I've been cosmetically restoring my '81 SC (that has a gray market '79 drivetrain) for the last 18 months or so and this past weekend while pulling it into the garage, there was a loud thunk that could be felt, then the low voltage light came on and it ran roughly for a second before evening out. I figured the belt had snapped, but it was fine, so didn't think much of it.
Later that day I reversed the car out to get the lawnmower out and when I went to pull it back in, I couldn't shift into first gear. Second felt sloppy, but I was able to put it back in using 2nd gear.
I put the car up on jack stands, then drained the transmission fluid. To my horror, the drain plug looked like it had teeth all over it, 6 or 7 of them.
What should I do next?
Options I've considered:
- Buy a used transmission on eBay and put it in myself
- Look for a local shop to pull and diagnose it
- Pull the transmission and send off to be repaired (shop suggestions?)
CogsCogs on eBay has rebuilt 915s for $3650 - but it seems they are not reputable. There are used units for around $3K - but they'll have unknowns too.
The local shop I called (Reid Vann in STL) seemed like they wouldn't want to touch it if I pulled it out/apart first.
I called CMS in NV and he was super helpful over the phone, but pulling it, crating it up, and then sending it to them sounds like a pretty big ordeal.