Shep Stage 1 or Jacks stage 1.2

[Mph]

I searched for both of these transmissions, and there are no threads written yet. Transmissions ARE NOT MY THING!

I am going to be at 500hp tops, around 400hp at the moment. The stock trans has held up fine and it has 117k miles. That is why I am not worried about spending thousands on a stage 4. No need for the way I drive.

Jacks Stage 1.2 AWD DSM Transmission: All Costs, plus $25 High temp coating: $1144

Jacks Transmissions LLC — 'Stage 1.2' AWD Economy

Shep Stage 1 AWD DSM Transimission: All Costs: $1165

DSM Transmissions - AWD

Jacks Pros and Cons:
I am trying to choose one and cant decide. The Jacks has a HP rating of 400 with the welded center diff. Which also doesnt cost extra. With the $25 High temp coating it is still cheaper than the Shep. I am in Illinois and they are located in Colorado, but told me they had a 2 week turnaround time.

Shep Pros and Cons:
I feel like shep's work is more proving with him being on the track all the time. Havent read much about Jack being on the track, but a lot of people like his trans. Shep is located in Ohio, I am in Illinois. Probably faster turnaround time. I read that shep installs a "New Shep Trans Spec 2nd Gear" maybe that is better than Jacks, not sure.

One more thing, I am purchasing a ACT 2900 solid 6 spuck, and a XACT Flywheel. Thanks in advance for the responses

 

[viperlp01]

I have never used neither of the vendors but honestly if your going for such a basic rebuild it most likely doesn't matter who you go with. When you start moving up in the stages where preloads and detail work on the gears along with the processes that they go through to strengthen the gears is where they start to shine. TMZ performance builds some nice transmissions along with TRE up here in Kalamazoo. I ran a TRE trans into the mid 10s and it was for the most part a basic rebuild but with some detail work on the gears and cryo/shot peening. Tim Zimmer(TMZ) is a great guy to talk to along with some awesome customer service.

 

[Mph]

Thanks for the input, I think I am going with the Jacks stage 1.2 Economy rebuild for my GSX.

 

[twicks69]

You will kill your center diff sooner or later, but if you drive gently it will last fine with the stock center diff.

Shep's 2nd gear is an OEM 1998 gear, nothing more.

The most important thing will be bearing preloads, gear deburring and detailing and preferably shotpeening services on the gearset. If I had my choice I would do a 4 spider center diff with a billet cross shaft, but a welded will work ok otherwise at the sacrifice of streetability.

As well, the prices you are looking at would only cover those specific parts, I can tell you hat there is still a high likelyhood you may need other parts in your transmission.

As for turnaround time, you will need to contact Shep to find out his current turnaround status.

I am currently around 2wk turnaround.


On a final note, I would strongly recommend a SBC SS-X TZ/B Kevlar/Ceramic dual friction clutch assembly with its heavy duty sprung hub and full face friction design for increased longevity of your clutch and your transmission. The ACT flywheel is still a nice piece and will work fine with this clutch.

Good luck!

Tim Zimmer via Evo Phone

 

[RipperXX]

I went with Jacks stock rebuild, been very happy. Esp since I switched to the Evo MR trans gear oil... does it shift smooth.




Never put out more than 320hp so far, but shes taken it fine.

 

[1MeanTSI]

Be careful with a welded diff in a daily driver. That is alot of bind if your cornering alot...

 

[DSM Jeff]

I have 2 shep tranny's. Both leak. Both have been sent back to have them fixed (and paid for it). Both still leak. Shifting on my 90 which has every option avalible is rather notchy in 3/4 even with the double syncro. My 2g tranny shifts a bit better but is on a mostly stock car. Both trannies run redline. I drove my friends 2g with Jacks trans and a decent bit of power and felt very smooth.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I have 2 shep tranny's. Both leak. Both have been sent back to have them fixed (and paid for it). Both still leak. Shifting on my 90 which has every option avalible is rather notchy in 3/4 even with the double syncro. My 2g tranny shifts a bit better but is on a mostly stock car. Both trannies run redline. I drove my friends 2g with Jacks trans and a decent bit of power and felt very smooth.

Where are they leaking from?

 

[DSM Jeff]

Where are they leaking from?

My 90 is leaking between the cases. It started after a year and opted to send it back and have double syncro 3-4 put in while it was apart (since it was available at that point in time). My 2g tranny leaked from the shifter inputs. It was returned and he said it was from a bad batch of seals or something. Anyway its leaking from there again a few years later. Fluid levels always set while the vehicle is on my 4 post-drive on lift. I fill until it runs out, once it stops I put the plug in and torque it. Both leaks are very light, more like seepage. Just kinda sucks when you've invested a lot of money into a tranny. I still have a 3rd tranny waiting to go into a car. Friend had it rebuild (stockish) and I picked it up off him dirt cheap. Hard times suck for some and benefit others.

 

[Mph]

I have 2 shep tranny's. Both leak. Both have been sent back to have them fixed (and paid for it). Both still leak. Shifting on my 90 which has every option avalible is rather notchy in 3/4 even with the double syncro. My 2g tranny shifts a bit better but is on a mostly stock car. Both trannies run redline. I drove my friends 2g with Jacks trans and a decent bit of power and felt very smooth.

Glad I decided to go with the Jacks Transmission!

 

[buhay6]

well now that I've read a little on sheps trans I'll have to do more research on them before I decide. I was going to go for their stage 2 rebuild but I'll definitely check out jacks now.....shipping's going to suck from Canada!
Thanx for posting this topic you might have saved me a head ache or two!

 

[dsmpat95]

I have a stage 2 shep trans. No issues at all.

Any issues can happen no matter who rebuilds your trans.

 

[RipperXX]

Any issues can happen no matter who rebuilds your trans.

Truth

 

[DSM Jeff]

Leaks can happen, working in a dealership I hate sealing things. I haven't had any mechanical issues other then 3/4 seems a bit notchy still. I've got a lot of miles on both tranny's and I drive on the aggressive side.

 

[Mph]

I will post back in this thread with some pictures and feedback of my Jacks stage 1.2 transmission. Probably around two weeks from now.

 

[spoolin ddub]

The few cars I know of with a jacks trans aren't to impressed with his work. Not that he is bad but compared to the other trans builders his work is basic. There's some good ass trans builder in IL who have cars in the 10's/9's all day. They can't give you a TMZ or TRE quality trans but you can get Jacks quality for a fraction of the cost

As far as Shep I wanted evo gears but he wouldn't even offer them. He said he just uses stock gears and told me there is no need for evo gears and all i need is the heavy duty 3rd/4th. GTFO Give me what i want!!!! I drove to TRE. Jon showed and explained the differences of the gearings as well as the little modifications he does. If it's in ones budget for the major trans builders i suggest TRE & TMZ.

 

[Lofty]

TMZ. Hes the only one active in the community with us. Should be a no brainer!

 

[spoolin ddub]

TMZ. Hes the only one active in the community with us. Should be a no brainer!

True Tim is one of the few active vendors in the community. To be honest by looking at what alot of members say/think I see why. It's our fault they aren't on here but regardless if they're on here or not that has nothing to do with the quality of work . I'm actually surprised some vendors still offer anything to dsmers at all . That being said TMZ and TRE are they way to go. I consider TRE the grandfather of DSM trans builders. He has been doing it longer than anyone. He is true old school.

 

[phunny]

Tim Zimmerman will be the only guy that touches my tranny

 

[spoolin ddub]

Tim Zimmerman will be the only guy that touches my tranny

That's great! I'm not trying to argue because I support Tim all the way. But how does that comment help the person/community asking for help without you even mentioning any facts or experiences? What people need to know is why ? This is not a poll. It's an information thread.

 

[twicks69]

Just for clarification, my name is Tim Zimmer, not Zimmerman.

 

[JackM]

Hello all!!

For some reason, I get a lot of site hits from this location. I have read this thread and thought I should chime in:

1) We have the longest warranty in the business 14months/unlimited miles.
2) We are a SUPPORTING VENDOR. Like these forums? It's those of us who pay that allow these forums to stick around and be such a great place. I used to post in Tuners a lot, but I just don't have the time anymore I'm sorry to say.
3) We repair units far more complex than you can ever imagine over the DSM trans. Due to this, we have much more strict standards which we have implemented to the DSM trans as well. The result is the cleanest and highest quality DSM trans rebuild on the market.
4) Our synchro blue printing is something no other shop does, period, and is standard procedure on ALL of our rebuilds. It is a very time consuming process and we do it for everyone and every build:

Jacks Transmissions LLC — Synchro Blueprinting

5) Our cleaning equipment is the best in the business. The quality of the build is highly dependent on how clean the parts are and we have some pretty amazing equipment to assure your unit is perfectly clean! Our most recent purchase was a huge sonic cleaning machine which can clean things as large as tranny cases. This amazing unit cost us $27k. Ultrasonic cleaning uses high frequency sound waves to agitate in a liquid. Cavitation bubbles induced by the agitation act on contaminants adhering to substrates like metals, plastics, glass, rubber, and ceramics. This action also penetrates blind holes, cracks, and recesses. The intention is to thoroughly remove all traces of contamination tightly adhering or embedded onto solid surfaces. IOW, your unit will be far cleaner with this process than some dude cleaning your parts in a solvent tank.
6) We have the strongest helical synchro gear set in the business. Our HD gear sets have twice the thickness over the standard HD and EVOIII gears our competitors use.
7) Along with the clean equipment, we have a very clean facility. Our work area doesn't have parts on the floor, ever, and everything is kept neat and organized. We have spent a large amount of money on nice carts and SS benches to keep your parts clean and keep the build clean.
8) Our company has no debt and we own everything here including the building. Due to our careful and logical spending, we have very little overhead which makes for substantial savings to the customer.
9) Everyone employed here loves the company and working here. Ours employees are very intelligent and talented people. We have people from electrical engineers with experience in the aviation industry, to younger people who are learning and working here while keeping a 3.95 GPA in school and graduating with honors. We are very proud of our work and the people in which we employ. I find myself very lucky, as an employer, to have been able to find these rare and talented people to work in my shop and they are worth what we pay for them.

I'm not sure where people get the misinformation that our rebuilds are basic, but they are anything but basic.

If people are having shifting issues, they didn't read the instructions that came with the trans and didn't contact me about it, so it's a surprise to hear that. Not sure if that was also false info, but what I hear from customers is their trans shifts very nicely. I haven't had any shifting complaints come through in a very long time.

We love our Canadian customers! It normally costs $150-200 to ship a trans to Canada from us here in Colorado.

If you have any questions at all about our rebuild process, please feel free to email me directly at anytime:

[email protected]

I would personally be more than happy to answer any and all questions you may have.

Thanks very much!!

Jack