01/09/2026
Despite what they say—and I’d really like to meet whoever “they” are—running a small business isn’t all wins.
Today definitely wasn’t one.
A while back, we removed the T56 from this LS-powered E36 and sent it away to be rebuilt. The gearbox shop recommended almost $2,500 worth of repairs, which we approved.
Once the gearbox was back in the car, we discovered it wouldn’t shift from sixth to fifth without double-clutching.
To their credit, the gearbox shop agreed to rectify the issue. Unfortunately, removing, transporting and reinstalling the gearbox was still at our expense.
Getting it sorted meant making the almost six-hour round trip twice—nearly 12 hours on the road—plus around five hours removing and reinstalling the box.
When it was stripped down again, the fifth- and sixth-gear synchros were found to be worn, causing the lockout. The gearbox was repaired, and today we reinstalled it and successfully test-drove the car.
Through no fault of our own, we’ve lost the better part of two working days getting this customer’s car back on the road.
But that’s how we roll. If something isn’t right, we make sure it gets fixed.
That’s the Voodoo way.