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The-Violator
05-24-2006, 10:50 PM
Ok I've narrowed it down to the PWerks Stage 1 kit(cuz I'm already in a deep enough hole to be able to afford the Stage 2) and having 3R do it all for me!

3R Racing (local colorado racing shop) (Approx. cost with labor ≈ $1600 and that's assuming it costs me nothing to get my car there in the first place)
PROS:

Local Shop
SRT-4 racing team, i.e., they know their shit
They do all the work
I know it's installed right the first time!

CONS:

Have to find a way to get my car down there without it costing an arm and a leg
Transmission is rebuilt using the same stock parts
have to pay labor fees
Minimum 4 day turn around assuming the broken parts that need to be ordered don't hit any snags along the way.


PWerks Stage 1 (Approx. Cost with shipping = $1250-1300)
PROS:

Transmission Rebuilt with better than factory parts.
Don't have to pay labor fees since I would be doing the R/R myself
Great learning experience for possible future transmission/clutch installs.

CONS:

Minimum wait time looks to be at least 1 week before it's even on it's way back to me.
Have to do the labor myself. Never done a tranny swap or a clutch swap. I would have to do both. The clutch is also the ACT Non-Modular, so I'm not sure if it's going to be much different than the Modular How-to's.
High "X-Factor" for the possibility that something might not get installed or adjusted properly since I've never done it before. Chad was supposed to help me out when the time came, but I think I've got a better chance getting a hold a Jesus before him! :flame:
Still haven't heard much as far as reviews from current Stage 1 and 2 transmission owners, so I'm not sure if it will hold or if it's a pain to drive afterwards or something..


So it basically looks like:
PWerks = Better Tranny, Costs Less(after returning the core), but comes with a small risk of installer error, and also don't know how they drive yet.

3R Racing = Stock Trim Transmission, Costs More due to labor fees, but pretty much guaranteed to work right.

So there you have it folks.. Help me decide!!

VOTE!!!!!

funks
05-25-2006, 02:08 AM
it's not that hard to install the tranny (I've done it before w/ the clutch).. Just need a lift and about 5 hours.

punkrokdood
05-25-2006, 08:57 AM
is your car dead right now? if you feel confident enough to give it a try, I'd hands down say to go with Pwerks.

Tom Joad
05-25-2006, 10:21 AM
Dave (@ pwerks) is one of the coolest vendors I've had the privelage of working with. I can't vouch for the tranny from personal experience, but they're a quality shop with superior customer service. Plus I think you're always at an advantage doing the work yourself if you can since you learn more about your car in the process.

svt2srt4
05-25-2006, 10:22 AM
pwerks:thumb:

punkrokdood
05-25-2006, 12:12 PM
yes, i support pwerks 100%, i have just about every custom piece they make, and i've done buisness with them several times... and will continue to do so :thumb:

The-Violator
05-25-2006, 04:47 PM
Ok THANKS guys, decision made!

PWerks it is!!!

But with an UPGRADE!

I've decided to go with the Stage 2!! By I, I mean the wife said I could... hahaha :thumb:

So I'm waiting to hear back from Jim on a time guestimate, but I just talked to Dave and he said the next core they get is mine.. So PWerks Stage 2 tranny goodness here I come!!

punkrokdood
05-25-2006, 04:51 PM
awesome jason...

i plan on going through them when i need to up my tranny... i'll be lookin to you for some good info :thumb:

The-Violator
05-25-2006, 04:53 PM
awesome jason...

i plan on going through them when i need to up my tranny... i'll be lookin to you for some good info :thumb:

Yeah man, feel free.. I'm gonna try and put my $800 camera in a plastic bag or something with just the lense showing so I can take pics while I work with dirty hands! :lol:

punkrokdood
05-25-2006, 04:55 PM
Yeah man, feel free.. I'm gonna try and put my $800 camera in a plastic bag or something with just the lense showing so I can take pics while I work with dirty hands! :lol:
awesome... if you wrote a tranny swap how-to with pics, you'd be the effin MAN :thumb:

The-Violator
05-25-2006, 04:57 PM
awesome... if you wrote a tranny swap how-to with pics, you'd be the effin MAN :thumb:

haha we'll see.. it's kinda hard to do that kind of detailed information on a job like this.. You have to remove half the underside of the car to get the damn transmission out.. So by the time you do each step with pics, it's already dark... lol

punkrokdood
05-25-2006, 04:58 PM
:werd:

even so, it wouldn't have to be super detailed, if it just pointed out some PITA parts that would be good enough :thumb:

can't wait to hear your thoughts on it

el_jefe
05-25-2006, 05:44 PM
Chad was supposed to help me out when the time came, but I think I've got a better chance getting a hold a Jesus before him! :flame:


Chad Williams? Kinda skinny, goat tee, brown hair? His car is gonna be in GRM next month?

The-Violator
05-25-2006, 10:26 PM
Chad Williams? Kinda skinny, goat tee, brown hair? His car is gonna be in GRM next month?

You know, I don't know his last name.. But he used to live in NorCal then moved here.. Dunno if that's the same person..

el_jefe
05-26-2006, 09:42 AM
You know, I don't know his last name.. But he used to live in NorCal then moved here.. Dunno if that's the same person..


Yeah, thats him. If he is hard to get a hold of, tell him to stop acting like Jeff Lepper. (thats not me, but he'll get it). He's a good guy, but since he is crewing on a race team it would be tough to get him to do your tranny right now.

The-Violator
05-26-2006, 11:54 PM
Yeah, thats him. If he is hard to get a hold of, tell him to stop acting like Jeff Lepper. (thats not me, but he'll get it). He's a good guy, but since he is crewing on a race team it would be tough to get him to do your tranny right now.

Yeah, I know he's a good guy.. That's why I'm busting his chopps.. He's helped me SEVERAL times over the phone when he was in NorCal and I was still in San Diego. I didnt know he was crewing with a race team. He mentioned something about helping out at a race a month or two ago, didn't know it was more than that one time.

lmao just kidding pwerks, you all are doing a fine job!
I would have said great, but I was very unhappy about your sudden shipping policy change and your unwillingness to honor your original quoted price given just the day before! So I gotta throw that in there! :(

The-Violator
05-27-2006, 02:30 AM
Ok well I placed the order today, and they are getting to work on a core they have. They said it should ship out this coming wednesday. w00t!!
They said it would normally ship on Tuesday, but they said something about taking monday off due to some holiday I've never heard of. Basically all I heard was "blah blah blah holiday blah blah blah monday off blah blah blah we're slackers." :rofl:

Coming from IL to CO. So I'm thinking Monday(June 5) or Tuesday(June 6) of the following week I should have it in hand!