Se habla Español!
I had an interesting phone call this month, one that reminded me that while transmission builders are the automotive equivalent of brain surgeons, they aren’t necessarily possessed with the skills of clairvoyance or telepathy. The caller wanted to know if there was a Spanish language version of the articles in Transmission Digest. While the magazine
A wealth of information: Recapping the TCRA Annual Seminar
The profitable and proper remanufacturing of torque converters served as the focus for the 24th annual seminars and meetings of the Torque Converter Rebuilders Association (TCRA). The two-day event was held in the Detroit area in June and drew approximately 100 participants. As has been the case since the first of these converter segment get-togethers,
Lucille Treganowan passes
The industry lost a pioneer and Transmission Digest lost a friend on May 19, when Lucille Treganowan passed away in Pittsburgh at the age of 92. With three children to support, Lucille took an office job in an automotive shop in 1960. She eventually learned the ins and outs of transmissions and opened Transmissions By
Industry pioneer Pete Kubrick dies
Pete Kubrick passed away last month at the age of 84. Pete was well known as the owner of Kason Transmission Shop and later of Transmission Parts Supply (TPS) headquartered in Texarkana, Texas. TPS grew to open several branches in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Upon his 2013 retirement, the business was sold to Transtar. Pete
Torque Converter Rebuilder Association annual seminar set for June
The Torque Converter Rebuilder Association (TCRA) has scheduled its annual program of seminars for June 24 and 25 in Troy, Michigan at the Detroit Marriott, Troy. Included in the event will be Friday tours of the Henry Ford Museum and Ford’s F-150 Rouge assembly plant and an early evening reception at the GM Heritage Center.
ATSG in-person seminar announced
Transmission aftermarket support and training organization ATSG announced that in-person seminars are resuming. The first of these sessions is scheduled for the Moose Lodge in Merritt Island, Florida, on June 25 and will feature veteran seminar trainers Wayne Colonna (who is also TD Technical Editor, pictured right) and Pete Luban (left). For sign-up and more information,
Hard parts hunting
Image caption: The diagram representing results from the 2022 Transmission Digest survey of retail shops tracks the various sources those shops rely on for acquiring hard parts. The results don’t provide a breakdown of the original source of the parts. Here we show where the order is placed by the rebuilder. Every April we tend
TD’s 2022 State of the Industry Report
The Transmission Digest Annual Survey of Retail Shops has served as benchmark and planning tool for the industry now for the past 36 years. Charts and tables in this section are based on a survey that was conducted early this year. Where differences are obvious, we separate the responses of transmission specialty shops from general
Industry mourns Morris Habif
TD is saddened by the news of the passing of Morris Habif, founder of APD Transmission Parts of Atlanta, early this month. Over the years, Morris owned a number of companies including an Atlanta real estate business. Founded in 1959, APD was acquired by Transtar Industries in 2006. Morris was preceded in death by his
AAPEX show to add transmission section in 2022
The Auto Care Association, co-owner of the AAPEX show, has announced plans for a dedicated transmission section for the 2022 show. Plans are for the section to be on the lower level of the Las Vegas Venetian Expo complex near the Joe’s Garage exhibition. This year’s show is scheduled for November 1-3 with the exhibits
Performance strong: Flex plate upgrades can add to shop profits
Transmission shops that participate in automatic performance work find that most of the work is either street rods or pickup trucks, particularly diesel pickups. In February 2021, TD published a detailed article focused on diesel truck transmissions and converters with Blake Carter of Suncoast. The first question that comes to mind are what effects the
How reman valve bodies are evolving
For most of the past half century, the rebuilding of the valve body has been the skill set that separates master transmission builders from those with less experience. It follows that, much like a torque converter, purchasing a factory remanufactured valve body as a sub assembly has become more and more common. It’s not only