I want a VB upgrade asap but I'm wondering what other options
there are other than Don's VB upgrade and Levelten's......

anyone know which one is best?

thanks

 

i wanted the VB installed from level 10 and then i found out it costs like 1200. rather get suspension done first..then catback, then y pipe then cat convertor then....possibilites are endless

 

I want to do one too, but cant deal with the fact that i might be out of a vb and cant drive for a week or so.

Dixit

 

Im afraid of this Mod. I did it to my Mustang, before I dropped a Tremec T5 in it and it blew my tranny. I had it rebuilt , and had another VB kit put in, and blew it again. I was told by a mechanic that this adds too much wear on the Automagic... Does anyone have any info on how this will affect a Maxx ? If you blow your tranny , with this mod.. NO WARRANTY !

 

I'm looking to get this mod in about 15 days, the car will be down 3 days, you overnight the vb, Don works on it, then he overnights it back to you. A friend down here in So Cal. just got his done, and what a difference in shifts, this mod will actually prolong the life of the tranny, used with a tranny cooler, and also synthetic oil.

Big Dog, that's one tight azz system you got, nice sig.

 

Can someone in Southern Cali learn how to do this ....

 

kloogy:
trust me I live in so cal. and I have called twenty different tranny places, to see, and even to got referals, and NO ONE does it, Datsun alley in Signal Hill, dosen't even know what i was talking about. i even asked my mechanic, he is calling different vendors, and no luck. Don, is the only one that does this, plus look at his car, he has perfected it I guess for the max's.

 

Don is really easy to deal with--Eric and I had ours done on our 2k2s a while back and I think it is well worth the money--I've never heard of anyone blowing their tranny (or any problems at all)in a max with this mod--the whole "helping in the 1/4 mile" thing is debatable but it seems like it would--I'm gonna be installing a tranny cooler soon as Houston summers are no joke

kloogy: how much power did you have hitting the ground with your stang?

 

I emailed Don and never heard back. Saved me $450 and a week of downtime I guess.

As far as the warranty is concerned, does anything change physically so that the dealer could tell that something was modified?

 

No, they would have to go inside the valve body to see any changes and even then might not notice

 

I have had this mod done to my car with 30,000 miles of supercharged driving and I can say that there is no signs of my tranny giving up its chase for the next gear. I would go with Don since he is a little guy with a great reputation (that and he is a Maxima owner/enthusiast). Got to stick with our own.

Kloogy: What type of VB mod did you put in your stand (what brand)?

 

Skimax blew his tranny with a SC and Don's VB... but he probably drives like an idiot.

I have Don's VB and it works really well.

 

Stick w/ Don's VB, haven't used the product, but know a few people who do have it, and are totally 100% satisfied w/ the product. I had mine totally redone after L10, and after hearing about all the problems, I didn't wanna take a chance. Reading Jayson's tranny build up, got a few ideas, and got a simple rebuild using better components than what L10 had installed. Maybe a custom LSD in the future.

Rba's car benefitted tremendously from it. I was able to break tires on 1-2 shift when he was in the hospital and we had his car to drive around.

 

I've chirped 1-2 before but it was while I was rolling and TC unlocked...
Don explained the theory on tire chirping... Had something do with different trannys having different levels if clutch ware(depending on the tranny life).. It seems the older the tranny, the easier it is to chirp..

One disadvantage I found out. While coming to a full stop, my car slightly kicks just before it shifts into 1st gear... It's really hard to notice and I thought it was due to the fact that I raised my idle timing..
I drove ChimpDJ's car today and it happens with his car too..
It might not be harmful but it's begining to annoy me..

Hey Alex,

Stick with Don. I heard he has 5thgen VBs instock so you wont lose downtime.. Might be wrong..

 

looks like I'm gonna stick with Don's VB upgrade.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Now would anyone happen to know how to take out the valvebody
by any chance cuz to tell you the truth I' not sure I know what it looks like.

 

Just go to don's website and you can dl instructions.. If you want, I can assist you with the install but you provide the lift & tools...

 

cool man! what tools will I need?

oh but there is one problem.....don't know where we can go to
use a lift.......hmmmm

 

My VB upgrade was actually a gift from the grandparents (haven't seen them since I was 16), and they sprung for the L10. They said not to worry about doing it myself, and let's make sure it gets done right. So, I went up to L10 in NJ and they did everything for me. I haven't had any problems whatsoever, and the tranny feels a lot better on the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. They are however more expensive than Don by a long shot and you get the same quality with Don's. If you can suck up the downtime and take it off yourself, go with Don's and save yourself a lot of money. Like I said, the grandparents insisted, so I didn't argue. One of the better mods out there for the auto by a long shot, and a must if you want to throw on a major power adder.

 

I have sent my payment for the vb mod in advance just to insure that I get it ASAP and per my last e-mail he has a vb in route back to him (bout 8 days ago) and should have it ready soon. I hope that I get it fast because I HATE the stock shift of this thing. I basically am getting it over anything else because of Y2KevSE's phrase. If Kev says, it's so!
l8tr -- SS

 

Let's worry about obtaining the VB 1st....

And if no lift, I aint spending 8 hrs under the car...
Oops.. Didn't mean to startle you..

Seriously, if you are getting the VB, I can help you install it bro.. Just by me lunch... LoL!.

And for tools and ****, You will be needing the following stuff depending on your work environment (your driveway for example)...

19mm socket?? Or was it 16mm? I forget..
10mm socket
tq wrench
small flathead screwdriver
Jack & stands
4-5 cans of brake cleaner
6-8 qts of ATF
Something to drain the ATF
And alot of heart & effort

What ever I missed should be on Don's website..

Oh.. Don't forget the sticky greens. You're gonna need it after you're finished..

 

So for the VB, you have to send them your old one? (meaning you can't drive car around)

 

Yes Sir

 

Yes but you can send it to me 1st....

 

sounds like a plan.....I'll definitely let you know once my car is ready for this. Should be in a month or so at the most.
We're almost definitely gonna need a lift though cuz
after the bodykit is installed we won't be able to get under there
with just jackstands.

I'll keep you "posted"

 

Don's VB mod is great! And he was always there to answer my questions. The trans cooler is a must for the VB mod, because the VB mod will raise tranny fluid temps. But if the fluid is kept at the right temp, in combination with the VB mod, it will prolong the life of the tranny under NORMAL driving conditions
I stress NORMAL!!!
I raced another forum member, we have almost the same mods. He is missing the VB and y pipe. When we raced, I had a 1 to 1 1/2 car length advantage. We will run again when he gets his y pipe so we can see how much difference the VB mod makes. It does feel alot better, but I don't know if it will take .5 sec off the 1/4 mile.
For me, to avoid downtime, I bought a new VB unit from DaveB. It costs like $450
If the tranny blows, and u need to take it back to the dealer... that may be a problem.... depends on this...
If they give u a rebuilt tranny, it may come with a VB in it, and they will not swap ur modded unit over. If they just rebuild the tranny in ur car, then u r fine... this will depend on the particular dealer. Does anyone have any insight on this???

 

I had the tranny cooler installed last week and I really don't see much of a difference except for shifts being slightly smoother!!.. I liked it better when the shifts felt firmer but...
As long as my tranny life is prolonged, I'm satisfied!!..

 

hey, i dunno if i saw u on francis lewis yet or not but im interested in the VB too. lemme know when youre interested to do this and where you're going to take out the vb and everything. i wanna check it out. thanx

 

sup man.....I saw your car at one of the meets when I was about to run with Cisco but po-po was crpssing the divider over to our side.

I rememebr your car but not how you look like.....I'll make sure to
post results once i get the vb mod done.....may be about a month though

 

Didn't your sig used to say "writing your mods in your sig is ghey"?
lol

 

Mods?? What are Mods??

 

Mods ?

My car is as stock as...umm 95emeraldgxe's.