If you were needing a good competitive trans for class racing(Super Stock, Stock, Comp, NA 10.5, etc)
Would it be better to build or buy? Curious of everyone's thought on this. Thanks!

Buying a competitive trans for class racing is no fun. They are expensive and don't last long. Putting a 904 behind a 1000 HP Super Stock Hemi makes no sense to anyone but a Super Stock racer. But I agree with Cab, if you want one Pro Trans has the reputation of being the man.

If you are class racing there is none better the Pro Trans.Up front cost hurts but is worth it.

IMO buy one...FWIW Protrans makes a very good piece but they are not the strongest transmissions in the world. They work great in High HP moderate torque deals but if you are looking for a three speed and building something making a lot of torque, 850+ you may be better off elsewhere.

If you are building a liteweight HP combo or a Stock or SS deal a Proflite is hard to beat. Least parasitic loss and liteweight for sure. If you are looking at a combo making big torque then IMO Rossler is a better option. Much stronger piece and proven at high hp high tq deals. We have a TH210 from Rossler. They are not lite but the are fairly bulletproof. Oh yeah neither option is cheap. Depending on what you are after look at $7-12K for either if you are making power.

FYI an educated buyer can make better decisions....go to this web page and see whats avail first....lots of goodies&ideas..
http://www.transmissioncenter.net/727transmission.htm

The first thought I had was the learning curve on how to make it survive could be very long and painful,,,,, which would make a professionally built unit much cheaper by comparison.

"he first thought I had was the learning curve on how to make it survive could be very long and painful,,,,, which would make a professionally built unit much cheaper by comparison."




I learned this years ago with 900HP and a 727!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike

If you are staying with a Mopar trans I would also look at A&A trans.

There are such HUGE variations of needs for the classes you listed, that a solid answer can't be given.

For a low classed, low HP stocker, a home assembled unit would likely be as good as any. Super Stock and Comp, as already mentioned, depending on class gets you in to some pretty exotic trans needs and then some 10.5 cars are just different animals entirely.

We have a two speed Turbo 400 from PTC in our Outlaw Drag Radial car. With the new Reid case we now have close to 12k in the trans and converter. But that is "best of the best" parts you can buy and so far has been pretty bullet proof. We always carried a spare glide and needed it a few times, but have not hurt the 400........Well, we did roll a sprag in it pretty early in its life but fixed it at the track. No problem since and that was supposedly a bad run of sprags according to several people.

So to answer your question......depends on what you plan to do.

Monte

Thanks for the responses guys. I didn't realize how open ended I left the question but for sure I would be looking for the best combination of strength and light weight that could handle 600-1200HP and lots of rpm(+9k). For me and what I would like to run in the future, that is probably the extent of HP.

So in terms of finding lightweight internals, shafts, gearsets, and kits? What are some of the better(cost and quality) brands? There seems to be quite a few options(CRT, SMR, A&A, COAN, A1, etc)

Years ago, I built my first BB 727 from a B&M kit. It did not work...I used the wrong year lip seals and it would not shift to high. I fixed it and I got better, but barely understood what I was doing other than changing parts and setting clearances. I built several others, both BB & SB. Still it was good enough for 30 years ago. Now the beast that I am building is my (possibly) "last hurrah" and will be driven by my grandchildren I will probably spend "stupid money" and buy the best there is to ensure their safety. I already have a Pat Blais built 727, but I skimped on some of the exotic internals...before I first start the car, the trans is coming out and the best of the good stuff is going in. I am not willing to risk seeing them hurt by my stupidity no matter how much it costs

Build it yourself and save a ton of $. Have someone like John Cope put a parts package together for you, for say, a 10 second car. Nothing has to be too exotic to build a trans to hold up in that range. That's what I did, and been running it for 4-5 years now with no problems. Parts will run you 4 or 500 bucks, excluding the valve body and convertor.

If you're planning to run a big block car in Stock, Superstock or Comp, the ability to build a top line transmission is probably beyond the capabilities of most people. What Pro-Trans does is to put lightweight aluminum 904 parts into a BB 727 case such that it installs just like a normal BB 727. As far as durability goes, they have also developed a lot of upgraded billet aluminum parts that can make the trans reliably handle about anything that a Stock, Superstock or N/A Comp engine can put out.

With all of that being said, these transmissions are not cheap but there's a reason why the people that run the classes you mention pay ~$5,000 for the most "tricked out" ones. But I'm pretty sure you can still get an "entry level" model that costs less to start off and then get upgrades later on. If you're serious about this, you should call Pro-Trans and I'm sure Dave or Darren will be glad to answer your questions.

A truely high end competitive trans that involves lots of mods and machine work is out of the scope of the average builder for sure, but adding up graded parts such as steel drums, additional clutches/springs, bands, bolt in sprags, shift levers, etc. is, IMO, not.

John Cope!, just had a trans built for my 535 stroker nearing 700hp, Cope can build what you need,i shipped him mine and had it back in less then a week (2 days shipping each way) couldn't have had faster turn around if the shop was in my backyard. John stands by everything he builds. Best response from him to me," you will break something else long before you break my transmission" Customer service AWESOME!you call him your talking to the guy who builds it.

Pro-Trans 904 in our sb super stocker..awesome product with great customer support,no question one of the best available. I build my own for the bracket car,works great and I save money because I'm not looking for every last .001 out of it,but definately not the caliber of a Pro-Trans!

Yuo may or amy not know or have heard of this old adage when it comes to heads up racing with no break out, "To out run the best in the country in your class you have to have as good or better equiptment that they have and you have to work harder and smarter than them " Been there, done that I've been priviledge to be allowed to help several west coast Mopar and Ford(insert shish instant gremlin here )NHRA Stock and S/S racers set world records and win world championships. Nothing worth doing like that is easy , quick or cheap Buy the best parts to start with

You may want to learn how to build them yourself so you can maintain and rebuild the transmission over many years.
Cost wise, it would depend on what tools and transmission parts you already have.
I think initially, you would be ahead by buying a built unit, then you can see what goes into it, where it was machined, and the clearances that were used.