Toy Shop Transmissions

After some terrific advice from Kendall, who is very knowledgeable about T56s. My 02 Camaro ended up having a bent 3^rd gear aluminum shift fork which apparently is a common problem with this generation F-​Body transmissions and was a factory recall.
Ended up installing an LS6 clutch while the trans was already removed along with the trans repairs.
Been driving for 2000 miles after the rebuild and it is smooth as day one. Highly Recommend, he will also point you in the right direction without being pushy and select high-​quality replacement parts with a quick turnaround.

They rebuilt a worn and oddly setup TH350 and it’s been perfect ever since. Excellent work, service and price.

I broke some bolts on my transmission pan. Found this shop online and feared they couldn’t fix my screw up that day. Kendall fixed it and did the filter service on it in good time.

I’ve taken 3 cars here and Kendall has done great work with all of them. He’s very knowledgeable about most LSx cars.
I had them put in an LS7 Clutch/​Flywheel assembly into my 07 CTS-​V which required some clearancing to the trans for the LS7 slave line, but this was no problem for them.
He’s also worked on my old LT1 Firehawk and my LS1 Trans Am. I drive all the way from South OC to Pomona to get work done by this shop.
I’m very happy with the workmanship and focus on customer satisfaction. He wouldn’t let me take it until I drove it around and said I was happy with it.

They built a 4l80e tranny to handle some crazy power for my hot rod. They are very honest, do great work and have excellent customer service. Strong tranny and strong converter. Cost a pretty penny though.

This place came highly recommended, so I decided to go with them — and pay extra $$ over other shop options — for my transmission rebuild after the OEM trannie ground to a halt. The car is a 1987 Buick Grand National — a powerful, collectible ‘muscle car’. These cars came from the factory with a special heavy duty transmission with aggressive, firm shift points and beefed-​up internals to handle the stress. The 200−4R trannies on the GN had a ‘BRF’ code on the factory ID plate stamped to the trans. The car went to the Toy Shop with this original transmission. I foolishly trusted this shop based on the recommendation I had received, so I didn’t check the ID plate when the finished car was returned. The trannie failed just barely beyond the warranty period. It was a catastrophic failure, not just an ‘out of adjustment’ type failure. The Toy Shop refused to stand behind their work, saying the warranty had expired. It was at this point, when I tried to inspect the trannie, that I discovered that my original equipment BRF trannie was GONE — and a trannie with a code for Oldsmobile was in it’s place. And not a beefed up Olds trannie with the code for a 442 or Hurst, but a generic mild stock trannie for Oldsmobiles with a 307 engine. I had to determine this by looking up the stamped serial number on the tag, because the Toy Shop had spray-​painted black over the tag which displayed the code in large painted lettering. The Toy Shop had STOLEN my highly desirable OEM Grand National BRF trans and stuck in a cheap low-​end Olds trannie with a shift kit to provide the firm aggressive shifting of a stock GN. BUT they had NOT swapped out the internals with the beefed-​up components, so the GN engine power, and the shift kit’s aggressive shifting, had torn up this weak trannie very quickly. By the time I discovered this, after getting under the car and checking out the tag, my valuable GN transmission was LONG GONE — and had no doubt put some serious profits in the Toy Shop’s pockets — ON TOP OF the higher-​than-​normal price I had paid for the rebuild! I kick myself for TRUSTING this place and not immediately checking up on the ID tag when the car was ready for pickup. Because they had come so recommended, I didn’t think I needed to do this as I normally would. This place was an unscrupulous SCAM shop. BEWARE if your car has a special, limited series transmission — not just a basic, high production, ‘vanilla’ trannie.

I’ve taken two transmissions to Toy Shop, both times I was very happy with the service. The first transmission was for my 1954 Chevy…5 years later it’s still going strong. The second transmission was for my dad’s 1952 International pickup. International parts are very hard to find, Toy Shop found the parts and did the rebuild in a timely manner.
Kendall is very knowledgable and helpful whenever I had questions.

This is the only place I take my 2005 Chevy Tahoe Z71 to get the transmission and four wheel drive serviced. Kendall is a real honest, professional mechanic. He will always do his best to accommodate. Will keep bringing by GM vehicles to him for service.

I love my FJ40 restomod (GM drivetrain) and was positive that I had some transmission issues. Kendall made time on his weekend to meet me at the shop and was a genius in quickly diagnosing that it was not the transmission. Not only is this guy professional and friendly, he definitely knows his $#!t. Sent me on my way and in the right direction. Highly recommend coming here first for all GM transmission issues.

I have had a 1953 Chevy custom panel for a few years, and in that time I have gone to 3 other transmission places. One sold me a rebuilt and it only last 2 and a half hours. I swear.
I had heard of The Toy Shop and that they catered to custom cars. Kendall was very professional and extremely knowledgeable when it came to transmissions. When he calls you he doesn’t say come and get it. He says «come in and test drive it». A lot of places will give you a shift kit and show you the door. Kendall, will tune the trans to you motor, and keep tuning it till its what you want.
A throttle cable broke, he fixed, there was a crack in the cap, he fixed it, and put half a tank of gas in. The guy was/​is great. I can’t tell you how happy I am that theres a transmission place that knows their stuff. Just look at the other reviews, this place is the goods. I’m telling everyone.

I’ve been meaning to write a review for this shop for awhile and this shop is the main reason why I signed onto Unilocal.I went in for two solenoids to be replaced on a 96 Chevy Blazer. Kendall was real honest and recognized that I had previous work done on the transmission and let me know that I did not need to pay for the same work twice. He noticed a speed sensor wire that was worn and repaired it. He also let me know that there was a sensor error on one of the tires going off.
Bottom line– this shop was honest and went above the call of duty to insure great customer satisfaction. For sure, I will choose this shop for a rebuild on my transmission when I need to cross that bridge. Thank you !!!

This is the place for GM trans/​differential work! Brought in my ’65 C/​10 for Trans leak, saved so much money that I brought in my GTO for a racing differential. Very friendly and honest employees!

These dudes are the absolute BEST. Brought my 56 Chevy 210 in to upgrade from the powerglide to a TH700. Kendall went into full detail on the process and was even willing to divulge part numbers and procedures in the event I chose to do some of the welding and mods myself. I was so impressed, I decided to turn it over to them for a turnkey install. I’ll spend my time on sheet metal and body work and let the tranny pros do their thing. You can not find a more professional outfit so quit wasting your time with shops that cut corners. All they need is an ice chest and a shop dog and I have new friends. Keep up the outstanding work — INFANTRY LEADS THE WAY! Out

I’ve dealt with many mechanics since owning my Trans Am, and never trusted many due to bad business practice, so I always try to do as much mechanic work myself.
Unfortunately my rear end on my car was dying, and this was a job I just couldn’t complete myself. I was referred to this shop through a online forum called LS1TECH. Many people who use the site all praised this place for their workman ship, and business practices.
So I went in, and mind you I drove all the way from the San Fernando Valley, so it was quite the drive. But this was well worth the journey. I had a good experience dealing with Kendall who helped me to understand what I needed to get done for repairs, and why. The prices were completely fair, and the workmanship was great. I would recommend anyone to take their car into Toy Shop for all their transmission repairs, its definitely well worth your time. Don’t look else where for your drive line needs, these guys can do it!
Thanks Kendall!

Good honest guys and very honest. I thought I blew up my transmission in the freeway. They found the problem and it was a simple fix in less than an hour. I was ready to pay over $ 1k for a re-​build. Instead, it was my lucky day to meet honest guys. I was out of there in less than an hour and for under $ 40.

Awesome place!!! Just got a new tranny from a dealer and was having problems with it shifting so i took it down to toy shop, per recommendation from a friend. Kendal helped me out to find it was just a stuck valve. I was out of there in 20 minutes with it working fine. He was really talkative and explanatory with helping me determine the problem.

A few years ago I was having a problem with my Chevy K1500 Z71 truck leaking transmission fluid. I had taken it to two other shops and all they did was change the gasket and filter… both charged me about $ 100.00 each… and it continued leaking. A friend of mine told me about Mike so I decided to give him a shot… he found the problem within a few minutes and turns out my transmission case was cracked. He found me a new case and replaced it, using all the internal parts of my old transmission. His price was unbelievable! After that I had him do other stuff like u-​joints and he even replaced the solenoid that locks the front differential. The truck works great and I would highly recommend this shop!

Found this place after many hours of searching on internet GM enthusiast forums. This shop specializes on GM transmissions. Had my shift kit and vette servo installed on my truck here. They also installed an Eaton Detroit Truetrac Limted Slip Diferential. The difference between this shop and other shops appears to be that this shop can do what other shops can do and then SOME. More performance oriented as to why they are mentioned in magazines. Mike is the owner and Kendall is their PR person. Both are very knowledgeable technicians when it comes to GM transmissions. They are friendly and their prices are competitive and reasonable. Don’t be scared when you first see the shop. It is what it is, a shop. Greasy and dirty. But know one thing. They do their job right. Make an appointment with them you will not be disappointed.