Who's using a Gear Vendors?

Any reports on Gear Vendors, from guys who have some miles on them. I'm trying to help make some decisions for a build, and overdrive seems important.

After pricing 4L80E's that would do the job, we are weighing other options. After reading the latest article on the F Bomb, we're thinking about going with a built 400 and adding a Gear Vendors later.

The only Gear Vendors drive that I personally know of being installed didn't go so well. It caused a vibration that they couldn't get rid of. Gear Vendors tried to help, and eventually took the unit back. But it makes me wonder if anybody else has had this issue.

So, do you love it?
Any issues with installation or performance?
Would you do it again?

Thanks.

 

I know of someone who has one mated to a TH400 in a 2wd '70 GMC pickup and has no problems. It runs 12.90s and he drives it on long trips.

 

I have a GearVendors in my '90 454SS that came equipped with the TH-400. I believe in 1990 the speed limit was still 55 and mine came with a 3.73 posi which made the engine scream at 70mph. A local machine shop shortened the driveshaft and it had a terrible vibration. After having it balanced by a driveshaft shop I have had no problems but with only 22% overdrive it still spins the engine too high for my taste.

Since the overdrive is a planetary gear with a solenoid switch that drops it into overdrive at 47 mph in "Auto" mode the shift is a hard one unless you back off the throttle as you reach 47. Other than that minor annoyance I love the thing. I can tow through the mountains in "Manual" mode using the floorboard dimmer switch that comes with the kit then pop it into OD with my left foot.

 

kikinrods (Brant) is a gear vendors dealer. I know he has sold a few to board members. Maybe he can help you out. I purchased one but havent installed it yet.

 

I have one in my 55 chevy behind a blown 540 and turbo 400 and it works great. jim

 

THanks CG we are a gearvendors dealer and are currently installing one in a 70 amx with a 390 and a T10. we have installed several with no problems our customers love them. they don't have a ton of miles on them yet but i havn't heard any complants and i know i would be the first to hear about it. the main key is the proper drive shaft. if it is not balanced or the yoke is to far in the unit it will cause alot of troubles. if you are running more then 600hp then you need a gear vendors. a 700r4 or any other gm tanny with over drive will not handle more then 600hp and that is if you spend some doe and beef it up like crazy.
Brant

 

I have one on my 62 with a TH350. I've had no problems, other than a small leak from the speedo, but that's been fixed. I love it because you get the same quick shifting out of the TH350, and you get three extra gears + overdrive. I did have a little vibration problem when it was first install...Had to lower the crossmember a hair to fix it.

Highly recommended...

 

i was the second owner of one in a 89 ford diesel 3/4 ton, put tons of miles on it towing a horse trailer, an everyday driver, was like a dream come true when it went into gear as you could hardly hear the motor running at high way speed.

 

I have a friend that has one behind his A 833 and 360 in his 68 dart. He loves it and drives the car all the time.

 

I run one in my coupe.Yes it works well.Some cars one is almost a nessicary,other car can do without.Depends on tork curve and rear ratio.If you want to talk PM me.

 

I have one in my sedan behind a 400 Turbo. I have had good luck with mine and really enjoy playing some times. Manually shifting the trans and the OD to get 6 speeds or being able to down shift by dropping out the OD going into a corner.

It was a trip when I first got the car back on the road before I got the Speedometer set up.. I would drive it like it did not have the overdrive Running the motor at the RPM I was used to. The guys I was running with had to work like hell to keep up with me.

 

i have road many miles with norm grabowski in his 37 ford truck-o and the kookie car hauler truck

the ford has a 460 with c-6 and gv set up, runs and works great!
the kookie hauler has a 454 and 400/ gv set up. both work good and have a bunch of miles on them

 

Thanks for the input, guys. And yeah, If Gear Vendors wins out, Brant will be the first call.

 

I just got my Gear Vendors unit yesterday and took it down to the ****** shop today so they could get started on the T400. It will be going behind my blown 383 sbc thats going in the 27 roadster. I know many people that run them with no problems, tuff as nails! My motor, I hope will dyno around 7-800 horse. Time will tell, ha ha.

 

I've got one behind the 5spd manual in my ***mins Dodge. The truck has a 4:10 rear end. When stock, at 70mph, the diesel was spinnin hard (2500rpm on a 3000rpm redline) and had no throttle response.
With the gear vendors, 70 mph gives me 1950rpm, and plenty of throttle to buzz it up quickly to 85 mph, no problem.
I'm running the diesel slightly tweaked, supposed to be making 700 ftlbs of torque. No problems so far.
My only complaint would be the harsh engage/disengage. Just makes you pay attention to feather the throttle or clutch it to smooth it out. No problems with vibration.

Might want to look on the Turbo Diesel Registry or other sited dedicated to the tweaked diesel trucks. Those guys are pretty big on them.

 

Good buddy of mine has one in a 32 sedan. All steel car with a 600+ cubic inch race motor that runs 9.50's. Probably over 750 horse through the TH 400. Puts over 50 p***es a year on it and its been going strong 3 years with no issues. Car pulls the wheels 2' on launch so the GV unit is taking all the motor has. Not much road mileage on it since he went to a spool in the 9 inch but no issues back and forth to cruise nights.

 

I'm the unlucky ******* that had the problems...

My question is this...which one of the 2 avalible are y'all running?

on our 69 c-10, we picked "the bad ***" with the extra capacity resivoir, hardened annulus, super duty stuff...the "big ticket" unit.

installed it- it vibrated.
balanced the driveshaft twice...still vibrated.
we did some other mods at the same time (vintage air a/c) which required a different balancer- so for grans, I swapped balancers back...still vibrated.

had the torque converter balanced (on gearvendors suggestion)
$till vibrated.
(I should add I checked the pinion angle about 300 different ways...)

at the end of it all, they suggested I start attaching hose clamps and wheel weights to my (now twice balanced, 2 sets of u joints) driveshaft. couldn't bring myself to do it, so it went home.

3 months later, 73 satelite, warmed over 360, have known and driven the customers car for years. this thing was so smooth on the highway that it wouldn't ripple your coffee.
on a "gas saving wild hair" he bought a gear vendor-same style- for his car.
it vibrated.
he took it to a local shop with some magic on the car driveshaft balancing machine and added something to the tune of 3 ounces to the driveshaft to smooth it out. for grins, I pulled the driveshaft and had it checked for balance independant of the unit.

it was now off by 3 ounces.

I should add that both places I had the driveshafts built at have built probably 6 dozen driveshafts for me in the last 6 years with nary a hiccup (well, there was one that killed a u-joint, but I think a bearing laid down in it, and they replaced the joint for free, and gave me a 6 pack of dr.Pepper for my trouble, so they're still on the nice guy list)
so I am concerned with my results. I followed thier directions to the letter, and by the end of it al, I ended up talking to the owner of the company who was scratchin' his head too. he said they had never had problems like this before (on the truck...I called the satty "fixed")
and gladly refunded the entire purchase amount. he said he would have it torn down and checked out, but I never got any word back on what was wrong.

anyone else have vibration issues?

 

same issue here...have been banging my head for quite some time

 

Holy Mother of 10 year old dead thread

 

his eyes were blurring the date.blame it on the vibrations

 

I bought a used one out of a motor home and it is now in a friends drag car with a blown 396 bbc. Works like a champ.

 

The GV in my suburban is nice and smooth. My Chevy II with a GV vibrates...but the car vibrated before I added the overdrive. I've played around some with driveline angle and got it a bit better, but it still needs work. Mostly fine under 70 mph, and over 80. But driving the car over 70 is kind of scary anyways, so I'm not too worried about the vibration.

 

I have one, been driving it in fair weather for 2 years now. I have other cars with and without overdrive. I love my Gear Vendors although it's not geared the same on O.D. as some of the OE units.
Mine is stuffed behind a home built 502 and a TH350. Performs fine.