hi
,
my customer was promised a trans and now he is not able to get them on the phone or e mail .

hie car is in my shop and cant get the trans to put it together ? waiting for weeks before christmas

anyone ?

Still in business as of the last issue of MCG, which had a lengthy letter from Jamie saying he's done with the A855 5-speed debacle.

Can that letter/article be posted herer?

Sounds like it would connect a lot dots in this 12? year "debacle".

Maybe, if one goes to their website and jumps through a few hoops.
Basically, the 5-speed deal has manufacturing, quality, and financial problems.
Sounds like the whole thing is screwed up, and even if you got one, you're on your own if/when problems arise.
And according to an old thread here, the transmissions do have problems.

closer to 15 years

You are right. I saw Jamie display the brand new first ever 855 12/11/10 at PRI in Orlando.

Time waits for no one.

I saw him post on Facebook yesterday so he's still kicking.

I hope you have not paid any money yet. If so you may be in a terrible position I had to cancel a credit card transaction to get a response. That’s why I now use Brewers exclusively. Jamie is a one man show and life just kicks you in the but sometimes, so I’m not going to dog pile on the man, I just can’t use him. Brewers has help and they are a constant on this board. First class people and it’s a family that runs the business.

What kind of a trans are you looking for?

I got number 18, if memory serves. Jamie was more of the front man for the transmission, I'm sure he was involved in the development and marketing processes, but there were two other men behind the manufacturing and repair side of the thing. I sent mine back years ago because it would pop out of first when on-and-off the throttle at low power. They younger of the two guys, Seth Garret- (from Hanover PA & great guy to deal with), fixed it and sent it back. I've put 5 or 6k miles on it since then and love it.

I thought that letter or article in mcg was bordering on libel and rob was careful to use quotes for a reason. Jamie might be busy with a lawyer and not able to get to the phone? I’d have just said I’m out on the 5 speed and offer a full line of 4 speed stuff and left it at that.

So what was the fix?
Was it a design issue or adjustment issue, or what?

Sometimes one in business gets into to deep or makes a bad decision If so time to step up to the plate and eat. BTDT. this is the first I've heard of issues with him but I've always dealt with Brewer's

I wasn't told other than he knew what to look for and change/adjust.The gear oil he recommended to be used was also very specific to this transmission (Redline MTL which is a GL4)

I been saying the whole thing was a mess for several years. First it was slow to build as he didn't trust anyone but him t9 assembly the parts. Then it was lack of parts
People on list for years and years.
It deff could been something far greater then what it is.....

Some of their social media posts I've read alluded to long lead times.

Just received partial shipment of my 18 spline A body 4 speed conversion. Approximately 3 months from billing to delivery. Jamie was responsive to my inquiries regarding shipment time. Seems he has had some family related emergencies recently. He was professional in my dealings with him. Life sometimes gets in the way of best intentions.

Starting to bring back memories of the Shady Dell demise, sadly.

If you’re looking for a good reliable 5 speed, purchase a TKX through Silver Sport Transmissions.

This will go down in the oh-so annals of reproduced/replacement parts.
So Sad for all those still in limbo.

The TKX would be great when they get it to where you don't have to cut the F ! ! K out of a car and weld a bigger hump on for it to fit. That is the only hold back for me on ordering one

I had to cut a 5 inch round hole in my 69 Charger, SST supplies everything else. The TKX don’t require as much cutting as the TKO.

Guess you will never have one then if a little modifications hold you back. This is the needed cut out for a TKO in my 69 Charger. Piece of cake.

Did not have to cut A thing when I put 855 in my 69 superbee and worked perfectly Oh well

Dumb question: What's an A855?

It's Passon's marketed alum 5 speed version of a Mopar 833 4 speed

Jamie got screwed over by some crooked and greedy partners that were part of the 855 project. He kept insisting on quality parts while the partners wanted to cut corners to make more $$ per unit. He got pushed out of the project, and lost a lot of money he invested.....but all of the blame for the problems keep coming back to him simply because the 855 transmission project bears his name. That's the Cliff's Notes version of what was told in MCG. I do not know Jamie personally and have only spoken to him while buying 833 parts. He saved me from spending too much money on a core Hemi 4 speed at the 2024 Mopar Nats and didn't charge me a cent for the advice....and no, he didn't slip around and buy the trans to fix himself. I'd buy from Jamie again in a heartbeat! My

Real shame: but I guess that's what comes from being the "front-guy" for any such program.

Thank you. for your in essence clarification.

I installed a Tremec years ago and it had all kinds of problems. It could not shift very well and could not hold the horse power of my friends hemi. After multiple attempts to fix the problems, we gave up and installed a 833 hemi box with a gear vendor OD. He loves it now. I’ve installed one other with no problems.

Sounds like you installed the older Tremec TKO, they’re known for problems.

So you're saying that some after market transmissions still need refinements? The A855 may not be any different. IMO it is still a better choice for those wanting a true bolt in Mopar Style transmission.

All I have to say is Jamie knocked it out of the park for me. I would absolutely buy from him again, but the Brewer's are totally stand up folks too.

I have used both and have had great experiences with both.

Hopefully this year I will get my A855 installed.

How long have you been waiting?

If you already have a manual, yes the A855 is your choice, if you have an automatic, you can’t beat the TKX.

I was on the "list" for almost four years. I received my transmission over four and a half years ago.

My car, 70 Barracuda, was an automatic. I switched to a A833, than to a A833 Overdrive built by Passion, and now to the A855.

Does anyone have a photo of the gearset in the A855?

That would be sweet to drive, how long did you have to wait for your A855?

I was on the list for four years. Luckily I wasn't in any hurry to get one, as my car was running and driving. After speaking with Jamie, when I put my name on the list, and having 4:10 gears in my car he recommended installing the OD. I like it but, when I put my car together I knew I wanted a 5 sp.

Back to original question, yes Passon is still in business, just received the remaining items needed to complete my 18 spline hemi dart conversion. Initial order 10/24.

dont know if this the place to but did any one one lowering block on a body with ss springs im new at posting to even out back

Yikes.... I hope not!

He seems to be a good guy, but something has gotten in his way it appears. Never saw any negative posts until lately. I know they had a child and life must have changed for him. I think he is probably spread way too thin ( been there done that myself) and maybe cant get caught up, or perhaps there are some other issues be it personal or finance etc, who knows. At this point if people are waiting so long it kinda looks like Brewers is gonna be the go to.

For all of you that feel sorry for Jamie or think he's a stand up guy, you need to go over to FORABODIESONLY and read the 20 page thread by matthon titled A855-5 Speed in the Manual Transmission section. I never have and NEVER will do business with him. To me he sounds like Ryan at Shady Dells brother. You will be amazed at what went on. Read it

So, I am supposed to take other peoples opinions and experiences over mine?

All my experiences and transactions with Jamie and Passon have been good. His products and services where above par. Yes sometimes he was hard to get a hold of, but he would return phone calls and email eventually. (a few days later).

As for having to wait to get my A855, I was okay with it as I was in no hurry.

I have owned and ran my own business for twenty plus years. I have had customers with bad experiences and good experiences, it happens in EVERY business.

Passon’s work is solid, even if communication isn’t always perfect. Forum drama doesn’t tell the whole story

Everybody is entitled to their opinion. At least take the time to go over to FABO and read the 20 page thread. It will open your eyes.

I've purchased a bunch of stuff from Passon over the years and all of my dealings with them have been fine. I'm not surprised at all that he had problems with the 5 speed. That was a HUGE undertaking for a small business. We have all seen small Mopar business guys struggle with success. Some make it out the other side, some don't. Indy had a lot of customer complaints after they grew quickly, Keith Black was great for years and then turned to garbage near the end before it was sold. Tim at FHO is struggling to revive parts of both Keith Black and Stage V.
Running these small businesses is rough. It takes a serious amount of time, money, skill and work to keep one together.

Yeah, no shock that the 5-speed project was a grind, huge leap for a small shop. Seen it happen before and small Mopar businesses blow up, then struggle

I have purchased multiple A-833s & related parts from Passon and Brewers.
Both have provided expedient delivery, my last purchase from Passon
was a custom order and Jamie delivered it as promised...

Just my $0.02....

Thanks, but I won't.

I guess you'll just miss out on reality then. Your loss, not knowing how badly he screwed people around.

I'm on page 16, seems like it was so far, all so preventable.

It is a tiresome read, but then learning sometimes is.
Not sure who "Christine" is in the saga or what her official part exactly was, and who is the "dame" that "dumped" who?

jcc-thanks for taking the time to read it. I would think your outlook on Passon will be a little different now. Convince others on here to read it.

Like I said, my story is different. You sure seem butt hurt about the subject, Care to share your story about Passon?

Well, not sure I would have read it without your strong suggestion to do so. My outlook on the matter is definitely expanded. However, the thread is mostly from one perspective, and I would at least like to also review the often-mentioned recent article that Jamie shared in print of suggesting him basically of CYA.
It is rather sad affair, my dealings with Jamie over the years were always exemplary, and had the 855 been more available, I would have bought one. In the meantime, I acquired new a TKO and a TKX.
I shy away from convincing anyone to do anything. If they want to know more, they will read the thread. The one's that don't, likely know less than I do on the matter. That is their choice.
The whole affair rings of early success tempting those with talent of getting in front of their skis, that is common shortcoming with humans.

I will only say COMMUNCATION is a BIG WORD with a BIGGER meaning.

Without it all relationships will fail. I'm not blaming anyone for anything JUST STATING a fact

I cannot imaging the cost of building a mopar 5 speed To Jaimie's standards which have been high. The design, engineering, castings, gears in low production quantities had to be staggering. Then throw in the unknown saleabilty, one helluva a gamble. I wish him well

I finished the last 5 pages, Spoiler Alert
The 855 is no longer offered for sale.
Other than that, the last 5 pages are just a rehash and OT tranny discussions.
Nobody really comes out ahead in this story, OP gets a refund after great hassle and endurance, many great lessons are shared in how not to escalate customer complaints are well documented and a promised neat tranny is professed to be the holy grail by some but never met the demand or expectations of many.