Due to the dearth of transmission cores in my area, my very real need for a lot of them so that I can do my clinics and continue with inexpensive repair work, and the cost to ship transmissions, I am considering buying up piles of them in several locations all over the country and renting a truck to go pick them up in one big run. I can get 7 days off in a row from work, and this will take a bit to organize, but if it could work out I could also swing by and say "Hi" to a lot of you that I havent seen in a while or have not met.

Does this sound feasible? Any input to reduce cost and increase effectiveness is welcome. Also, if you have a hoard of cores, hit me up. I will buy.

I wonder if I can time this around events?

PNW, SoCal, Australia - these parts are needed for your clinics! If I cant get more parts, I can still do clinics, but people will need to buy new parts and the cost will be more than double what I charge.

My stuff went to a guy in San Diego County, I think. Maybe he can spare some of it ......... If you come to the left coast, I might be interested in helping drive west to east if I could get a cheap flight back to CA.

The Cap'n

You'll save $$ and make the most of your time by flying to the West Coast, renting the truck there and zigzaging back across the country. Save the time and expense of a round trip.

Buy the trans, pay for shipping, stay home. You'll be worlds ahead. Send out a plastic container to the seller on your dime. You will still be way ahead.

If I come across some. They will be headed your way

If I pay for the core, then $100 for shipping each one, I am at over $1000 just for shipping if I can get 10. I am looking for more than 10, so the price only goes up incrementally. I already have a few hoards to clear out, 4 in CA, 4 3hrs south of me, and I know of members with substantial hoards that may sell if I show up and do the work. Shipping multiple boxes is a PITA for the best of us. Many area not interested in selling if it is at all an inconvenience. Evidence of that can be seen in the Omma Passu thread with buying and shipping a box to Finland. The seller wanted eye contact and cash in hand. This is becoming the norm. Hershey was a bust this year. Everyone wanted top dollar for shit. All boxes were "rebuilt" which is suspect given a cursory evaluation of the outside of all of them and the aged seals showing. Folks were asking $600+ for cores. They did not sell, needless to say. In 10-20 yrs they can get those prices, maybe, but many looked like they may not be around then. I managed to buy one, 1, uno, single box there and I had to barter to get the price below $300, which I will not pay for a core. I got it for my top price, but I was also able to open it up and look at the guts before purchase so I at least knew that I would break even (not gonna make a dime on that box, likely).

So, a round a bout with a north-west-south-east pattern may be too much. A zig zag pattern is a bit hard, too. If I can trade labor for assistance, I am game for that. My big push is not to make a million on this stuff. I want to improve the boxes function with research, and get as many rebuilt boxes in our cars as I can. That is why my prices are low. However, with the cost and labor of getting cores, I do not know how long I can keep that up. Clinics dry me out on parts. I like doing them and people like going to them.

I may have to settle for fly out drive back and see if I can get most of the hoards warehoused along 40 or some main W-E artery.

I would think if you can line up 20+ boxes and reduce the zig zag to get them, your plan seems to make a lot of sense.

John, thanks for the kind offer. I will keep it under consideration depending on cost and how plans work out, if they do.

Anyone on I-40 through Little Rock has to stop for coffee!!!

It would be nice to have you come down here Doc, but 914 boxes aren't real thick on the ground, and its a very long drive.

That's a lot of driving. And your going to need a siphon hose (aka an Oklahoma Credit card) if you want to save some $$$ on this trip. Holler at me when you get here. I've got a bag of gears and a case. No dog teeth or syncro's.

Howard, there is a clinic planned in Canberra for Aug. There is a thread on Pelican for it. I can give you the info it you need. This is all pending my ability to get the logistics and parts figured out. I need to ship all my stuff and that will cost, and what does not get sold/used will have to be shipped back (more $$) so I need to keep the excess to a minimum.

76-914, unfortunately I have no need for standard gears or cases. In 10 yrs of doing this I have sold 0 cases and I am flush with gears. Thanks for the offer, though. Everyone is very kind and it is why I like this place so much and always want to do more to make it even better.

Idea-
If your gonna score Greggs hoard then why don't we contact Summitt Point and see if they would host a 914 day at the track as part of thier regular "Friday at the Track" program? If we could get some 5-10 teeners to participate I'm sure we could get a discount. I'll lend ya my darkside teener to cut laps with dood (and of course, room and board free fer the Doc).
Now that would be a serious cool event!

so it sounds like Hershey didnt even yield a tail cover?

I got no gears nor cases- just a warm sofa coach if you care for a free stay and bad tasting coffee in the AM!! Temecula area in Cali - one hour away from everything including the local gambling places!

But mi-casa es su casa!

A few years back I was looking at a cheap NX2000 in a city a few hundred miles away. Posted on Craiglist I needed a car moved and actually got a few good offers from guys that make frequent trips.

Or consider a minivan. Pull the seats, cheap hf tarp, cut a 4x8 for the floor to protect the inside and suck up oil. You could also use it to strap down the trannys. Would get better mileage and not too pricey if you go rent-a-wreck.

Dave, you should set that up regardless of the transmissions

Rich, PM sent. I forgot that I did score one.

R8Certs - thanks I have friends and family in SD, too as I am a native.

Chris, best would be if the Damn Bus were running. I will try that route fist....doomed to fail?

If we all went on a hunt and found you some, this could be a coordinated buy for you....there has to be hundreds of trannys (transmissions) in SoCal alone.....?

I think most trannys are in N.CA. San Francisco is full of them.

I would leave the parts on the front step and then lock the door.

Srsly people.

Lock

The

Door

Type4 motor.....call it done in a weekend.

You can pick up one or 2 cores at MSDS in Glendale 91204 !
Marty

If you get as far as colorado I have a spare bed and a warm meal for you. Plus I'll pay you to build one too

Doc, would you please post the link as I can't find it.

Thanks,

Look at doing an I-40 run, you can hit lots of states and stay right off the interstate. I'll look into seeing if I can find any more cores around Nashville for you.

out and back home might be close to 6k miles? truck/van daily rental and mileage will kill you. not to mention fuel. when you get to the point of staging the PNW clinic i'm pretty sure you will be able to have a stock pile of cores waiting.

I agree. Load on a pallet and ship. Your time is more valuable working as a doctor than a truck driver. Of course you can't put a price on a good time but if your idea is to save money, driving a truck xcountry to pick up used parts isnt saving money.

Hey Mike, sent you a pm.

A truck and a trailer would do a lot for getting you trans cores. Boxes on an open flat bed car trailer, strapped or screwed down so they don't move. Then circle the US, filling the boxes.

Sell A&E or one of the "car" channels on sponsoring a reality show about you! Your crazy enough to entertaining. At lease we think so

What about heading out to some of the 914 events that are already drawing folks from all over and let them know you'll be there and looking for parts? Maybe you can drum up some new attendees even. Then you're in one spot, fly in collect parts and then put them on a pallet and LTL them home. Maybe an extra day at an event and that's it. Just rent a van when you're there. A good van though.

That said, if I was trying to dodge another in an endless series of malpractice hearings I might try to be out of state for a week too.

A treasure trove has been brought to my attention only 4.5hrs from me. Plans are to pay and pick up on the 20th. This will seriously cut down my need, but that just means the tour is off.

I like the idea of going to an event and having people bring them there. No idea how to ship, though. All I have dealt with is ForwardAir. They were OK, but I never shipped a crap load of cores.

I basically need to make it easy for people by picking up the cores as most are disinterested in shipping them. Not all, though. I have a few in bound at the moment

This place does rock. Thanks to people reaching out, I can continue my work

Mike, put a hitch on the back of the Mini and I will hook you up with an enclosed 4 x 6 trailer that will work perfect for your needs. Extremely light weight and looks like new. A friend of mine bought it to pull behind his VW TDI and haul his geology equipment.

when you say "cores' what exactly are you looking for? Full trans that needs a lot of help, or only cases? or whatever you can get your hands on?

Cores are complete transmissions. However, I am interested in gear stacks, too. I have no need for empty cases, though.

Also, I have been buying used dog teeth, bands and sliders off of people if anyone has a hoard of those to off load.

OK I can shoot the pilot

Elliot! Oh no!