Gear Vendor

[Layne]

Anybody here run a gear vendor?
My '68 C-20 Has a 327 w/ 400 trans, and what I believe to be 411 or 456 gears.
@50MPH, it's turning 3000RPM 30.5" Tire
Was going to change gears, then hear about Gear Vendor.
Any thoughts? Pros, Cons?

[TobyArnot]

They are kind of pricey, but from what I have read, the are plenty stout. Have you thought about switching to a 700R4 automatic? Probably a lot less money.

[Jrainman]

I have been also looking in to the Gear vendor unit and have the same set up as you but with 3:73 , I don't know anyone who runs one , but I will say turning your Th400 in to a 6 spd would justify the cost factor ,

strength wise a 700r4 no where near as good as a Th400 and more reliable if you really want to compare

the cost to go to a 5speed manual is not much different after you add the total cost of a auto to manual conversion .

I think a add on like this will increase your truck value also .

I think I just sold myself on this And I will let you know how it works out

[72MARIO]

I have one in my 1968 Suburban its the worst thing i have done to it. Completely ruined the reliability of the suburban. When its working its great.......thats when it works


I would never use one again. If i can find a buyer locally i will be removing it and installing a 4L80E. Feel free to pm me and i will call anyone who is interested and explain the problems i have experienced.

Mario

[Layne]

Originally Posted by TobyArnot

They are kind of pricey, but from what I have read, the are plenty stout. Have you thought about switching to a 700R4 automatic? Probably a lot less money.

The trucks all stock, so I'd like to keep the stock trans. I guess im thinking the gear vendor is less of a change than modern trans.
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[davepl]

I would have, but I don't want to think about shifting it. If it did it's thing autonomously in 1:1 that'd be great, but since I don't think it does, I went 200-4R. Far cheaper, bulletproof (to about 600ft/lb for me) when built. Should have gone back to a stock converter though, the 2800 is too loose (came out of another car, I wasn't clever enough to swap it before installing it).

[Layne]

Thanks guys. I'm gonna put the back cover, and find out exactly what gears I have, then see what gears are available, before making any decisions.

[haysonj]

I don't know why a few say they have problems with the GV but I've had mine for 10 years and only had one minor problem with the fuel injection computer interfering with the brain to the GV. Called GV and they sent me a new brain to control the GV at no charge and it fixed the problem. This unit has two settings manual and auto. Set it on auto and it up and down shifts automaticly according to RPM and speed. I bought a B&M shift knob that has a switch in it to manually turn the unit off and on if I don't want it shifting. I have a 450 HP 385 with a T400 and 410 gears and I run 2200 RPM at about 65 MPH. What I really like is when towing up hills I can always find the right gear to keep the motor happy. The unit was pricy but well worth it and their service is great.

[n33k0]

I have a TH350 with 4.11s and I've considered a GV, but the price was the main reason for deciding against it. I can swap in a beefed up 200-4R for less, and keep the same drive shaft that I have now. Once I have the cash, that's the route I will go.

[cleszkie]

I've never had a problem with mine. I run a built 400 SBC, SM465, NP205, with 4.10 gears and a 35" tire. As mentioned above, you get overdrive plus the gear splitting ability. That gives me 8 forward gears to chose from to find te RPM sweet spot when climbing long hills.

[72MARIO]

Thats nice they sent you a new control box.

I went thru there trouble shooting and they said my box was broken. They sent me one $200 US. My cost $500 Canadin into it !!!!!!! I had specific instructions not to ship UPS because of there outrageous brokerage fees. They were told to ship postal needless to say they shiped UPS I called the to explain what happned and the cost that i had occurred. The didnt care at all. All the said is that they dont ship postal service to Canada? ????

The worst part ? It was Gearvendors crappy crimping job on the dimmer switch wires. What they do is take phone jack wire and make pairs the crimp them together. They crimped the connector onto the wire jacket....so i have a spair control box here that i will never het my money back out of.

There is also a vibiration I have pretty much nailed down to the actual gear vendors unit. And just before i parked the Suburban for the season the solenoid was failing to engage od the light would turn green but no OD

Thats my experience with it. Way more hassle than it worth.