Quick! Look! A GM tech who knows what he’s doing and takes pride in his work!
01.25.2010
After only 40-50 passes on my 100% stock driveline, it didn’t take long to fry my clutch and damage internals of the stock 3.42 differential in my Corvette. The damage came with its rewards, though, as I made a personal best pass of 11.80 @ 116 in late 2009. Not bad for a header/intake car.
However, when I drained the differential fluid from my stock 3.42 case, I realized that it was time to build my drivetrain. Normally, metal frag coming from the drain hole is not a good sign. Pair this damage with a toasted stock clutch and my options were limited. It was time to, obviously, replace my clutch and differential. But while I had the entire driveline dropped, I figured I’d add a new transmission since dropping the driveline is not something I’d prefer to do more times than necessary.
So, I identified what I wanted/needed to replace. The next decision was who I wanted to build my driveline. This was an easy choice, however. Rick Kim, a Corvette tech who is located in Maryland, successfully built numerous differentials and transmissions for friends of mine. Rick is not your average GM technician. He takes pride in his work and carefully crafts each component that he lays his hands on. This meticulousness is taken to the extreme when he builds driveline components, as he photographs nearly each step of the build for his clients’ reference. I can’t imagine there are too many people who can watch their differentials or transmissions being built from the comfort of their home.
Upon receiving my newly built 4.10 differential from Rick, I was amazed to see a perfect wipe pattern on the gears. The clearances were precise. The rebuilt transmission was no different and, after installation, it shifted perfectly. This differential and transmission combination, paired with a Spec 3+ single disc clutch, will yield great results this season. I can’t thank Rick enough for his attention to detail, hard work and service. Plus he’s a damn nice guy.
If you need any work done, please contact me and I will tell you how to reach Rick.