Built to Hold
Build guides, transmission tech, and install notes from the Gearstar shop floor. Every unit we ship is assembled by one builder, matched to your combo, and dyno-tested before it goes out the door. This is where we show the work: what holds, what grenades, and how to spec it right the first time.
What Is an Automatic Transmission and How Does It Work Behind a Built Motor
An automatic transmission multiplies engine torque through fluid, then uses hydraulic pressure to hold and release clutch packs and bands inside a...
Automatic Transmission Problems: 10 Signs a Built Car Gives You First
A transmission almost never quits without warning. It slips, it flares, it hangs a beat going into gear, and the fluid goes dark weeks before anything...
Rebuilt, Remanufactured, or Built: Three Words the Industry Uses Loosely
Ask three shops for a transmission quote and you might get three very different numbers, all for something called a "rebuilt" transmission. One is a...
GM Transmission Problems: Common Issues in Cars and HD Trucks
You feel a slip on the 2-3 shift, a flare under load, or a shudder at highway speed, and you search "GM transmission problems." The first thing to know...
What Stall Converter Do You Actually Need? How to Choose One for Your Cam and Build
Most stall converter shopping starts with a number. Somebody on a forum runs a 3,000 stall, a buddy says his cam "needs" 3,500, and a catalog lists...
How to Identify Your GM Transmission by Shape and Numbers
A swap meet core with no tag. A project car with a transmission nobody can vouch for. A truck that has had two owners and at least one rebuild. Before...