At AZ Automasters we offer a wide variety of transmission services. We will install new or remanufactured units that you supply us or we can out source one for you from many different sources. We do offer in house transmission building of the highest quality for a wide variety of units. These units can be rebuilt to stock spec. or upgraded from mild to extreme duty depending on your budget , and intended use. We have experience rebuilding a multitude of different trans. Models, but the most common units we upgrade are the 4L60 and 4L80 units. These are the most common GM units used in rear wheel drive vehicles. The 4L80 is used in many heavy duty truck & SUV applications, where as the 4L60 ( 700R4, 4L60 E, 4L65 E ) is used in all the corvettes, camaros, firebirds, gto’s, lighter duty truck & SUV’s. , and many more. Since this particular class of unit is by far the most frequent unit we rebuild & upgrade we will focus on it in this section

 

 

SOME OF THE SERVICES WE OFFER

 

  • Complete stock rebuilding
  • Trans cooler installation
  • Shift kits ( in the vehicle) performance or towing
  • Stock build with shift kit
  • Performance build with stronger internals ( various levels )
  • Custom stall speed & H.D. torque converters
  • Manual trans overhaul & upgrade

 

 

Here’s some examples of the upgrades we perform on 4L60 (E) units.

(Please click on the images below.)

 

 

 

 

 

Our prices are very competitive, due to the fact we eliminate the middle man. Most all performance shops & for that matter regular repair shops out source trans shops to build their units, but never seem to inform the customer of that. Then they of course mark up the cost so they can take their cut. Next in line is the regular trans shops, they tend to be focused on high volume and don’t do a lot of high performance upgrades. You may be surprised at how often they have a shelf unit already built, ready to install, without you even knowing it’s a different trans. While this may be ok for your average grocery getter, we don’t recommend it for these types of vehicles. One main reason is that each year the manufacturer evaluates problems, and incorporates fixes or upgraded parts, and if you get stuck with an older unit that fits, you may be in for another failure sooner than you deserve, warranty or not. We prefer to rebuild or upgrade YOUR unit, unless of course we are supplying a core unit for a retro fit application. Ok, there are some decent trans shops out there, but in our opinion ,in all of auto repair there is more corruption in the trans industry, than any other. Just look at some of the common tactics, FREE INSPECTION, & QUOTE, then once you’ve signed the invoice they inspect it all right. They take it out, tear it down in a million pieces , and give you a quote. If you don’t like it , you can tow your vehicle to another shop, you trans in a cardboard box, in pieces. Oh yeah all the parts are there especially the bad ones, but sometimes they seem to forget a couple of expensive choice pieces, that weren’t bad. Oh, you didn’t authorize them to remove it ? , yes you did, READ the fine print. Or lets see, how about those cheap rebuild prices advertised ? Example THM 700 rebuild $400. + ( fine print) hard parts , or converter extra. Well guess what, that converter just might cost you $475 or the hard parts like a simple planetary gear set costing $450 when they could charge you less than 1/4 that price and still double their money. I’ve been building auto transmissions going back 23 yrs at the time of this writing, both for dealerships & independent shops & these are just some of the common practices I’ve seen . It’s sad ! My intention is not to bash trans shops but to inform you of what goes on in case you don’t go with us. ALWAYS get a worst case $ quote in writing, before leaving your vehicle so there wont be any surprises. If they can’t or won’t do that, DON’T leave it with them!

 

OK, on to what we can do for you. Since we opened up in early ‘98 we have been building high performance 4L60 (class) units. Over the years more & more upgrade parts have come into existence, both from the manufacturer & the aftermarket. Our building process has evolved with the market, and experience. Building ultra high performance units is almost an art form unto itself. During those years, we have experienced a few failures, usually in very heavy vehicles, with tons of horsepower, and extreme type usage. ALL trans shops lose a few, if they say they don’t they are LYING. We are not ashamed of the few issues we have seen, but glad to have had the opportunity to closely analyze the failures so as to fine hone our building methods and get a good feel for the maximum capability of this particular unit. For instance if you have a heavy vehicle with say a supercharged 427 cid. , we would not shift kit it to the max. , the shock of the shifts causes to much strain on the internals and will shorten its lifespan. Instead we would use the strongest internals & calibrate it to shift just firm enough to prevent friction failures. Another option for this scenario would be to upgrade to one of our bullet proof 4L80E units. We would be happy to discuss what your individual needs are, your primary use, and custom build a unit that meets or exceeds your expectations, at a very reasonable and competitive price. We take pride in every unit we do.