Shift In Style With A Gearbox From Performance Automatic

It’s a tragic scenario we’ve seen play out in Barrett Jackson auction broadcasts far too often – projects in which meticulous care has been spent detailing the engine bay (along with the body and the interior), but once the “chassis cam” gives us a peak underneath the car we discover that the undercarriage looks like an afterthought, if it was ever thought about at all.

When it comes to show cars and pro touring machines, built-to-spec motors have become almost obligatory, yet the same attention is rarely given to the transmission. Performance Automatic is looking to change that by making it much easier for builders to put a bespoke transmission in their cars with the introduction of its Platinum Series package. These gearboxes are offered with an impressive array of customizable options for customers to choose from in terms of both aesthetics and performance.

Performance Automatic is known for building some stout street transmissions. Regardless of configuration, these gearboxes are capable of handling up to 800 horsepower. Baker points out that while that may seem like overkill for some builds, it just means that the transmission goes through even less stress during operation, and in turn will last even longer.

But there’s more to these transmissions than a coat of paint and a shift kit. So we sat down with Harvey Baker of Performance Automotive to get the lowdown on exactly what a Platinum package transmission entails as far as customizable options for different applications, the build process, and what makes these gearboxes stand out from the competition.

Making A Custom Car Truly Custom

While many buyers may be satisfied with the performance and configuration of an off the shelf transmission – especially one rated at up to 800 horsepower, like Performance Automatic’s transmissions – there are those who simply demand a more bespoke solution.

Personal attention to detail is the core of the Platinum Series offering. Performance Automatic hand picks the best core to start with as the basis for the build, and customer input is used through every step of the documented build process to make sure everyone stays on the same page. The Platinum Series transmissions also feature Performance Automatic’s Quick-Connect wiring harness and controller, which are designed to make the installation virtually plug and play, and in turn, hassle-free.

But traditionally this was a path rife with potential hurdles, with one shop building the transmission, perhaps another tuning it, and a third one getting it to match your car aesthetically. But with the Performance Automatic Platinum package, the additional steps are taken out and the company oversees every element of transmission’s build process from start to finish, including tuning, powdercoating, and dyno testing.

Along with the Platinum Series built-to-spec internals, which includes application-specific valve bodies, torque converter, and transmission control tuning, the housing is powder coated to the customer's specification from thousands of different options, and the hardware is available in numerous different finishes as well, allowing customers to match the transmission's aesthetic to their build.

Gearboxes For Chevys and Fords Both New and Old

Every one of the Platinum Series transmission is dyno-tested before it’s shipped out to the customer, and each one is backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Performance Automatic offers the Platinum Series in the following versions:

• GM 4L60E and 4L70E for small block Chevy and LS

• GM 4L80E for small/big block Chevy and LS

• Ford 4R70W for small block and Modular engines

“We have a lot of folks contact us that are starting a new project or are having an older restoration refreshed by a high end shop,” explains Baker. “These transmissions are particularly popular with builders doing street rod and pro touring builds, since we can tune the transmission’s behavior to best suit the kind of project that the customer has or is putting together.”

To offer a complete yet bespoke solution out of the box, Baker says that they sit down with the customer to assess exactly what they want from the transmission.

“A person building a ’70 Chevelle with a 502ci crate motor and another one building a cruiser ’68 Cadillac can both use these Platinum transmissions,” says Baker. “But we would configure them differently to match the particular application. For instance, the guy with the Chevelle will likely want the transmission to bark the tires when shifting and really perform well at the drag strip – we can definitely do that. But the guy with Cadillac is going to want his gearbox to shift less aggressively because he’s building a comfortable cruiser, and by custom building each Platinum transmission to spec, we can do that too.”

Custom touches like the close-ratio planet gears seen here can increase the performance of your car well beyond what a stock transmission can offer, and the different valve body options offered with the Platinum Series gearboxes allows customers to dial in exactly how they want their new transmission to behave rather than compromising with a solution off the shelf that's just "good enough".

Baker says that tweaking the transmission’s behavior mainly comes down to the internal valve bodies, torque converter selection, and programming the transmission controller’s attributes, all of which are selected after consulting with the customer about their shifting needs before the actual build process begins. But the bespoke nature of the Platinum package transmissions doesn’t end at the gearbox’s mechanical configuration.

To help further dial in the build, Performance Automatic gathers data about the car the transmission is going into - not only its output and what "style" of build it is, but specifics like camshaft specs, aspiration, rear tire size, rearend gear ratio, and even what kind of fuel delivery system you're using. Customers can also choose between a Simple Shift and MSD Atomic transmission controller, torque converter size and stall speed, and whether the hardware be 6 Point/12 point or Allen head style.

A Bespoke Process For A Bespoke Gearbox

Rather than having to deal with the hassle of painting a transmission to match your build (or to preference) after it has been delivered, Performance Automatic’s Platinum Series combines all these different processes into a one-stop solution. “With each one of these transmissions, the customer gets to choose the powder coating color from literally thousands of options that we have on offer,” Baker explains.

The guy with the Chevelle will likely want the transmission to bark the tires when shifting and really perform at the drag strip – we can definitely do that. But the guy with Cadillac is going to want his gearbox to shift less aggressively because he’s building a cruiser, and we can do that too. – Harvey Baker, Performance Automatic

“They also have a choice of finishes for the hardware as well, like stainless, black oxide, chrome, and others upon request. So if a customer plans on powdercoating the undercarriage of their vehicle, or has already done so, they can have the transmission and its hardware painted to match if they so choose. Or they could it have painted to match other accents on the car, like the brake calipers or other features. The options are almost endless.”

This detail-oriented build process also provides a major benefit to the customer in terms of build quality. “In an assembly line build, a transmission might go through four or five stations through the course of being put together, if not more,” Baker points out. “When a customer orders a Platinum Series transmission, a technician is assigned to personally see the build through from start to finish.”

Baker tells us that means that this technician will serve as the point man for a particular gearbox from outset of the build, beginning at its disassembly, through its remanufacturing process, and all the way to dyno testing upon completion. “It’s like having a concierge service for your transmission build,” he adds.

Each Platinum Series transmission that Performance Automatic builds comes with a lifetime guarantee. PA also documents the build process of the transmission along the way, providing a choice of video or digital photos as the gearbox is torn down, remanufactured and tested. Since that process is carried out by one technician who is assigned specifically to that transmission build, it creates a dialogue between the company and the customer that ensures that builders get exactly what they want out of their custom gearbox.

Considering the fact that a street rod or pro touring build can easily take six months to a year to complete (if not more), concerns about the warranty expiring before the car has ever rolled out of the garage under its own power can be a very valid concern. But Performance Automatic customers have the benefit of knowing that their gearbox is guaranteed for life. In the case of Platinum Series builds, the company also documents the build process of the transmission builds along the way, providing a choice of video or digital photos as the gearbox is torn down, remanufactured and tested. Since that process is carried out by one technician who is assigned specifically to that transmission build, it creates a dialogue between the company and the customer that ensures that builders get exactly what they want out of their custom gearbox.

These days it’s hard enough to get that kind of personalized service when you’re buying a house, let alone a transmission.

So if you’re about to embark on a new project, or it’s time to breathe some new life into an older one, the folks at Performance Automatic can definitely help, and you can rest assured that a Platinum Series build is the right transmission for the application because it’s built specifically for your application.