Our Process

Before the Build: To begin the process of building any great transmission, you must have a lot of rebuildable core. In order for us to have one of the most unique offerings in the industry, it's all about core and part buying relationships. We've built strong relationships directly with auto recyclers across the US, enabling Transmission Bunker to obtain rebuildable core transmissions at extremely competitive prices.  In addition, our relationships with these auto recyclers give us access to rare, hard-to-find cores as well. Also, because of these relationships and direct purchasing agreements, this reduces our cost(s) to our customer. Good for you!

 

Core Disassembly: Once the units arrive at our factory, we completely disassemble the core transmissions distributing the components to their respective departments. In each department, the components are inspected, machined, and improved over the original by implementing industry "fixes" or updates. The components, bits, and pieces are then inventoried and warehoused for the assembly lines. 

 

Valve Body: The valve body is sometimes considered the "brain" of the transmission. Components like the valve bodies(VB) are sent to their own special department to keep them free and clear from any possible contamination from other areas of the factory. Not so fun fact...A strand of human hair or grain of sand trapped in the VB can stop a solenoid or valve from movement. Cleanliness is essential to the valve body. All valve bodies are completely remanufactured and updated to ensure we provide the latest and greatest in performance and quality. Once complete, the VB and it's components are tested to ensure quality and then transported over to the assembly lines to be paired up with the case.  

 

Torque Converters: Each Converter is completely remanufactured in-house in our own TC manufacturing facility adjacent to our factory. Each Torque Converter is disassembled and the wearable components discarded. The TC's go thru a standard machining process to eliminate imperfections, improve performance, and guarantee quality. A new hub is welded into place, machined to exact specification, and polished to perfection. Internally, we replace the converter clutch and stator assembly, along with an inspection of the pump vanes for any sort of damage or defect.  Once all the good stuff is installed, the Torque Converter is welded back together using our space-age, nuclear powered, computerized welders. The TC is then moved down the assembly line to our lathes where they are balanced and re-inspected for quality. After inspection and balance, they move over to be water tank and hydraulically leak tested. Then, down the line again to the paint area where they are painted to a beautiful, high-gloss black then capped and sealed. There is another final inspection of each Torque Converter at the final assembly of the complete transmission prior to testing. (PLEASE see our installation guide and Warranty info for proper TC installation.)

 

Assembly: Using high-quality parts isn't the only concern during assembly— our years of experience and extensive knowledge in the industry assures that every transmission is remanufactured the RIGHT way. We operate as an assembly line type facility with extremely talented team members working to ensure that all units are built with the best techniques possible. Our team members have years of experience and aren't just some gear head we found on the internet looking for a job. For example, one of our line supervisors has been building transmissions for over 30 years. Plus, each of his line builders has well over 10 years experience. Now back to the assembly...

 

All units are assembled by our experts using only the highest quality parts available. We work with our customers and build teams to critique and press our suppliers to always work towards improvement in the parts we use. We also work diligently towards process improvements of our own to, again, produce the best transmission possible.

 

Testing: Need I say more? Testing is essential to providing a transmission that works at the time of installation and for a lifetime to come.  All our units are tested in multiple phases of the build process to ensure product quality. We currently have both gas and electric dynamometers in our factory. And, we are extremely excited for the arrival of our newest 2017 model dyno to replace our last gas dyno. We hate to see "Old Faithful" fade into retirement. I'm sure we're still keep it around as a back-up.  

 

One quick note about testing...we have an internal research and development department located upstairs at our main manufacturing center. In this department, we operate as a basic installation and repair center. Here's the difference... We have actual test vehicles that we swap transmissions in/out to learn "better ways" and help with problem diagnosis. If we see a repeating issue on a particular type of transmission family, we will use our test vehicle(s) to try and duplicate the issue. Then we work to figure out ways to improve the issue so our customers don't have the same problem in the field. Pretty cool...huh?