I ordered an RS-600 5-speed for my '67 Chevelle this past January. Delivery date was first set at mid to end of March. It then was rescheduled for mid April. I was just notified that I now have a " soft date " of June for delivery. I'm just a little disappointed that I won't have it installed for Ocean City, MD in May and Chevell-a-bration in June. They offered to send a TKO in it's place for shipment in a week, but I'd rather have the RS, so I'll just wait. I was wondering if anyone else is in the same boat ????

Everyone that has ordered is in the same boat. They got a flood of orders and everyone is in line with the backlog on build / completion time.

I am thankful that my car isnt near running yet so these delays arent bugging me much. At least you have a nice ride to roll while you are waiting on it and know what it feels like to drive that car.

I forgot long ago what its like to be behind the wheel of my Chevelle. Well, I have sat with the steering column and wheel in my lap on the sofa but thats as close as I have gotten in about 8 years.

Ken, when you get yours let me know if it fits w/o mods(cutting tunnel). I will not cut the tunnel, and do not plan on pulling the seats out of the car etc. If I can install it in place of the Muncie, w/o mods then I am ok. They said it would fit w/o mods. I spoke with someone who stated I would have to cut. Until I can speak with someone with first hand knowledge then I will hold off purchasing one.

I ordered in late Dec. and the last update I got was to start shipping in early May. I'm still doing other projects on my car but if it gets pushed back to the dates your saying I will be disappointed as well.

Have any been shipped yet?

Ken, when you get yours let me know if it fits w/o mods(cutting tunnel). I will not cut the tunnel, and do not plan on pulling the seats out of the car etc. If I can install it in place of the Muncie, w/o mods then I am ok. They said it would fit w/o mods. I spoke with someone who stated I would have to cut. Until I can speak with someone with first hand knowledge then I will hold off purchasing one.

John,

Will do. I don't expect to be installing until July since June is a soft date. I'll let you know then.

Ken

I also ordered a RS 600 seems they just got gears from Detroit so with working with other suppliers and the demand even curtailing orders so they can fill the orders they have.I can wait a bit I guess but they have some of my money so i don't want to wait a extra month.They should take a 100.00 bucks off for every extra week waited and a few t-shirts and maybe a black and a white shift knob.

"First, you get all your fish in a barrel, and then you just string 'em along."
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Creative financing for a new product:

Get 1,000 orders w/deposits of $1,000 = $1,000,000.00 working capital. No loan, no interest.

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Three cheers for AutoGear & McLeod for not going that route. :thumbsup:

I ordered mine the last week of March and was promised a ship date first week of June,, I even asked them to confirm twice over b/c as a mechanical engineer I know that casting shapes (i.e. tail housing) and heat treating gears is not as easy as it sounds,, given re-assurance that things were well under way I plopped down the required $1,500 down payment. Balance due when tranny ships. 10 days later I received a generic mass mailing "newsletter" e-mail stating that deliveries would 'delayed',,, I replied to the message asking for a new ship date date and got the response late July - early August!! That's twice as long as the original lead time and dead middle into the summer car season (which is particularly short up here in the great white North) I wrote back expressing my disappointment and requested a full refund of my deposit if they cannot improve on delivery.. I'm investing $5k into a full auto to RS600 conversion and I'm sorry but an early August delivery date is useless to me in terms of getting any use out of it this year,,, I'd rather use that money to buy a camping trailer for my family and reconsider the tranny next winter.

I requested a full refund due to shipping date issues mentioned above,, they agreed without any issue. I've yet to see the money debited back to my credit card but I'm assuming there's just a lag time in processing,, seems like a stand up company to me so far. I will reconsider again next winter. Darn shame,, I was getting pretty excited to be bangin' gears this summer..

Just ordered mine the other day. well deposit is now $1500. i was told a minumum of 90 days. i was also told the original design had to be re-modified (that is why the delay). i was told about a month ago it was 60-70 day wait. but now it is 90 days min. i was assured the newer version is even stronger and better then the original. im a ways off from completion on my 66 so it isnt that big of a deal. but i can see if you guys ordered in dec of last year id be a lil ticked off right now as well. if i was told min 90 days it can also mean you guys have longer to wait. i also would lke to know why the deposit was increased by $500 bucks????

"First, you get all your fish in a barrel, and then you just string 'em along."
------------------------------------------------------------------

Creative financing for a new product:

Get 1,000 orders w/deposits of $1,000 = $1,000,000.00 working capital. No loan, no interest.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Three cheers for AutoGear & McLeod for not going that route. :thumbsup:

Thats exactly why I am waiting........................McLeod will "hopefully" be the better mouse trap (so to speak):D

That latest "ninety-days minimum" forecast is now gradually growing towards Labor Day 2011. :eek:

The new McLeod & AGE may yet beat that after all. :yes:

That latest "ninety-days minimum" forecast is now gradually growing towards Labor Day 2011. :eek:

The new McLeod & AGE may yet beat that after all. :yes:

I had heard that the Mcleod was going to come out in June, but nothing on their forum since late Feb. So, I think June is out the window. Who knows about AGE??

http://forum.mcleodracing.com/showthread.php?7-Whats-the-status-on-the-New-OD-5-speed/page4

I would like to order a new 5-speed tranny, just kind of waiting hoping for some good options that involve no cutting.

I had a few e-mails and PM's regarding my RS 600 and new engine combo. No, the trans has not shipped yet. There is a bit of a delay. My engie is 90% complete, so I could use the new trans in about 3 weeks or so. Guys have asked me why I just don't cancel the order and go with the new McLeod M800.
Supposed to be a drop in as well and stronger. Well....because that is not available either. Lot of guys are slamming Keisler in favor of McLeod, but to be fair, McLeod has not shipped a trans either and I have no idea when the McLeod will be released for full production. So for now, I am just being patient, but hope to get my RS 600 soon.

Hello All;

First off, I want to THANK YOU for being decent about the delays we are experiencing. In this world of electronic forums, we don't always see that.

Here are some updates:

1. RS Production - We are building and shipping product, and have been for several weeks now. The production run rate is not at full speed yet. We've had some hurtles related to not getting the machined castings in fast enough, but that is improving daily as they are running 7 days/week. RS400 & RS500 are shipping.

2. RS600 Gearset - In Feb 2010 last year we ordered 200 gearsets from a supplier in Novi Michigan. We received some shipments before the supplier went out of business/sold in early Jan 2011. The job transferred to a new supplier, who made delivery promises they couldn't keep which is why the RS600 is several months behind. So, in Feb 2011 we ordered 300 gearsets from another supplier. Both suppliers are within approx three weeks of shipping, which will allow us to begin shipping quantities of RS600.

We ship orders in priority they were received. Ms. Dodie Ernst handles the RS Shipping, and she can be reached at assistant@keislerauto.com or by phone 888-609-0070 x221. Dodie has the latest and greatest information on shipping.

We are working hard every day to keep the product rolling out the door. We take pride in offering what you will find to be the best manual transmission solution in the market for your muscle car. And, the RS is built here in Tennessee by people that care about the aftermarket enthusiasts like you!

Shafi Keisler shafi.keisler@keislerauto.com
Pres/CEO Keisler Engineering Inc.

By the way, we have a '66 Chevelle SS 396 in the shop right now doing an install. I will get some pics posted in the coming days.

Shafi,
Thanks for the update. Hope the gearsets arrive soon and things get rolling for you. :thumbsup:

Guys have asked me why I just don't cancel the order and go with the new McLeod M800. Supposed to be a drop in as well and stronger.


Lot of guys are slamming Keisler in favor of McLeod, but

to be fair, McLeod has not shipped a trans either



To be fair,

Neither McLeod or Autogear (AGE) has required any money or taken any deposit $$$$.

(Much less have had the use of customer's deposits for 6 months, & continuing.)

Hopefully your kidding on the 6 month wait after a deposit?....:eek:

SIDEBAR: If the M800 is still based on the 77mm T5 that was shown at SEMA 2 years ago, I hardly doubt it will be stronger. The RS at 81.5mm is considerable larger on the gear diameters, as well as the gear width. The output shaft size of the RS is even bigger than Viper T56, and gears are comparably sized to TKO. <end>

The main point to stress here is that product is shipping (RS400/500), and the 600s are getting close to shipping. We would never intentionally take orders with a ship date that would be missed. We are doing our best, and please continue to be patient while we work through the production ramp up issues. The product quality is guaranteed.

Hopefully your kidding on the 6 month wait after a deposit?....:eek:

Aside from one fellow who changed his order in August 2010 from a T45RS to the RS, and a couple of Sema 2011 build cars, no orders have waited 6 months yet.

Not much different than a custom engine builder, I suppose. Over 200 part numbers go into the RS, and it is complex.

Glad to see some info. from the horse's mouth. Thanks for clarifying the problem,looing forward to receiving mine.

I ordered an RS-600 5-speed for my '67 Chevelle this past January. Delivery date was first set at mid to end of March. It then was rescheduled for mid April. I was just notified that I now have a " soft date " of June for delivery. I'm just a little disappointed that I won't have it installed for Ocean City, MD in May and Chevell-a-bration in June. They offered to send a TKO in it's place for shipment in a week, but I'd rather have the RS, so I'll just wait. I was wondering if anyone else is in the same boat ????

I wonder if any vendor ever gave any thought to having a shipping product before the sales and advertising kicks in??? McLeod had a working trans at SEMA two years ago, still not shipping.

Auto Gear has suffered multiple setbacks not the least of which is Masiero Italy went out of business. So all the prints and design criteria is lost.

If it was easy anyone could do it:yes::yes:

To bad the US has priced itself out of the market, there was a time when we ruled at things like this. Thank you EPA:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Gave up on my order and asked for my money back. No fewer than 3 delays of at least 2 months each was enough for me. Keisler is hanging by a very thin thread IMHO. Word spreads quickly in the enthusiast community...

Judging by the fact I brought this thread back from the dead it appears everyone else gave up too (or don't care because they're working on a long-term project).

Any news on the McLeod? Would love to give my business to someone else.

Shafi,

Do you have any pictures of the '66 Chevelle you did the RS conversion?

Will there be a Ford maindrive gear or Ford maincase available for the RS trans?

Can the RS maindrive gear be removed like the T5 without disassembling the RS trans?

Keep up the good work Shafi.

Mine is installed. '66 with 427. No mods necessary, although I opted for center shifter to do a custom console in the future. I have been on several test drives as the car has just had many projects completed and it's my first time driving this car. The transmission shifts very smoothly. I haven't been able to do any performance driving as of yet.

The good work? Keep it up? What's the Cap'n Crunch super secret decoder password to get one? Apparently it's not 9 months of waiting with FULL PAYMENT. LOL. Guy's are flakes...period.

I offered them one last time to ship me one versus a refund and they refused...delivery is TOO FAR OUT for the rest of us. I was offering to do a full install and writeup/Youtube for the a-bodies and they still couldn't muster a unit. One minute they're talking Italian gear set vendors, another somebody in Detroit... meh, they need to get their crap together.

SMOKE AND MIRRORS...that's the game they're playing. Apparently they'd like the rest of us to fund R&D... .

Get to know Dodi, the assigned admin for handing RS-600 "WTF is it" requests...she's got the company line down solid and will tell you when you can expect yours trans...or not.

Sounded like a promissing news letter from Shafi did you get that one GTO Greg?I coulod forward it to you if you didn't.I know it is hard to wait but I don't think they would intentionally not get them out the door if they could.As you say the auto enthusiast has got alot of pull and with this sitution with the gears it's not good for business.I got a RS 500 instead of a 600 cause I want to drive a 5 speed yet this year maybe a 500 would be ok for you too they take 500 lbs of torque for 24 years straight with no flaws.

Last newsletter I got was maybe 4-5 months ago. I very much appreciate the offer Jeff but I think I'm done with Keisler, or at the very least not going to think about it right now. The 500 is right on the border of what my motor produces and there's no buffer there at all. More importantly, the first gear is different - it is 3.31 vs. 2.82 on the 600. The drop from 1st to 2nd is steep too...I'd just blow the tires off and then have to build up in the powerband again going into 2nd.

But you are right, the 500 is shipping now and maybe that's what some of the others were referring to. Wish things had been different with Keisler, as it sounded promising. Onwards and upwards, as they say.

Meantime, my refund is going to get re-allocated to a bigger blower for the GT500 :thumbsup:

Feel what your saying Greg. I gave up as well, however i switched to the TKO600. i wont be racing her just cruising and the occaisional street play. I switched 2 weeks ago. Got a coll yesturday my TKO00 with the carbon syncro kit will be shipping today or Monday.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Like you i gave up waiting for the RS600. It sounds like it would have been worth the wait, but not to the extent for what i need out of a tranny. I just wanted a 5 spd.

I'm waiting on McCleod!

Thanks for all the feedback guys, both good and bad. It's no secret that RS600 production has been plagued with delays, but we are doing every last thing we can to produce in a timely manner. Delays and production hiccups aside, the transmission does exist, and works beautifully, no smoke and mirrors involved on our part. What may be unclear to everyone is the sheer scope of engineering needed to bring this product to market from a small company like ours, and since we rely on outside suppliers, we are left holding the bag when key component ship dates come and go. The dates you are given are based on information given to us, no more, no less, that being said, we do empathize with your frustration, and can only ask for the continued patience of those who are willing to wait. For those in doubt, wait. Lead times will improve, the RS will begin to saturate the market, and then you can see for yourselves.

Sorry Chris but money and performance talk here. You happily took everyones deposit very easily. You have not met ship dates nor are you selling at originally advertized pricing. Yet some are having problems getting that money back who already cancelled for one. Secondly a nice thank you for holding out would have been to give us something worth waiting for. Your already behind the 8 ball. but to wait over a year for a tranny that we arent even sure we will still get without any additional delays arent worth it. How about some REAL customer appreciation, STOP taking RS600 orders and knock off 10% for the people who already gave you a deposit and are waiting up to and in some case probably over a year. Once your caught up and satisfied the back-log then start re-taking RS600 orders.

Now that would be empathizing with our frustration.

@nutt, well put. We are advising ALL potential buyers that there are extremely long lead times with the RS600, and also informing them of exactly what has been going on with production delays. If, in your individual case, you were not informed of potential delays, I apologize on behalf of my company, we certainly never intended to mis-represent. Do you/did you have a transmission on order? Would you like to discuss it? I would be more than happy to field your questions, suggestions, and complaints anytime. 865-609-8187 x211. Whatever your individual issue is, lets talk it out. Thanks again.:(

No mention of knocking of that 10% for empathy? lol

Chris I had one on order and switched to the TKO600, In fact it should be shipping today or Monday....hopefully. At least thats what i was told.

Chris i was informed of 5 different ship dates. It wasnt like we werent being informed if we called and asked. That was a complaint of mine from the start. Why should WE have to call. But Dodie told me 5 different ship dates, the last one being FEB of next year!! This was after Shefi told me a month and a half ago that i should have it by end of NOV. That was enough for me. I switched to the TKO.

Im not a racer and should do fine with the TKO. No need to discuss anything else, but thank you anyway.

I hope your transmission comes soon Nutt when they send your a UPS shipping notice you will know forsure it is on the way Dodie called me to inform me so if you got a call I would say your in business.I got my RS500 installed but have to bleed the clutch and they are talking snow tomorrow here so I might be hooped till next year.Keep in touch when you get your TKO installed like to hear your progress.
Jeff

Thnx Jeff, did you happen to get a gander at my update in the Body Shop forum? Look for "My 66 SS Chevelle finally home." I have some pics up there. I will let you guys know by probably just updating that post. Maybe ill have to start a new one in the Tech forum. But there will be plenty of picks comming.

Nutt I just looked I saw your frame but not a car home finished I went through 9 pages of pictures twice.
Jeff

Jeff look in the body shop forum. It under "My 66 SS finally home" thread. I need to get them all together once and for all. i have aLOT more pics i dont even have up yet. Just want to find another spot besides photobucket. Tired of all the pop-ups and other BS. Site freezing up you name it. It was good while it lasted, like any good thing it usually comes to an end.

Any sugestions for another place to store my photos? Looking for something i can easily transfer all the pics i have now from photo-bucket to where ever i go to.

To all,
Dodie sent me an e-mail the other day. I am # 22 on the list for my RS600. New delivery date is end of November when the next round of gear sets are coming in. Since I ordered on Jan 14, 2011 I guess maybe I'll have a Christmas present to open. Only time will tell !!!!!!!!!

Ken

CONGRATS KEN!!! Hope ya get that X-mas present! (psst shh hopefully before x-mas!!) lol Good luck with your project Ken....Frank