Jacktransmission tranny Review

[JayRolla]

My good old mechanic Jack is going to be installing one of his Value build transmissions. Comes with double synchroed 1st and second, torrington bearing upgrade and 4 spider gear CD.

Also going in is a balanced fidanza flywheel and ACT 2600 PP w/4 puck ceramic disc. I have new oem slave and master cylinder so everything should work great. I will be giving a very detailed review on the tranny from when its installed through the miles I put on it.

Ive driven a buddys car with one and it shifted very nice. He was running a devo tuning twin disc so it was a little difficult to get used too. Many people say he has the best shifting dsm trannys made and they hold up very well. Cant beat the price either, no one offers this tranny this cheap with the 4 spider gear CD.

[1991GSXAWD]

I don't recommend the 4 puck ceramic disc, let me say that I will never run another again as it ate my tranny, flywheel and pressure plate. It's also hard to drive especially in traffic. The only good thing was that it never slipped, I would look into a 6 puck if you have to have a puck disc.

[JayRolla]

Originally Posted by 1991GSXAWD

I don't recommend the 4 puck ceramic disc, let me say that I will never run another again as it ate my tranny, flywheel and pressure plate. It's also hard to drive especially in traffic. The only good thing was that it never slipped, I would look into a 6 puck if you have to have a puck disc.

I talked a long time with him about it. Its what he does for a living and he said it would be the best disc to run. I asked him exactly what you said. He told me it will last twice as long as a organic or kevlar disc.

He also said the 4 puck design helps the unit cool so it can be thrashed over and over without heating up. He said if I want my clutch to last that I should use this disc. I was originally going to run the act street disc but he told me it will just fail. He said the material once it gets too hot it will just rip off the disc, or the springs will just explode.

[JayRolla]

Talked to him and the car would have been out of the shop in two days but I am having him look at some other issues right now. So it would have been a 2 day turn around for all the labor if that was it. Tranny was already built and ready.

I'm having a misfire issue that he is looking at, since I tried my longest to figure it out. Once its tuned and running well I will give a full review of his tranny. Im the type that takes care of his car but I also like to have fun.

So this tranny will see some hard launches and shifts at the track so I can fully review the tranny the way it should be. He says this build is good for 450-500whp but Ive known people to take it way further, he just says that to cover his ass which I understand. He did say the 4 spider center diff was good up to 600whp and thats the weakest link of the tranny.

People have talked about how well his trannys shift and if you look at his website he tells you why. He replaces parts that a lot of tranny shops resuse just because they can get away with it. But this hurts high rpm shifting. He also has very nice bearing preloads that allow for smoother shifting.

Here is the build I'm getting:

$1299
New 1-2 fork
Unbreakable 3-4 fork upgrade- 1G
New 3-4 fork- 2G
New all brass synchronizer blocker ring upgrade- 1G
New all brass synchronizer blocker ring OEM- 2G
Our own machined double synchro 2nd gear upgrade
New 1-2 synchronizer hub
New 1-2 synchronizer slider
New 1-2 synchronizer springs
New 1-2 synchronizer shoes
New 3-4 all brass synchronizer blocker ring upgrade- 1G
New 3-4 brass synchronizer blocker rings OEM- 2G
New 3-4 springs
New 3-4 shoes
New 5th gear synchronizer blocker ring with flipped slider
New seals
New tapered roller bearings on each end of intermediate shaft
New 1-2, 3-4, and 5-R roll pins
New center diff spider gear side shims and upper Torrington upgrade
Reset bearing preloads for maximum bearing and gear life
Replace all bell housing case bolts
Parts cleaned using industrial parts washers and bead blaster
New 3-4 hub
New 3-4 slider
Our own machined double synchro 1st gear upgrade
4-Spider center diff with Torrington upper bearing

Look at his website, its very nice. He gives out a lot of good info

www.jackstransmissions.com

[JayRolla]

Well first impression of the tranny is great. It shifts smoother than any dsm tranny I have ever shifted. Shifting into first is actually possible while rolling now without any issues. Tranny shifts flawlessly at 7k rpm.

Ive heard that some of the other companys trannys are stiff and break in. Not this tranny, its smooth as butter. Cant wait to take her to the track and abuse her.

[JayRolla]

Should be going to the track soon so I thought I would give a little update on how the DD has been. Im running 30psi now on my 16g and she shifts smooth at 7500rpm. No issues at all. Ive done some pretty hard launches and the CD seems to take it just fine.

Shifting at low rpms while crusing was just a little notchy but turned out that my clutch fork had a crack and was slowly breaking causing the clutch not to engage the same every time. After that broke and I fixed it everything is fine. Car shifts like butter at any throttle or RPM. I reccomend Jack over anyone else. Ive never owned any other trannys but Ive driven some of the "other guys" trannys and would say his is a lot smoother shifting.

[RoasT BeeF]

Originally Posted by JayRolla

I talked a long time with him about it. Its what he does for a living and he said it would be the best disc to run. I asked him exactly what you said. He told me it will last twice as long as a organic or kevlar disc.

He also said the 4 puck design helps the unit cool so it can be thrashed over and over without heating up. He said if I want my clutch to last that I should use this disc. I was originally going to run the act street disc but he told me it will just fail. He said the material once it gets too hot it will just rip off the disc, or the springs will just explode.

Just from my own experience running the exedy cerametallic 3 puck - the clutch will last longer than organic or kevlar at higher hp applications. It will also ruin your flywheel twice as fast. So while the clutch can stand up to more abuse while lasting longer than a regular full face disc, you are actually just destrying your flywheel instead. After running the exedy for less than a year I pulled the tranny to inspect. The pucks were cracked severely. The flywheel also had numerous cracks. I found this rather disturbing because the clutch still grabbed fine even on launches, didnt slip a bit. It was a good thing I decided to check its condtion. I opted to replace both and went back in with the same clutch and flywheel. Puck clutches are way better than any full face disc out there IMO, but regular maintenance is a must. So just a word of caution. The last thing you want is your flywheel to explode not only ruining your nice new tranny but also possibly injuring yourself at the same time.