DO NOT DO AAMCO. PO had mine done and they never hooked up my torque convertor lock up and took it back again for them to do FIVE things. cant remember what they all were, two were the filter change and rear seal, but they only did one and that was replace the rear seal, i descretely marked four bolts on the pan. none turned. all other things on the invoice said they were done. that guy just shot sh*t up my nose the whole time i asked about the work. NEVER GO TO AAMCO. total bill for a rebuild btw was $$$$3218 OMG. again that was by PO.
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
700r4 blowout thread *ITS DONE!* :)
- Thread starter Avery4jc
- Start date
NateInChandler
1/2 ton status
To all those who dont already know this (yes, you guys who are bashing aamco) all aamco centers are privatly owned franchises, so with that said, if you have a problem with one aamco dont judge them all the same, its like saying that bfg mts are a bad tire, so in that case bfg is a bad company... Avery, send me the freakin thing and ill hook ya up with one of my (hot) builds... And to you guys that have bad things to say towards aamco, let me just tell you this one thing, We Have THE BEST warrenty out of every trans shop that there is and have wayyyy more centers than any other company.. were #2 in the mechanical industry as far as number of centers with midas being #1.... Im sorry that you got supposedly screwed at a aamco, but you get what you pay for and we do offer a CHEAP rebuild for those who dont want all the goodies in their transmissions... Avery, if you decide to use aamco, PM me first and ill call the nearest aamco to you and tell them that i sent you, you WILL not get jacked around at all this way.... Nate
NateInChandler
1/2 ton status
BTW, if your not the guy who paid for the warrenty and the past owner did, Guess what, YOU HAVE NO WARRENTY.... Just a fyi.. Nate
NateInChandler said:
Yeah I'm going with AAMCO...there are two of them in Fresno but I think I'm going to the one on 5015 N. Gates. Ave
Can they rebuild it with the raybestoes clutches, corvette servo and 10 vane pump or am I going to have to order that stuff and take it to them?
MuddinManny
Banned
Avery4jc said:
Avery,
Just a little wisdom dude. You have multiple people telling you to stay away from AAMCO for a reason. It's called E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E. This is a classic example of your needing to stop, take a breath, and do research. I know you need your truck, but if you intend to run 38's and eventually wheel, you need to make a good investiment in your tranny now, especially when you have the monies to do it. There is no reason why you cannot find a good speed shop that does the tranny work you need. YOUR IN CALIFORNIA MAN! SPEED SHOP HAVEN!
You need, IMHO, and it appears to be back by others, to build it with the right parts to hold up. You can get your 700R4 built right for about 1200-1400. Take the time to do it right. AAMCO is a short cut and you get what you pay for. A basic tranny build for an inflated price. Don't short change yourself. Talk to BIGBLAZE433. Mr. Ben had a custom built 700R4 built and is a wealth of information for you. Use CK5 for what it's meant and talk to him. He'll help you out!
Just lookin' out for ya bud. I want you to be happy and I don't want to see you make a mistake. Please listen.
Manny
BTW: If you bring parts to AAMCO, you will NOT receive any type of warranty from them, and still pay the high price.
iono what to tell ya' man. I get things squared away with mad dog and people basically say that his stuff is sh!t and to stay away...that I'd be better off just going to a local shop.
So I get ready to get parts ordered and go through a local shop and then other guys come on and say oh stay away...my brother's cousin's aunt's step son went through them and they got screwed over.
Basically I can't pick something that'll keep everyone happy
Just something to keep in mind. Yeah using other people's wisdom is what life is all about but at the same time you have to be realistic. Like nate said...they are owned by different people so each shop will be different.
I'll call some more places though and see whats up.
So I get ready to get parts ordered and go through a local shop and then other guys come on and say oh stay away...my brother's cousin's aunt's step son went through them and they got screwed over.
Basically I can't pick something that'll keep everyone happy
Just something to keep in mind. Yeah using other people's wisdom is what life is all about but at the same time you have to be realistic. Like nate said...they are owned by different people so each shop will be different.
I'll call some more places though and see whats up.
i actually found this guy local who is reccomended by main steet garage and all the auto shops in town, hes only by word of mouth, he has no buisiness of his own. they bill out all their tranny work to him when they get it. he does it in his spare time at home when not working at the shop there, turnaround time is like 10 days for a full rebuild and you pull it and hell pick it up. a 700 for $500 TC extra. hell of a deal waranteed and everything like aamco, ask around the small shops around you to see if theres any guy like that. dont know if you wanna go that route
yeah thats a good idea too
NateInChandler
1/2 ton status
manny, I dont care what anyone says, aamco has the best warrenty period and they have one or more in every state in the united states, im not gonna start a thrash fest here, but anyone who has ever had problems with a auto tranny knows that theres mulitple things to go wrong, i dont give a crap what maddog or any other performance transmission place builds, it doesnt take rocket science to built a 700R4 (ive done my fair share and they all worked great)... just because two guys had problems with their trannies doesnt mean that aamco is bad.. there is a few centers out there that are shiesters and crooks, and there always will be, but i can assure you that if avery goes to a aamco that i recommend, he will get treated like a king and will get fair prices...
avery, pm me with your address and ill find you the closest center and contact them and tell them the situation, by me calling them first they will know that if anything happens to your trans IM not gonna be a happy camper ( and i do have some power within the company )... im not saying you hafta use aamco, but with the warrenty that we offer and the country wide backing i think its a great choice...BTW, You can take them your performance parts, but leave the kit, convertor, bushings and all the stock stuff up to them, just explain it to them and they will most likely not have a problem... like i said, im not trying to start a war, just go in there with your head held high and let them know whats up... Nate
avery, pm me with your address and ill find you the closest center and contact them and tell them the situation, by me calling them first they will know that if anything happens to your trans IM not gonna be a happy camper ( and i do have some power within the company )... im not saying you hafta use aamco, but with the warrenty that we offer and the country wide backing i think its a great choice...BTW, You can take them your performance parts, but leave the kit, convertor, bushings and all the stock stuff up to them, just explain it to them and they will most likely not have a problem... like i said, im not trying to start a war, just go in there with your head held high and let them know whats up... Nate
yeah the only thing besides a "stock" (or w/e you want to call it) rebuild that I wanted to do was swap out to the 10 vane pump, go to the raybestoes bands and use a corvette servo.
Now what else should I have them do? I bought a .500 valve off of a member here a while back...is that a worthy upgrade as well? I know what the other three do for me but what does this valve do exactly as far as how it'll affect the tranny and the way it performs?
Oh and like I said above I'm going to the one on 5015 N. Gates Ave. here in fresno, Ca. 93722...its only like 5 miles from my house.
Now what else should I have them do? I bought a .500 valve off of a member here a while back...is that a worthy upgrade as well? I know what the other three do for me but what does this valve do exactly as far as how it'll affect the tranny and the way it performs?
Oh and like I said above I'm going to the one on 5015 N. Gates Ave. here in fresno, Ca. 93722...its only like 5 miles from my house.
NateInChandler
1/2 ton status
it depends on which valve you got, but basically it boosts pressure up for a little bit firmer shift and other things... its a great mod and i do it to all of them, the .500 boost is the one i always use, made by sunnox... check your pm avery, ill call them tomorrow and tell them whats up.. nate
thanks!
btw great list you PM'd over
btw great list you PM'd over
MuddinManny
Banned
Hey Avery,Avery4jc said:iono what to tell ya' man. I get things squared away with mad dog and people basically say that his stuff is sh!t and to stay away...that I'd be better off just going to a local shop.
So I get ready to get parts ordered and go through a local shop and then other guys come on and say oh stay away...my brother's cousin's aunt's step son went through them and they got screwed over.
Basically I can't pick something that'll keep everyone happy
Just something to keep in mind. Yeah using other people's wisdom is what life is all about but at the same time you have to be realistic. Like nate said...they are owned by different people so each shop will be different.
I'll call some more places though and see whats up.
I think you kinda missied my point. It's not about going someplace that will make everyone else happy. It's about going someplace that will make YOU happy. I brought the point out about AAMCO because like the others stated above, and it's not the first time I've heard it, that you will not get the best "bang" for your buck. They are going to build a basic tranny for you. If you ask for beef, they may not do it, or they may charge you more than normal and not warranty it. I can definitely speak when I say that if you bring your own parts that they won't warranty it.
When others tell you to not go hear or there, it doesn't mean you can't entertain that shop. Even by talking to them you can gain boat loads of information that you will have to sort out to help make your application "perfected". Remember, just because one person had a bad time doesn't disqualify the shop. It could just mean that they got caught on a bad day or something else. Multiple people can alert you to a problem.
Because you live in Cali, you have a host of speed shops open to you. I don't know how desparate you are to get the truck fixed, but I recall up above that your folks said they will wait for you to make the right decision as they feel you can shop around for the best advantage. I hope you do that. You have a special application and so far, you've been doing your homework as to parts and have been asking questions. Kudos to you!
Here's a game plan, I'd like to suggest:
Open the phone book as you said you have already done.
Make phone calls, talk to them and ask questions.
Tell them what you have and that you need brute strength in the tranny.
Tell them what upgrade parts you've researched and see what they say
TAKE NOTES! Who you talked to, their position, date, time, what they said, suggested-positive and negative.
Get prices
Ask for warranty information
Ask for build time
Ask what the cost all incurs and includes
Ask for referrals
Ask for customers they had problems with and complaints they couldn't resolve or had issues but finally resolved. Any service manager worth his salt will NOT hide this information from you. If they do, walk away. They are hiding something.
If a shop owner/service man asks you why you're asking them these questions, do not be afraid to tell them that you want the best bang for the buck, but want a quality job that will hold up and a shop that will stand by their work. If they have a problem with that, move on.
Speak to multiple shops until you see a pattern start to develope. Prices will be equal or around the same. Warranties as well. But something else will happen. The way business owners talk and treat you will start to stand out and the creme will rise to the top. That's how you can make educated decisions.
Use the Better Business Bureau. They have a web-site: www.bbb.org
Use it! That can help you get a track record of satisfactory customers and complaints.
Avery, as a friend, I don't want to tell you where to go or make the decision for you. I do feel it's my obligation as a friend to give you enough back-ground information to help YOU make an educated and right decision for YOU. When it's all said and done, and your truck is buried to the headlights in MUD, the satisfaction comes in that your tranny hasn't failed because YOU did everything you could to get the best builder. This process repeats itself in life over and over again. Learn it now, so you will be prepared when you have larger purchase decisions to make down the road.
On the flip-side:
I have spent close to $40K on my truck following this pattern. I've gotten the best customer service, product support and everything I need for a rock solid build. I paid more with some shops than others for the same part because the customer service far outweighed the $20.00 or shipping difference. Product support means the world to me! Out of that $40K, I've made $400.00 worth of "bad" decisions. That's a 1% margin of error. I think that says a lot. I'm not always right, but here I believe I know what I'm talking about.
Like I said, I'm for ya dude. Just trying to steer you out of making costly mistakes.
Sorry if I offended.
Manny
Last edited:
Thanks and yeah I understand where you are coming from.
nate is going to call my local AAMCO and talk with the manager and tranny builder to check them out. He has a list of goodies that he put in his 700r4 that he is going to chat w/ them about to see if they can build the same thing for me.
83ZZ502_Jimmy
1/2 ton status
I sincerely hope it works out for you.
John
John
Avery4jc said:
They don't put any of that in there, not even the billet servo. Just some aftermarket corvette servo. It's total crap, im not the only person either. Do alittle search on thirdgen about mad dog. When I got mine it was painted over grease, not "hot tanking" that they claimed done there, all crap from the yard. Both trannies blew. He told me that they were just "breaking in" go ahead and put some tranny additive in there. Big help after only 20 miles on both
danny7139 said:They don't put any of that in there, not even the billet servo. Just some aftermarket corvette servo. It's total crap, im not the only person either. Do alittle search on thirdgen about mad dog. When I got mine it was painted over grease, not "hot tanking" that they claimed done there, all crap from the yard. Both trannies blew. He told me that they were just "breaking in" go ahead and put some tranny additive in there. Big help after only 20 miles on both
well you don't have to worry about it b/c I'm staying local...like I said above I'm checking out this AAMCO to see what they can do.
Nate called them from his shop today and talked to the manager so he knows I'm coming.
I'll go chat with him and see what kind of price I'm looking at for them to rebuild it with the parts nate suggested...then we'll go from there.
chevy wrangler
1/2 ton status
good luck avery
thanks...here's the list of stuff that I'm going to ask him about, I'm ditching first period in the morning and taking my truck over to the shop...that way they can get started assuming everything goes as planned.
I figure this will give them all day tomorrow and all day friday...then the weekend they don't work but still...hopefully they have a quick turn around time...I figured three days but I don't know what parts they have locally.
ooo btw props up to Nate for helping me out w/ everything!
I figure this will give them all day tomorrow and all day friday...then the weekend they don't work but still...hopefully they have a quick turn around time...I figured three days but I don't know what parts they have locally.
ooo btw props up to Nate for helping me out w/ everything!
- "beast" sunshell
- “batman” style planets
- (5 pinion)
- late style sprags
- (these are stronger, double caged ones)
- 10 vane pump
- .500 boost valve
- Trans-Go “No Yo-Yo” steel front pump rings
- (the valve body would need a tweek or two but nothing much)
- 4th gear billet servo
- ATC (axiom) GM18A convertor
- All new bushings, washers and bearings
It sounds like you should be good Avery even better than going to the best shop is having the inside line. I go to certain shops because I know poeple there. I know I will get treated good. With Nate calling them you should be cool if the manager is even part human.
