Towards the end of last summer, the transmission in my 300G started to act out. Actually, from the time that I bought the car, the dip stick was of a newer design and had a flip top handle that secured it in place. I discovered the original transmission dip stick in the trunk. When I put it in place and ran the engine the dipstick would rise about two inches over its seated position and start to blow transmission oil out over the valve cover. Don Verity advised me to check for a plugged breather. It was clear. Although the car was running and driving perfectly, this was a harbinger of things to come.

The real problems started with starting and warming the car up in the garage. After 4 or 5 minutes, I would put the car in reverse and nothing would happen. I would give the throttle a few revs and the transmission would engage in reverse with a clunk. Out on the street, I would nurse it along under gentle throttle until, after a few blocks it would start to shift properly. I consulted Don again and he said what I was dreading. The transmission needs to come out for a rebuild.

Back in the 80s, I had yanked the transmissions out of my 300C and my 300D and taken them to George Riehl for rebuilds. I did the 57 in a garage and the 58 on a cement pad in my back yard. Both times, I just used my floor jack and a piece of 2X6 under the pan. My brother-in-law, a Chevy guy, (I should have known better), helped with the 58. I was pulling the transmission back from the bell housing and he was supposed to make sure the trans didn’t fall off the jack. Hah! I ended up cushioning the trans when it rolled off the jack and it landed on my chest. That knocked the wind out of me.

Well, those days of pulling transmissions out on the driveway are long gone. I am now 75 and quite frankly in pretty poor health. I began to sort through my options. I did want Don to do the rebuild but Rhode Island is a long way away and I was going to need some assistance to remove the transmission. I thought about getting one of my non mechanical nephews to come out and help me. As I pondered different scenarios, I was e-mailing with Jim Krausmann, Bob Merritt and Don Verity. Then I received an e-mail from Jamie Hyde. Basically, it read that he and Bob were going to come to my rescue. Either Jamie was going to come to my house and pull the trans and take it to Don, or Jamie was going to come to my house and take the whole car to Bob’s and pull the trans there and then take it to Don. I didn’t care which plan they opted for, I was just so grateful that there was light at the end of the tunnel. In the end, Jamie preferred to pull the trans at Bob’s, where he had his own tools, including a heated and well lighted shop and a transmission jack. I photo copied a bunch of documents for Jamie so he wouldn’t have any issues at the border; taking a Canadian registered car into the US for repairs and ultimately returning it to Canada.

At Bob’s everything went as smooth as silk. Jamie opted to use his Intrepid to haul the transmission to Don’s. In order to balance the Intrepid with the weight of the trans, he removed the front passenger seat and set the trans in its place. Jamie left the trans with the doctor and after a total re-build he returned to Rhode Island, picked up the transmission, reinstalled it at Bob’s after flushing the lines and torque converter.

He was now ready to return the car to me. I of course paid Jamie for any supplies that he used, his tolls and fuel, plus his nominal fee for days spent on the road. Don provided him with an invoice for the rebuild. I told Jamie that I had no idea what duty the Canadian customs would charge him at the border based on Don’s invoice.
When he got to the border, the Customs Officer said “Let me get this straight. You are an American helping a Canadian, who owns this car, to get the transmission rebuilt and now you are returning the car? Have a nice day, no charge.”

What can I say? CAR GUYS ARE THE BEST GUYS and here’s to great friends.

I will be forever thankful to these guys. I think the Canada Border Custom Officer must be a car guy too.