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Calimer

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1,119
1,110
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Lenoir City TN
To be honest, looking at the price diference now, I think a XL would be a good choice. But remember it means a new clutch and drive shaft as well. So your looking at approx US$6000 for the swap, if you do it yourself......

I have several MT82s so I will probably just keep rebuilding them... though to be honest, I lost track of how many times the dam tranny has been in and out of the car!
The Magnum XL swap kit is around $3,900 with the electrical connections I need. Calimer was pretty much insisting I needed to go to a stage 3 with the 26 spline input shaft, so I would need to change the clutch either way. I have a Mantic twin disk I installed with the Calimer stage 2 so it has less than 1200 miles on it. Mantic has already swapped my 23 spline disks for 26 spline disks. It was cheaper than buying a new clutch since mine was basically new. The drive shaft is $700. I will sell my current 1 piece aluminum and nearly new MGW x-spec shifter that was bought new in March and that covers the new drive shaft.
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,237
4,227
Santiago, Chile
Curious as to why they want to change to a 26 spline on a NA car. Did they have some defective parts?? The one thing that made me stay with the MT82 was the cost of all the extras... If they insist with the 26 spline, It would make sense to go the XL route.
 
1,119
1,110
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Lenoir City TN
Curious as to why they want to change to a 26 spline on a NA car. Did they have some defective parts?? The one thing that made me stay with the MT82 was the cost of all the extras... If they insist with the 26 spline, It would make sense to go the XL route.
They said the 23 spline shaft was twisted. It was a new shaft they insisted on in March saying that the early mt82 shafts were weak. Basically a gear broke and went through the whole transmission. I didn't open it up since it was just built. I will never know if it was defective parts or not. It sounds like the only thing usable is the case. They told me today if I want it back it will cost me $850. $500 labor for tearing it down and another $350 for freight. If I let them keep it they will call it even. A week or so ago they told me if I went another route they would give me the $250 core charge on it. Now they are saying that is only if I buy another transmission from them. I am already out $2,500 on this mess and don't want to get in any deeper. The only thing I can do at this point is chalk it up as a bad experience and warn others.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,422
8,348
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
There are plenty of folks in the motorsports business but when one spends what you spent and they tell you you should have gotten a Stage Three that would be where I would drawn the line and said, " They why the Hell didn't you sell me that?" You HP is not that great and obviously they are not standing behind their product ---- not even beside their product. Time to go to a solid and known source as the service after the sale tells me more than anything ------- this was the situation that helped us decide who to work with in the Motorsports Division at the Dealership I worked at. Service after the sale is part of quality and reputable business . You might try calling Capaldi Racing or Paul's Automotive , because you need to spend money that solves the problem, not Credit Card experiments in futility. Sorry for your issues!!
 
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1,119
1,110
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Lenoir City TN
I am not sure if it was in an earlier post or not at this point, but if it makes a difference I wasn't driving the car when the gear shattered. A shop that has done work for me for years when I don't have the time or if the project is beyond my abilities had tracked down a misfire for me. It ended up a bad fuel injector. I left the shop to go home and get my trailer and they finished it up and took it for a test drive. They are right in town and drove the car for a couple of miles when it broke. Calimer said since they were driving they broke it. I believe the driver was just the unlucky one at the wheel when it failed. Calimer is saying that it was a high rpm +7000 missed shift. Fourth gear is what broke and there is not way they were driving like that in the area the shop is located. My stance is if one missed shift did that much damage it was too fragile to be in the car in the first place. I was also told if it broke in the first 2 minutes or maybe even the first 2 days they would believe that something was wrong with the build after that it is on the driver. Am I being unreasonable to expect a $2,500 transmission build to last more than 1,200 miles?
 
I am not sure if it was in an earlier post or not at this point, but if it makes a difference I wasn't driving the car when the gear shattered. A shop that has done work for me for years when I don't have the time or if the project is beyond my abilities had tracked down a misfire for me. It ended up a bad fuel injector. I left the shop to go home and get my trailer and they finished it up and took it for a test drive. They are right in town and drove the car for a couple of miles when it broke. Calimer said since they were driving they broke it. I believe the driver was just the unlucky one at the wheel when it failed. Calimer is saying that it was a high rpm +7000 missed shift. Fourth gear is what broke and there is not way they were driving like that in the area the shop is located. My stance is if one missed shift did that much damage it was too fragile to be in the car in the first place. I was also told if it broke in the first 2 minutes or maybe even the first 2 days they would believe that something was wrong with the build after that it is on the driver. Am I being unreasonable to expect a $2,500 transmission build to last more than 1,200 miles?

Definitely not unreasonable, I can see their point of another shop was driving. Though honestly like you said, one missed high RPM shift is all it takes to grenade it? That's weaker Than stock and has no business in a car they knew was going to the track.

I won't pile on Calimer though, pretty sure this thread speaks for itself.
 
1,119
1,110
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Lenoir City TN
Definitely not unreasonable, I can see their point of another shop was driving. Though honestly like you said, one missed high RPM shift is all it takes to grenade it? That's weaker Than stock and has no business in a car they knew was going to the track.

I won't pile on Calimer though, pretty sure this thread speaks for itself.
I just wanted all the information out there in case it makes a difference to anyone. I think they are using me not driving as an excuse. Based on my many conversations with them, they will not stand behind anything once it is installed and drives out of the garage.
 
I just wanted all the information out there in case it makes a difference to anyone. I think they are using me not driving as an excuse. Based on my many conversations with them, they will not stand behind anything once it is installed and drives out of the garage.

I understand, you are way more calm about it than I would be (at least online 🤣).

I'd almost rather them say there is no warranty the end, instead of using the possibility of one missed shift as an excuse.

Once again though, it's their business and it's a horrible look on them.
 
1,119
1,110
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Lenoir City TN
There is no warranty with them, been there, done that, never again!
When I researched things before sending them my transmission I didn't really find anything negative. Now that I have been burned I am learning that others have had negative experiences with them. If I had found these things out earlier I wouldn't have sent them my transmission. Which stage did you have and how long did it last?
 
173
38
Just the stage one but it didn't have second gear from the first time I let out the clutch!
VMP is guilty here to as I bought it from them and again they just don't care.
 

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