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Yet another new 5 speed or ???

16K views 49 replies 17 participants last post by  chevy111 
#1 ·
#2 ·
#4 ·
These transmissions are based on the Borg Warner T45. I liked the T45 very much. I personally like the new cases cast for it and I am sure the internals are new as well. What I don't like is the geometry error produced by the offset shifter, which if you know your math, you will have. This is a carry over from the typical TKO style conversions. To me if you are going to the trouble of recasting a complete case you might as well make the shifter on the side, but typically the engineering talent isn't there. If it was, it would be done. Most people just get locked into copying all the geometry of the original unit and why bother? The other thing that scares me about these T5 ( Mcleod ) and T45 ( Keisler, or Legend) is the abiltiy to get service parts in the future.
 
#5 ·
Paul,

Thanks for your comments. Can you please elaborate some more on the parts availability concern?

Andrew
 
#7 ·
Sure, engineering talent can vary, like any role/position in any career in any business. Why people assume the engineering talent is lacking when they see a less than ideal design is beyond me and frankly, insulting. Anyone who has worked in the engineering field knows more times than not it is mangement decisions of time/money that dictate what is permitted to be included in the scope of a project. Business reasons that cut projects short, skip elements of a design/improvement cause less than ideal products. Yet the engineering folks always get the blame. :sad:
 
#15 ·
Well I for one would love to pick one of these up. Especially the 700hp version. Hopefully they have better production runs than the current offering. Spring sounds about right for when I plan on clunking down the cash too.
 
#20 ·
More on that new trans from Shafi....

Legend Gear & Transmission has achieved the next big step in transmission evolution, with the debut of the LGT-700 for 2012, a brand new, ultra compact 700 LB-FT rated fully synchronized overdrive 5-speed designed and purpose built for our American aftermarket - muscle cars, Corvette, street rods, classics, customs and sport trucks. At Keisler Engineering, we will build this transmission in our fully customized PerfectFit solutions as the Super Sport 700. And, our popular Rallye Sport transmission will evolve to Gen-2 in 2012 and receive the shift system and case upgrades. And all of this Made in USA! That's right USA - not south of the border, and not China, Taiwan, Korea, India or some other overseas source. Employing Americans like you and me with high skill manufacturing jobs, that in return provide up to another 3-5 service jobs for every skilled manufacturing job. This is what America needs, and I am proud to be associated with Legend Gear & Transmission going into 2012, with Keisler Engineering being LGT's very first distributor.
http://www.hotrod.com/eventcoverage...lando/#ooid=,JwN3UzMzrHjwtKUns3U7RJIcBCjOs1QT
 
#23 ·
I guess you pissed him off. Kind of like they've pissed off everyone by saying it will be a 90-120 day wait to everyone on the RS600 and not meeting this promise. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I have seen no apologies from Keisler on here, nor them taking the blame for not getting their transmissions out. It's always some vendor or suppliers fault. How about owning up to something and just delivering your promises. Even your Ebay ads still say 90-120 days. Blatant false advertisement in my opinion.
 
#27 ·
I wasn't pissed off at all; I was simply defending the company I work for just like anybody else would have if they were in my shoes. I'm not going to sit idle while somebody slams our product that has no personal experience with it.

As far as ebay goes, 90-120 days is the maximum lead time you can choose. I have specified a longer lead time in the description and instruct potential buyers to inquire about lead times before ordering. It's a very simple process.

We apologize every day and the lead times suck. We're doing all we can to work through this and move forward.
 
#30 ·
For what it is worth, yes the initial delays were a real bummer and unexpected from my viewpoint. But, Shafi and his crew did treat me very well and in the end he delivered a trans to me that I really like. Yes, I had some harsh words in the beginning out of frustration, but after a few phone calls and speaking civil on both sides of the phone, everything was resolved. The ultimate test for me would be how I answer this question;
"Would I use Keisler again in the future for a new transmission"? I'd have to say YES I would. I for one am really looking forward to the new case design for the RS series and would also be interested in the new SS700 series transmission as well. These are very compact units for a 5-speed and offer an abundant of shift positions for the classic cars.
 
#33 ·
Well Jim, your statement is exactly why I waited this long to even think about placing an order. There is and will always be something better coming around the bend. A better case design, an SS700 trans that will be stronger then the RS 600? Hmmmm.....should I wait a bit longer?
 
#36 ·
It seems to me that they took your deposits and designed this box on your dime. Just from watching all of you going through what they did with the money and time I would not trust them worth a damn now.
If it were only that easy....

Actually, the RS program was started back in 2007 and they were sold as a T45RS with the same mounting plates we use today but the extension housings were hand modified for the different shifter positions.

The designs were in place long before sales exploded and any deposits were taken. Parts production and delivery are the real issues.

We realize there is a huge hill to climb to restore trust in this company and we will make it.
 
#40 ·
I think the RS is a really nice setup for the Chevelle and welcome anything offered out there where you don't have to cut the floor board. I think the problem most of us have is the ridiculous wait time. I mentioned eBay and that was changed from 90-120 days wait time to 6-9 months. Not sure when that was done but that was on there before. I think there has got to be a vendor out there willing to supply parts without having to wait that long. I just have an issue waiting 9 months for something that basically should be ready to ship out a couple weeks after you order it. Why don't you just purchase the supplier if this is the problem. The supplier must have you by the balls if they know you cannot produce transmissions without their gear sets. If I was your only supplier I would raise my prices and use the extra revenue to expand to meet your demand. I have a degree in Business Admin if you are wondering how I might come to this conclusion. Having one supplier can be a nightmare if they decide to do what I just said. they could make it a nightmare to produce a transmission and it seems that is what is happening. You have to get out there and find more than one supplier. I know you want to keep it U.S. made and there is still manufacturing in the U.S. People complain about Chinese made items but in reality we only import about 2% of our goods from China. Manufacturing is actually higher in the U.S. than it was 10 years ago. I feel for Keisler on this and have heard they are trying make things right. I just think their buyer needs a few lessons in supply and demand. I hope Keisler gets this under control because I think they have a good thing going, and if the new RS coming out in the next year is a different story as far as shipping I will be getting one for my 70.
 
#41 ·
I know you want to keep it U.S. made and there is still manufacturing in the U.S. People complain about Chinese made items but in reality we only import about 2% of our goods from China. Manufacturing is actually higher in the U.S. than it was 10 years ago.
Where can I get some of the drugs you are apparently using? Imported goods from China = 2% ???????? US manufacturing is now GREATER than it was 10 years ago? Can you show me the source of your facts that will back these revelations up?
 
#42 ·
That was a misprint. We only import about 20% of our goods from China. It's still not significant considering much of our domestic goods production accounts for a big percentage of total use. I would venture that if you account for all goods used in the US economy, Chinese made products would account for less than 5%. The pic shows Value added economies with US and China shown. Don't always believe the media hype.
 

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#43 ·
Well that seems to be a large discrepancy 2% to 20%. Also your manufacturing data is A: Nearly 4 years old so I wonder what it looks like today and B: The slope of the curves needs to be taken into consideration. If we extrapolate those two curves what is gonna happen in the future? What has already happened that is not shown in the 3 or 4 years since your data was plotted? Unless and until something is done to recalibrate the balance of trade and the discrepancy in wages / taxes and currency valuations manufacturing in this country is going to continue flowing westward.
 
#44 ·
The data is less than two years old and if you plot the slop it will continue to rise. My argument was that manufacturing is greater than 10 years ago and I showed my data. So not sure what your trying to argue?
 
#46 ·
We're having a discussion which is part of the forum. I Answered a few questions regarding the issue with producing oversees. Someone wants to challenge so i showed my data.
 
#49 ·
Suppliers are not an issue, the supply chain is. When making transmission gears you cannot use multiple suppliers for your own design. There is a simple expense called tooling cost. Tools are made for castings and gear cutting. These tools are usually not transferable to other gear cutters or foundries. You have to amortize your tooling costs over several runs sometimes before you have a profit. All the current 5 speed kits are based on some other OEM design to offset some of the tooling costs. Example...there would be no reason to tool and make a reverse gear if one is cheaper from the OEM. There are Taiwanese gears currently made for the T45, T5 and T56. This actually HELPS the supply chain because Tremec ( made in Mexico ) is one supplier and they have huge issues getting people parts and transmissions. People need to get over the China thing considering none of the manual transmissions in US cars are made in this country.This is what I mean by the supply chain problem. Less inventory is stocked across the board ( even raw materials ) to save money. We are fortunate to have some aftermarket companies overseas making gears with little or no tooling costs because they are guaranteed a high volume order.
It is my job as a parts distributor and manufacturer to FORCAST trends in the supply line and stock more to keep my product line moving. Paying your vendors on time or ahead of time keeps them from ignoring you when they may have cash flow issues. There are lots of companies in this country that can cut gears and can do a damn good job. However patriotism will not get you anywhere in this business. We have made beautiful gears in the USA and lost big time because people will not pay as little as $15 more for a better quality piece.
 
#47 ·
I was looking at an RS600 for an auto to manual swap but the price of $5200 and a 12 month wait that the sales guy quoted says forget about it. No one deserves to have my money for that long no matter how great they may be.
 
#50 ·
Well I for one love the fact there are bolt in 5 speeds for or cars. I think we all benefit from a little competition anyway so hopefully next year we will see Keislers new rs and Mcleod will actually start offering something. The only thing keeping me from the t56 is the cutting. The rs700 is very tempting if it materializes.
 
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