After reading Shanes long and technical post here
are my feelings. I GOT FUCKED!

[Els]

Ron, that's a bad story with a so far lousy ending. Sorry to hear this.

Sure makes me appreciate doing business with Stan. I had a few glitches as we often have with new eqpt and Stan had me fixed up before the first bead of sweat from my brow hit the floor. We need to realize that half the deal with our bikes/trikes is who we do business with. Good luck...

Els

[V8 Perv]

Thanks Els, I am really getting exicited about my new trike.
If all goes well it should have it by Augest 21st-24th. Just in
time to visit my favorite little bike rally in Conesville Iowa.

If this 550 HP Dart engine doesn't get me into the
six second 1/8 mile I will give up. Hope to have my
Blue trike fixed by then so I can race it as well. After
we got the 850 Holley on it she really came alive.
So much so that we decided to replace the tranny
as it seemed to be getting weak. All this will come
to an end soon and then can just enjoy life again.

Sorry to all if I was pissing and moaning too much
as after I think about it I have little to complain about
in life. Couple of V8 bikes and a lovely wife and enough
money left for cold beer and a occasional lap dance.
Life is good.....

[gaston 2005 502]

Ron,,
ok we are past the 21st, 22nd and now it's the 23rd. we need pictures of this new trike. H.A.N.O.
On another note, car tire wheel and tires won't be here till monday the 25th, just in time for me not to see them for 6 weeks as i go to work in Korea monday but that's what pays for it,, so i got a good upgrade to deal with when i get home October 6th

Darryl

[V8 Perv]

Darryl, Just found out the new trike is ready for me to
pick up Monday. Will try to get some pics posted when
I can find someone smart enough to do so.

Since this is the topic about my transmission problems
I feel the need to say "I GOT FUCKED BY BRADS TRANSMISSIONS"

[SRF]

Here is a pic of the filter out of the first tranny from Brad's Racing Transmissions. The first one has an honest mistake of the wrong valve body, although something still wasn't right as a manual valve body either because the engine had to be shut off and restarted in 1st to get a 1st gear start. This filter had 2 holes in it which are hard to see but circled in red.

[SRF]

The second tranny appeared to be built with scrap parts that should have been thrown away.


It was delivered with this pan on the transmission.


Rust staining the aluminum case from the other components and the kickdown linkage had a bad rusted are in the center.


Shift linkage badly rusted and more rust stains on the case.


Park linkage and spring badly rusted.


Valve body spacer plate had rust spots all over it and a couple spots had been cleaned up.


Governor cover.



Manual valve.


Servo