Finally bit the big one, bought a goodwrench tranny for STE.

[dbtk2]

So after fighting with this stupid car for almost 14 months I went to the local GM dealer and ordered a GM Goodwrench tranny for it. They come with 3 year/100,000 mile warranty, and with tax AND the $225 core charge it is still going to come out to a hair under $2k.

 

With as much trouble as the first tranny gave me, then the trouble the short lived second trans gave me, and then this trans I just put in the car that was given to me by the shop that built the second one telling me it was partly put together, so I didn't go back and check what they did I just put together the rest of it, but apparantly they didn't do something right because it doesn't work right. So I figured I should just go for this one and in the long run save myself lots of time and money. This way I can beat on the car for 3 years and if the trans goes, a new one is free.

 

I'll go pick up the trans next week and it should be in by the new year. Then I'll have 4 months to get it tuned to see what it actually runs with this setup (should be in the mid 13's based on what I found before the trans went), then comes the new cam, turbo, injectors, etc... and it should see 12's by the end of '06.

 

I figured I would let you guys know the progress on it.

 

Shawn

[chadz34]

Jeez, that's expensive, but you better keep us updated!

[sl3196]

I put one of those into my cutlass and it lasted a whole 40k before it blew. I probably would have been better off buying used and saving some money. Hope yours works better then mine did!

[J]

just amke sure to drive it like you stole it, so if there are any internal gremlins, they show their face before the warranty is up. Oh and congrats, i'm gonna make the drive to see that car this summer. Later Jay

[dbtk2]

With the plans I have for this car, I figure this trans will be great considering the warranty it has. With the way I drive and how frequently I plan on racing this car within the next year it will definately test the trans. A rebuild from any trans shop would cost me AT LEAST $1k and their warrantys are crap. (like 6 month, 6k miles) Yeah, this trans is $700 more than that (after I return my core its going to be like $1725), but with the warranty it comes with, and knowing it will work right after I go through the trouble of putting it in (which hasn't been the case with the others), it just seems to be worth it to me. And since my car only has 79k on it anyways, the 100k warranty (assuming I put those miles on in the first 3 years) means that this trans is garunteed to outlast the original one.

 

I figure with what I want to do with this car I can beat on it at the dragstrip, put slicks on it and run full boost off the line, and if the trans goes I have no worries other than taking it out and installing the new one, which by now I've gotten pretty damn good at. Before I was always worried about this and that is what has held me back with all my turbo cars. (the STE, Lumina, and my dads TGP) With slicks and launching with 12psi, mid 13's will be simple.

 

I put one of those into my cutlass and it lasted a whole 40k before it blew. I probably would have been better off buying used and saving some money. Hope yours works better then mine did!

 

Did you get the AC Delco trans or the Goodwrench trans? The AC delco trans is like $1550 and only has a 2 year/24k mile warranty. So thats why I figured I spend the extra $200 and go for the goodwrench with the extra year and 76,000 mile warranty. If it goes out in 40k (which with my plans I'll be amazed if it doesn't) I'll get a new one.

 

just amke sure to drive it like you stole it, so if there are any internal gremlins, they show their face before the warranty is up. Oh and congrats, i'm gonna make the drive to see that car this summer. Later Jay

 

If there are any problems with the trans they will DEFINATELY show up before the warranty is over. I don't know what kind of w-body meets are being planned for the summer, but I definately plan on attending any of them that I am able to. You should definately have plenty of chances to see the car, and go for a ride in it and whatnot. Before the trans went the power this thing made would've spanked the shit out of my Lumina (just imagine the Lumina with the power it had plus ported heads, cam, and ported exhaust manifolds), so with the plans I have for the engine with the new trans, this thing should really run well.

 

I just can't decide if I want to get a GT2871R turbo for this car, or if I want to put a 330hp crate engine in my T/A.....its a very tough decision.

 

 

I'll keep you guys updated on the progress.

 

Shawn

[pwmin]

u def need to get ridda that pos 305. 4.56? :shock: and i thought my 4.11's were bad

 

sounds like a good choice actually on the tranny. having someone rebuild them just isnt a great idea. its about impossible to warranty them well enough. hanser's out of washington (iirc) does a good job with rebuilt/warrantied trannies too, but youre safe with goodwrench unless gm goes out of business soon

[slick]

The lumina was a fun ride!

 

Shawn, I cannot wait to see this car next summer!

[dbtk2]

u def need to get ridda that pos 305. 4.56? :shock: and i thought my 4.11's were bad

 

sounds like a good choice actually on the tranny. having someone rebuild them just isnt a great idea. its about impossible to warranty them well enough. hanser's out of washington (iirc) does a good job with rebuilt/warrantied trannies too, but youre safe with goodwrench unless gm goes out of business soon

 

As for the T/A I have a .63 overdrive gear, so with 4.56's its like having a 2.87 gear and no OD when I'm in 5th. Down the freeway at 80 it will only rev ~2700rpm. Right now with 3.42's it doesn't spin fast enough down the freeway, at 80 its just barely hitting 2000rpms, and since in some spots in OH I really HAVE to drive 65 the car just doesn't do very well in traffic, revs are too low and I find myself shifting A LOT. I'm considering only going with 4.10's though because looking at the numbers I might have to go to 5th gear in the 1/4 at the speeds I am planning on running and thats not gonna work out. The car was not intended to be a daily driver, I got it fairly cheap and it just something to play with, I just don't have a choice but to drive it right now, and it is BY FAR the slowest car I've ever owned. But eventually I'm getting a 330hp crate engine for it and then I'm going to put a blower on top of that. I want to run in the low 12's eventually, but for right now that project is kinda on hold.

 

I'm thinking GM won't be going out of buisness in the next 3 years so I'm not to worried about that on the tranny. I've taken transmission classes at school (I go to a tech school and I'm getting a degree in Automotive High performance) and I passed the classes with good grades so apparantly they think I could rebuild one with no problem, but since the experienced people that have tried to rebuild it couldn't do it, I don't really want to tackle it myself so I figured instead of paying a shop like $1k+ to do it and get virtually no warranty, I might as well just go with the GM one. I'm sure when I tell my dad what I did he'll probably tell me it was stupid, but personally I think its really the perfect option for me.

 

Shawn

[slick]

Don't you get a discount since you are a student there at Northwestern?

[dbtk2]

Don't you get a discount since you are a student there at Northwestern?

 

I already got parts at wholesale before I started going there anyways. (and the discount through the school isn't as good as wholesale) However, for the trans they sell it to everyone for wholesale price or at least thats what the guy was telling me. Its close to like 3k regularly.

 

Shawn

[pwmin]

i have a 700 86 camaro (4 sp OD obv.) and im at like 3K at 75 with 4.11's elsd. mines def no daily driver either. maybe the 4.56's would be ok esp in a 5sp. what crate motor you looking at?

[z284pwr]

Meh, Turbo for STE, save for a REAL BUILT motor for T/A, Crate motors For the lose 330 HP, that is one weak Crate motor Stoker 383, bad ass cam, procharger for the win :shock:

[dbtk2]

i have a 700 86 camaro (4 sp OD obv.) and im at like 3K at 75 with 4.11's elsd. mines def no daily driver either. maybe the 4.56's would be ok esp in a 5sp. what crate motor you looking at?

 

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the 350 "HO". Its 330hp/380ft.lbs. and with my GM discount I can get it for around $1800. Off the top of my head the specs are 9.1:1 compression, 1.94" intake/1.55" exhaust, cam is .435" intake/.460" exhaust, 212/224 duration. The specs might be slightly different but thats what I remember. Should be okay to start with.

 

Meh, Turbo for STE, save for a REAL BUILT motor for T/A, Crate motors For the lose 330 HP, that is one weak Crate motor Stoker 383, bad ass cam, procharger for the win :shock:

 

I don't really need anything more built then what I'm going with. I just want a nice weekend driver and something I can take to the strip and race in street trim and be in the 12's somewhere. I don't want to have a cage, and I don't want to have to get frame ties and all that good stuff. Not only that, but a T5 can't handle a lot of power and neither can a 10 bolt. So to make more power than what I'm looking for it will cost a lot of money, I don't want to change the trans and rear end and all that. I can get a 330hp 350 crate engine for $1800 and drop it in, run it on regular gas (since its only 9.1:1 compression) and then later when I want to go faster I can put a blower on it or twin turbos or whatever, and with a blower or twin turbo's I could really get to just about any power level I wanted with the right setup. If you go with anything much more than a 330hp crate engine the prices jump significantly and your into like $3-4k instead of less than $2k, and being in college and working at KMart I'm not looking to spend a lot obviously. A 383 with a big cam and a procharger is WAY more than I'm looking for. Not only that but a 330hp crate 350 is still double the power I have now. For some reason I have a hard time believing that when you were 18 you would've been able to afford what you're telling me to do.

 

Shawn

[GP1138]

Good to hear you're getting her fixed up. I want to ride in it next summer, since I missed the chance to ride in the turbo Lumina at the last meet I went to.

[z284pwr]

For some reason I have a hard time believing that when you were 18 you would've been able to afford what you're telling me to do.

 

Shawn

 

Hey no no, I was just saying, from your plans for the STE, I wasn't going budget wise here

 

And actually, at 18, I could have....I can give you the list of what I did to my '88 Beretta thru high-school if you want :shock: it was bad....

 

But anyways, you make a good point, if you just want a weekend cruiser, go for it, I have to remember my altitude also plays a big factor, my cousin's '79 Z/28 built 383/700-R4 was only running mid/low 14s with crap traction and not pullin on top-end at 4400 feet, so your crate motor running 12s I say no way....but then oh yeah, altitude plays a big factor. Good luck with it though, i'm sure it will be a fun little ride, both of them 8)

[dbtk2]

For some reason I have a hard time believing that when you were 18 you would've been able to afford what you're telling me to do.

 

Shawn

 

Hey no no, I was just saying, from your plans for the STE, I wasn't going budget wise here

 

And actually, at 18, I could have....I can give you the list of what I did to my '88 Beretta thru high-school if you want :shock: it was bad....

 

But anyways, you make a good point, if you just want a weekend cruiser, go for it, I have to remember my altitude also plays a big factor, my cousin's '79 Z/28 built 383/700-R4 was only running mid/low 14s with crap traction and not pullin on top-end at 4400 feet, so your crate motor running 12s I say no way....but then oh yeah, altitude plays a big factor. Good luck with it though, i'm sure it will be a fun little ride, both of them 8)

 

That 4400 feet is obviously going to make a huge difference, plus a '79 Z is significantly heavier than my car. My trans has less power loss as well, and I don't know what he has for a rear gear, but I'll have at least a 4.10 maybe a 4.56. I don't plan on having traction problems, it actually launches pretty good. And When I drop in the crate engine it will be getting ud pulleys and an electric water pump which together should be good for at least 10hp. 12's with just the crate engine will be a chore I admit that, but after the blower 12's will be really easy.

 

Just curious how much you really put into your Beretta....got an estimate on total invested?

 

Shawn

[z284pwr]

For some reason I have a hard time believing that when you were 18 you would've been able to afford what you're telling me to do.

 

Shawn

 

Hey no no, I was just saying, from your plans for the STE, I wasn't going budget wise here

 

And actually, at 18, I could have....I can give you the list of what I did to my '88 Beretta thru high-school if you want :shock: it was bad....

 

But anyways, you make a good point, if you just want a weekend cruiser, go for it, I have to remember my altitude also plays a big factor, my cousin's '79 Z/28 built 383/700-R4 was only running mid/low 14s with crap traction and not pullin on top-end at 4400 feet, so your crate motor running 12s I say no way....but then oh yeah, altitude plays a big factor. Good luck with it though, i'm sure it will be a fun little ride, both of them 8)

 

That 4400 feet is obviously going to make a huge difference, plus a '79 Z is significantly heavier than my car. My trans has less power loss as well, and I don't know what he has for a rear gear, but I'll have at least a 4.10 maybe a 4.56. I don't plan on having traction problems, it actually launches pretty good. And When I drop in the crate engine it will be getting ud pulleys and an electric water pump which together should be good for at least 10hp. 12's with just the crate engine will be a chore I admit that, but after the blower 12's will be really easy.

 

Just curious how much you really put into your Beretta....got an estimate on total invested?

 

Shawn

 

Yeah good points, I didn't know what your the T/A was so I was kinda at a loss, he is running a Posi 4:10 I do believe, no traction bars yet though, and BF Street "slicks" I think they are, I forgot, with pizza cutters. It has been a pretty hack job, they have no idea on timing, carb is terribly tuned, so I have to go in next spring and tune the Fuel Injection kit he bought for it. I'm going to guess you aren't doing much driving as an electric water pump doesn't do "very" good job cooling at low speeds. However I will suggest a new radiator, I don't know the company but him and us got a newer "race" radiator aluminum, really nice and pretty cheap to, was a bit taller than stock, but the mount is easily modified to fit, just a suggestion too?

 

Anyways on the Beretta.....I worked basically full time all thru high school at Wendys.....yes I know....it was some pretty fun times actually, anyways, total invested before I got the TGP MINUS the motor was 5-6K I believe.

Stereo - $1k

Wheels/Tires - $1k

GFX - $1k

New paint - $1k

2nd set of tires - $500

Tint - $250

And who knows what else, it kind of leveled off because after all that was going for performance....so this is where it got expensive...

Engine - $alot....more the $4k *$4,8xx I believe? I'm crazy I know, oh well.....

Haltech E6k - $1800

Turbo - $150 + $500 rebuild

Intercooler - $250

Fidanza Flywheel $ 250

Misc. Turbo lines hoses and stuff $300-$400

Oil Scavange Pump $200

42 lb/hr injectors - $259?

Nice ass Autometer Gauges - $400 total

 

Yeah as you can tell all the money I made went to the car pretty much, other than insurance, the car was free since it had 200,000+ miles on it and parents drove it daily since Brand new when they bought it in April of '88

 

Yeah I'm nuts I know, but damn what we learned from it was a nice learning experience.

Oh yeah, end result.....turbo wouldn't drain oil so it all got shot thru the compressor outlet into the hoses. So we bagged the Beretta deal, and got the TGP since it already had the turbo, and just put the built turbo engine into it. Oh and yeah we do still have the Beretta, it has the engine that came out the TGP, we don't think its the original TGP engine though, and its still running the Haltech, daily driven at 25 MPH on my own tuning.

 

Here is an idea of what we did...

Started with...

End....

 

But yeah, good luck again, I can't wait to see the progress on both of them, make sure we get pictures too, can never have enough pictures

[dbtk2]

Thats an assload to put in a Beretta....DAMN! :shock: :shock: For that kinda cash I definately would've gone out and bought a LS1 WS6 T/A. How and why would you put almost $5k into the engine!?!? Isn't it like a 2.8? I have right at $7k into the STE including the initial cost of it ($1800) and the cost of the trans ($1800). So basically I've put about $3500 into it, and thats including all repairs (the halfshafts I've snapped, a new radiator, brakes, etc..). Plus the $1500 I paid for the T/A. So total invested is about $9k between the two cars which I paid for working at A&W as a cook for 1.5yrs. (started as soon as I turned 16) through high school.

 

But living on my own and being in college its pretty tough to be able to afford very much now. I work almost full time at K-Mart now(usually 35-38hrs. a week) but between rent and bills and student loan payments all that good stuff I can't put too much into the cars now. I graduated at 17 and started college at 17. The plan is to hopefully just get the crate engine in the T/A and the turbo in the STE before I graduate. But, we'll see how it turns out.

 

I will definately be posting the progress of both projects. Once I get the trans in the STE you'll be hearing a lot more about that. Mostly just tuning stuff until spring, then tons about track times and whatnot. For the T/A I won't post as much because this isn't an F-body forum but I'll definately post my rediculously slow track times that I get with the 305 and then the improvements I made with each mod, and you'll be seeing pics of both cars as they progress as well. Right now though the STE is pretty much how I want it other than a few interior mods I want to do and the turbo so you won't be hearing a lot about mods for it, just track times.

 

Next time I go home I'll be stuffing the trans in there so it shouldn't be long now...

 

Shawn

[pwmin]

def keep us posted. are you going to post any information in any of the f-body forums?

[dbtk2]

I don't frequent the f-body forums although I am a member of thirdgen.org and another one (which I didn't like obviously since I don't even remember what it was), so I probably won't, but I may post a thing or two on the thirdgen board. Most of it will probably be questions asking what I should do though.

 

Shawn

[pwmin]

coo. im on ls1, thirgen, and co f-b but i only look on the local forums on 3g and ls1. i dont care much for 3g: a lot of info, but a lot of bs. noone will care if you post it on here. i hate f-b.com.

[maybe2fast]

GM tranny or not that motor is going to rip that 440t4 to pieces

[pwmin]

thats the point of getting one with a warranty

[slick]

Shawn, do you stay in Lima more than back home then?

[dbtk2]

Shawn, do you stay in Lima more than back home then?

 

Yes definately. As I said I work pretty much full time (35-38hrs/week) here and I go to class 20hrs a week, so there really is no time to go home. I try to go home for a couple days once or twice a month though. Major holidays I definately go home for...thanksgiving, christmas, new years obviously.

 

GM tranny or not that motor is going to rip that 440t4 to pieces

 

This I know........ like was said:

thats the point of getting one with a warranty

 

Basically I know my Lumina was on the edge of being able to put its power through a 440T4. At times the trans in that showed signs of not wanting to hold up to the power. Then to think that the STE has everything that the Lumina had for mods plus P&P'ed 3x00 heads, 3x00 intakes, ported exhaust manifolds, and a cam. So its probably safe to say that it will rip the trans to shreds. But I'm garunteed a working trans for 3 years and they're not that difficult to swap so its worth it to me. Then after the 3 years it will probably get a 284 or the new 6 speed one that GM came out with.

 

Shawn