Derby trans builders

[dreed121]

I burnt up a th350 that was built by a kind of local guy saturday,on its second run…but I have a short tail 400 for core to turn in to sum1

[lincoln]

I’d never run a Punisher. Too many horror stories and now I know why they lose reverse all the time.

I’ll stick with my local guy who stands by his product, answers questions, and turn around time is awesome.

Most of these “name brand” guys won’t even talk to you or tell you what’s in or not in their trans.

[dreed121]

That’s good to know! Thanks for that input…been watching Precision Transmission on YouTube,from Amarillo,Tx…sent them a message for a quote

[dreed121]

He had 3 vids of th400 builds for someone outta Kansas,for smash up derby purposes

[cheezwhiz31]

I have Ran one from someone that Gropp used way back in the day. Seemed to work minus TQ took a shit.

Then we got 6 MTS and they didn't seem to work worth a crap. Think 1 of out them made it for couple runs.

Used a local guy for a while and they work but don't last 5 shows.

Found another local guy and have had pretty good luck with them ones.

Been running punishers for 5 years now (gone though 8 or so through that time be it broke or burned) Usually good for one show at least.

Got one from a guy Nerat uses and it burned up in the field before show.

Have 2 Diver performance ones now and they both have been though one show and seem to do really good will find out next time.

Now going to try getting couple different local guys to go through the ones i've cooked and see if i can get a good one.

[dreed121]

Oct 8, 2021 9:51:31 GMT -5 cheezwhiz31 said:

I have Ran one from someone that Gropp used way back in the day. Seemed to work minus TQ took a shit.

Then we got 6 MTS and they didn't seem to work worth a crap. Think 1 of out them made it for couple runs.

Used a local guy for a while and they work but don't last 5 shows.

Found another local guy and have had pretty good luck with them ones.

Been running punishers for 5 years now (gone though 8 or so through that time be it broke or burned) Usually good for one show at least.

Got one from a guy Nerat uses and it burned up in the field before show.

Have 2 Diver performance ones now and they both have been though one show and seem to do really good will find out next time.

Now going to try getting couple different local guys to go through the ones i've cooked and see if i can get a good one.


that’s good to know,that’s for the input bro

[n8]

Bomber Transmissions built mine, I haven't had an issue with any of the three I run, and the oldest had 9-10 runs before I snapped the case in half.

[dreed121]

Nice! Where’s bomber from?and how much it set ya back for a th400?

[DerbyKing88s]

Oct 8, 2021 21:54:02 GMT -5 dreed121 said:

Nice! Where’s bomber from?and how much it set ya back for a th400?

Illinois

[alk67]

Oct 8, 2021 21:54:02 GMT -5 dreed121 said:

Nice! Where’s bomber from?and how much it set ya back for a th400?

With bell $1,000 with no core or $850 with a core. Cut bell is $900 without core and $750 with core.

[smashford]

I run everything, stock, local build and Larson. I have great success running good fluid cooler or not. Larson trans are great the best service around and if your too far he will tell you who to go through if someone else is a better fit

[scottgropp]

Oct 8, 2021 9:51:31 GMT -5 cheezwhiz31 said:

I have Ran one from someone that Gropp used way back in the day. Seemed to work minus TQ took a shit.

Then we got 6 MTS and they didn't seem to work worth a crap. Think 1 of out them made it for couple runs.

Used a local guy for a while and they work but don't last 5 shows.

Found another local guy and have had pretty good luck with them ones.

Been running punishers for 5 years now (gone though 8 or so through that time be it broke or burned) Usually good for one show at least.

Got one from a guy Nerat uses and it burned up in the field before show.

Have 2 Diver performance ones now and they both have been though one show and seem to do really good will find out next time.

Now going to try getting couple different local guys to go through the ones i've cooked and see if i can get a good one.

Could have been one I actually built. Derby trans history lesson:

I built a fair amount in the late 90's for my own cars, then started selling in late 99 maybe. As of the early 2000's, nobody else was doing them and I had piles of cores. I was running fronter imperials also and preferred the narrow 350 body so I started to experiment with those as well. A good friend of mine owned a small trans repair shop and as engines started flying out the door I just didn't have time to deal with transmission only customers as most trans failures back then were installation error (plus shipping a single $300 trans to New York was a huge pain). People that couldn't figure out how to adjust linkage on a Raptor style copycat shifter to keep the trans in an actual gear and not between gears with no pressure holding the clutches. Diagnosing a bad trans became easy because the issue was always the same, and mechanically speaking, a misadjusted shifter was the ONLY thing that could cause what they were describing. Or people with other issues usually had a copper line for a cooler that did NOTHING to cool the fluid. But nobody ever wants to listen, so I started selling them only with engines in maybe 2003. David Bryan at Raptor Fab was already working with me for a few years on Ultra-bell transmissions, and in the early years the guys at JW were very helpful in getting us what we needed, though there were a couple of casting changes they made that caused trouble for stock diameter converters, which is all I ever wanted to run.

As I was experimenting with the trans building and ultrabell tests on my own stuff, my friend with the trans shop (Jim) said he would have his guy at the shop rebuild my transmissions to my specs to keep them busy when slow. It worked for both of us. Then Jim had to fire his trans guy for missing parts at the shop and things started to go downhill. The fired guy started building them in his garage at home, but as I kept experimenting and tweaking the build, he started selling them on the side to people. Once I caught him doing that, I pulled the plug.

Back to somewhere about 2003 I received a PM on wecrash.com (I think it was fairly new then, as 17strong.com was going back to Tory's family site) from a guy who said he wanted to know if a tranmission he had was one of mine. He wasn't a customer, so I didn't respond. Then he sends pictures of it disassembled and starts asking me about specific things I did in it. I explained if he was so smart he could figure it out. He said I was an a**hol*, and he would try to figure out how to put it back together himself. In about 30 days, there was a guy named mad-bomber selling derby transmissions just like mine (well better of course, that's how you make stories up on here). So mad bomber, tim, Mr. Bubbles, douchewhistle, etc. (he used many screen names), sold a bunch and blew up a bunch while trying to copy mine. As you would expect, his blown up copies were my fault, because he couldn't figure out what was actually done and not done to them. There were idiots on wecrash actually dumb enough to post that my transmissions were junk because Tim was copying them and they were failing. You can't make that kind of stupid up.

Anyway, engines were rolling out the door, successful engine customers wanted my transmissions, so I did build a few more but it just wasn't worth it. I took one of my Ultrabell transmissions to Spring Explosion in 2005 or 2006, and it was hysterical seeing all of the trans guys coming over to look over that item when I was off with a customer. I had just met this guy named Steve Kipp and he watched my booth while I was tuning on engines. He let me know who came up, who tried to figure it out, rolled it over, etc. And wouldn't you know, a few months later, all of the trans guy wanna be crowd were trying to sell them and thought they were experts on them, though they had many problems with cutting cases and pumps. But I digress...

Sure, there will be those who try to change history, but luckily I still have emails in my hotmail back to 2001. The old wecrash PMs are gone, but I do have some screenshots. And here is my trans parts page from August of 2003 on the internet wayback machine.

web.archive.org/web/20030803111857/http://www.groppautomotive.com/Parts/Transmissions.htm

Hard to believe that almost everything I've ever designed and built has been copied by some hack in the derby world. Engines, transmissions, the original midplate carb and HEI protector, carb and HEI combos, etc., etc., Sad really.

[Landshark007]

People are lazy they all want to take the credit but don’t want to figure anything out on their own. Just think of all the money people made off of you and didn’t even offer you a kickback. Just my two cents 😬

[scottgropp]

Not just me. Raptor fab, DEC, and many of the early guys built good, original stuff, only to be copied or have others say that this or that new thing was better. DEC headers won so many derbies on my engines it is scary, and they didn't need some goofy restrictive collector or whatever the latest gimmick is.

[dreed121]

Glad to see you post gropp,been awhile for me…sucks what all u been thru in the derby world…