To Quote Foreigner:
"It was a Monday
A day like any other day
I left a small town
For the Apple in decay
A day like any other day
I left a small town
For the Apple in decay
It was my destiny
It's what we needed to do
They were telling me
I'm telling you"
It's what we needed to do
They were telling me
I'm telling you"
Monday is the day I have off and so it's also the day I've chosen to search for another transmission. The Sunyside / Outlook area harbors a hidden gem of a wrecking yard named Tee-Pee Auto Wrecking. This was where my search is to begin. Acres upon acres of cars, trucks, suv's, busses and vans. Yes VANS! After talking with the kind feller manning the gate up front; he gave us a general direction and area to look. My brother and I started walking, and walking and more walking till we finally found a row of nothing but ford vans. Service vans, conversion vans, all kinds of vans!
I began checking door stickers for our "magic combo", Looking for a 1999-2003 with the 4.6 or 5.4 V8 and the transmission code "U" (Preferably with low miles and with transmission fluid that's clean and doesn't smell or look burnt). First van, too old. Second van, wrong motor combo. Third Van, our first match! High mileage but the fluid looked and smelled good.
Fourth van, too new but still a possibility with the use of the older plug and speed sensor. Fifth van, our second match! Unknown mileage due to a missing gauge cluster but clearly written on the fender of the van were the magic words "Good Transmission". Fluid looked and smelled like brand new, even though it was missing the dip stick and tube.
Armed with confidence that I had located two possible candidates for our van I headed back up front with questions at the ready. How much $? How do I get the van up off the ground for me to pull the transmission (can you lift it?) and do you pull transmissions for a price? The answers; "$350 with no guarantee. You have to jack it up. NO We Do Not Pull Parts.... Slightly put off with the latter two answers we BS'd with the Front gate Feller (who will now and forever be known by this name) and paid for the two curtain springs I found and pulled for Carrie. I didn't commit to buying a transmission here because I still had one last place to look, hopefully my ace in the hole, M&R Sales and Towing... Talked with the owner Max and he went above and beyond searching and sorting through inventory cards till he found me a possible match. With the yard number in hand and directions to where it was in the yard I set out to see what condition the transmission was in and if all criteria was met. I was not disappointed. Good looking un-burnt fluid, lower miles than the Tee-Pee transmissions and an unbeatable deal I could not pass up. All with a guarantee! $50 extra and they would even pull it, I'm sold!!!!
I began checking door stickers for our "magic combo", Looking for a 1999-2003 with the 4.6 or 5.4 V8 and the transmission code "U" (Preferably with low miles and with transmission fluid that's clean and doesn't smell or look burnt). First van, too old. Second van, wrong motor combo. Third Van, our first match! High mileage but the fluid looked and smelled good.
Fourth van, too new but still a possibility with the use of the older plug and speed sensor. Fifth van, our second match! Unknown mileage due to a missing gauge cluster but clearly written on the fender of the van were the magic words "Good Transmission". Fluid looked and smelled like brand new, even though it was missing the dip stick and tube.
Armed with confidence that I had located two possible candidates for our van I headed back up front with questions at the ready. How much $? How do I get the van up off the ground for me to pull the transmission (can you lift it?) and do you pull transmissions for a price? The answers; "$350 with no guarantee. You have to jack it up. NO We Do Not Pull Parts.... Slightly put off with the latter two answers we BS'd with the Front gate Feller (who will now and forever be known by this name) and paid for the two curtain springs I found and pulled for Carrie. I didn't commit to buying a transmission here because I still had one last place to look, hopefully my ace in the hole, M&R Sales and Towing... Talked with the owner Max and he went above and beyond searching and sorting through inventory cards till he found me a possible match. With the yard number in hand and directions to where it was in the yard I set out to see what condition the transmission was in and if all criteria was met. I was not disappointed. Good looking un-burnt fluid, lower miles than the Tee-Pee transmissions and an unbeatable deal I could not pass up. All with a guarantee! $50 extra and they would even pull it, I'm sold!!!!
~Tim
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