berniklau - [email protected] - Benco Racing

[motofly196]

I bought a swingaxle trans from Benco in Dec 13, but just got my 60' Single Cab on the road last week. This build I was doing a straight axle conversion, and in talking with John at Benco, we decided on a 4.12 Ring and Pinion with a bus 4th gear. That combination with my mild 1776 couldn't of been any better!! The truck cruises at 65mph at 3000 rpm with my foot OFF the pedal on the flats!! I have only been up one hill, and was forced to the fast lane because of truck/trailer traffic going up the hill. I had my son's eyes glued to the Cylinder Head temp gauge...but the truck pulled the hill in 4th gear, cruising 60mph (speed limit) the entire way!!! I am thoroughly happy with my trans at BENCO!! Thanks guys!!

Scott

[vw356]

I recently needed a set of stock brake arms for a big nut bus tranny and Ben gave me a great price and he sent me more than I needed to ensure the bus got fixed!! No kidding..I will be needing a transaxle for my daily driver very soon and this is where I am buying it! THANK YOU BENCO!!!
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Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[fizzbang]

Sent in my bus tranny for the freeway flyer w/ reduction boxes deal a few weeks ago. This is my first long distance/transmission rebuild. They were great to talk to and answered all of my questions.

I called a couple of times to just check up on it. The first time I called they said the parts are on order and coming in and that it should be shipped out that week. After 'that week' I called again to check in and they gave me the UPS tracking number and said it should be in today. Got home and there it was!

The transmission looks great and I'm working on getting it into the bus. Great communication and easy to deal with. The tranny came to me packed very well and looks perfect! (considering how caked in goo it was when I sent it, and the broken bowden tube holder, just the dirty mess I sent them, missing bolts etc...) Will order my next trannsmission from them again.

Thanks,
Kevin

[frankist]

Had Ben rebuild a 002 bus transmission and install a 4.57 ring and pinion and I couldn't have been happier. 2k+ miles later and no problems what so ever. Fast turn around time, and they even personally shipped it. He has also rebuilt other transmissions flawlessly. Would recommend him without a doubt. Keep up the good work.

[TODSKG]

Not trying to rain on this parade..... and maybe it had something to do with ordering a freeway flyer 002 transmission through Car Craft that he did for them. A few years back I got the "freeway flyer" trans and installed in my 71 bus=noisy as a crashbox trans....showed it to him at a Fontana event and he said take it to car craft and another transmission was waiting. Put the second trans in and it seemed off (maybe a.89 4th instead of a .82) but I was tired of replacing the trans so many times I gave up......Well I finally had a look at what was in my "freeway flyer"......4.86(not 4.57)ring and pinion and not even a bus 3rd and 4th gears(bug/light duty)......not what I paid for...stay away from these thiefs......

[darrin schmeelk]

Just had to let benco & all of my Samba friends know just how happy I am with my Benco IRS transaxle .My transaxle is a Pro-street, Ben has made special with superdiff. inverted 3.44 r/p this is bolted to a mid-engine 2600cc v6 with around 150 hp I was kind of worring about spending this much on a transaxle?? but it is worth every penny.. the launch is perfect & 2,000 rpm@70 mph is awesome !!!! p.s. all this is in 73 beetle sleeper . THANKS Ben &Benco employee's for the good work

[skills@eurocarsplus]

been driving my benco re-geared 002 in my Subaru bus for a bit over 3k miles now. although I don't "beat the shit out of it" it does get driven, sometimes pretty hard.

no issues as of yet and very happy with the gear spread we selected. I t took a little time to get the trans, and knowing this, I ordered early (not like some of the asshats that want it in a week and cry when a custom box takes 4 weeks to complete)

I did have a couple of requests that they took care of. I am happy enough with benco that I have just referred 2 more folks to them. I also feel that if I have an issue they will work it out with me even though it's not in a stock bus.

communication was a bit spotty, but being a small shop I can 100% understand that. in the end, they were very helpful and did return calls when they could break free for a minute.

I would totally do business with them again without hesitation

this will probably void my warranty, but fvck it

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[Jim Rizzo]

Benco, these guys are incompetent crooks with attitude. I made the mistake of having these transmission guys rebuild my high performance VW 2276 engine. I figured they knew their way around Volkswagens based on the claims on their website and Facebook but they don't. I told them exactly what I wanted and paid them what they wanted. The engine Benco built seized on the first time out because of a lack of oil pressure. I asked them to stand behind their work and fix it. They fixed it alright! ,Blaming me in the process for driving it. They "fixed" it with cheap spare parts that must have been lying around the shop. Benco "de-balled" me and my motor with a smaller crank shaft, a small camshaft (that wasn't even machined for my stroker motor) and 7.7 compression ratio.It had even been reduced in displacement to 2165! The engine was not at all what I had asked for or paid for!
To add insult to injury , the second rebuild had the same oil pressure problems as the first and became un-useable. Benco built me a piece of junk that doesn't even have enough horse power to make it up a steep hill when the oil light stays off long enough to try.

I hired a real engine builder to go through this mess and he said the crank end play was way out of spec and the crank shaft main bearing was not clearanced right, causing the oil pressure loss. I learned that the piston ring end gaps were lined up allowing blow by causing a loss of compression and power which is a very amateur mistake!

There were other shenanigans such as my designer valve covers disappearing, being told my after market high dollar heads were unusable then all the sudden usable again when I questioned Ben, being told my expensive webber carburators were shot when they weren't... I called to question and confront Ben the owner after running the second rebuild. He hid and pawned me off to some newly hired guy each time I called, who I never even met before, who had all kinds of condescending attitude. He wouldn't even tell me what parts were in the motor, now I know why. There are several other bone head mistakes that Benco made on my engine and suspension that caused damage and was a complete waste of time and money. I will never go there again.

[2true]

Been running my Benco swing axle beetle transaxle in my 1967 Westy for 2 years with no problems. The gears are so tall I feel like I am driving my old Honda Civic...... Love the Tranny and very happy with the product. Would definitely recommend them to anyone.
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AKA Destroyer of the Rants......

[skills@eurocarsplus]

just used 2 benco transmissions (for the referrals I spoke of earlier) in Subaru conversions.

no problems as of yet, and got what I paid for. I have a total of 3 benco boxes out there and have no complaints
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[bubba]

Love the new transmission i got from Benco.. 3:44 R&P(benco) with reduction boxs with NOS german bearings (installed by me).. Runs down the freeway awesome.. Thanks So much guys.. With that said.. please work on getting my core charge returned.. Thank you!
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***WANTED***
SO-23 Cargo net hooks...
for sale
curtain Bungee cords for SO23, 22, 33 ,34 ,35
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1587591

[skills@eurocarsplus]

they were a bit slow on the core refund BUT you have to remember they need to open it up and see what's what before giving a refund. give them a bit and keep in contact. they will work with you for sure
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[bubba]

Got it!! It took a bit.. A little my fault.. I lost the return slip.. But its all GOOD!! Thanks Guys!!
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***WANTED***
SO-23 Cargo net hooks...
for sale
curtain Bungee cords for SO23, 22, 33 ,34 ,35
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1587591

[Stormc]

I just installed a rebuilt transmission from Benco Racing. From beginning, lots of questions well answered, to end; rebated the core charge promptly; this purchase was a joy. It was shipped when they said it would be, and the product was a work of art. I am sure that a new one from VW would not look so good. Beautiful painted in black with shiney new nuts. I am pretty sure that the attention to detail I observed was probably reflected on the interior parts I could not see. They were there when I had an installation problem and even sent me a replacement for a broken thrust washer at no charge. I would recommend them enthusiastically if you need your tranny rebuilt. I can't believe they wouldn't be just as competent with their engines. A joy to deal with from beginning to end.

[fabfriar]

I had Benco rebuild my big nut RGB transaxle, it was a stock rebuild but we went with a 4.12 r/p. I live about 3 hours away, so I just dropped off the trans, and picked it up when it was ready. The communication was great, the price was fair, and it was ready when the said it would be. Best of all, once I got it installed and running, I found out what I'd been missing before, it runs and shifts a million times better now. With the 4.12 r/p the RGB's and stock tires, I can go 65mph no problem. Good guys who do great work.

[62DoKaGuy]

Bought and installed one of Benco's 3.44 big nut RGB transaxle in my '62 DC after discussing the purchase with Ben over the phone, with the promise to deliver to Sacramento's Bugorama in May.

Sure as shit, Ben came through and had the transaxle ready for pick up. And it looked fantastic and matched its exterior beauty with so far outstanding performance. Ben told me the cruising speed would be easily 60-65 mph, and that has certainly be the case over the last week. FYI: I matched this transaxle up with a dual-carb 1835 in case you want to know what engine is pushing it.

If I have any issues down the road, I'll update my review, but so far this has been a most excellent transaction with Benco and a great upgrade to my stock small-nut RGB transaxle. Cheers, Ben & co!
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,,Wenige Menschen denken, und doch wollen alle entscheiden.'' -der Alte Fritz

[SubbinNCali]

What's up everyone! Thought I'd chime in on my Benco tranny. It's a pro-street flyer 4.12 x .82. I have it in my 1970 sedan powered by a Chico Racing 2275cc motor (Yes, it's sick!).

I could not be happier with how smooth and strong every gear feels! Been using it for a few months now and it still surprises me how easily it climbs hills without having to downshift. Literally just eats up hills up! My bug is heavy with multiple batteries and sound system, and the tranny is showing no strain at all. Thanks for the great product! I'll swing by one day to say hi!

[6sixTinBox]

I called Ben with questions on the right transmission for me, as I was tired of mine popping out of 4th gear for the last year. He went over on what I would like to have now and be able to use in the future with a bigger motor. He simplified it, was patient while I measured my rear wheels to figure out the RPMs, and he advised me on the correct set up for my lowered 66 bus. In the end, I bought a 12 volt, 4.12 ring & pinion, 3.80 1st gear, 2.06 2nd gear, 1.26 3rd gear, and .82 4th gear transmission without axles or a nose cone. Moreover, he gave me a military discount with fast free shipping. I couldn't resist. Bottom line, I'm on day three after install and I couldn't be much happier. The transmission is smooth, quiet, and performing excellent. Now I have to send my core back. So don't hesitate, Ben is awesome, and so is his product. I highly recommend Benco Transmissions. For the individual who posted a negative comment on here, I really believe that person gave inaccurate feedback, especially since that individual only has two posts on thesamba and the other is the same thing in a wrong forum thread. Thanks Ben!
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1966 13 Window Deluxe

It is what it is

[NeedAName]

Called and spoke with Dan at Benco. Ended up ordering a "Subi 002" for my bus with 2.2 swap.

Dan said he'd have it shipped out in a week and it was. I was prepared to wait a few weeks at least. Had a problem with my core on my end and they still took care of me on the core refund.

Transmission works awesome and I can cruise at 2500rpm at 60mph. These guys do great work and do what they say they will. Give them a call, they'll treat you right.

[a1steaksauce]

Another positive for Ben and his crew.

After looking over quite a few trans builders I decided to go with Benco after reading Skill’s recommendation of them.

Sent a PM and was on the phone discussing transmissions right away. Ben was a delight to deal with on the phone and I instantly pulled the trigger on an overbuilt setup for my rig (Ben was actually trying to talk me out of going with a HD diff lol). Was informed it would be about 2 weeks but actually took 4. Honestly didn’t care because I knew my build wasn’t going to be off the shelf and it’s wintertime. Trans arrived and I finally got a break in the weather and got to go out for a drive. Couldn’t have been more happy with the ratios Ben picked out and the performance of the transmission. Very glad I went with them.

Don’t listen to the couple of negative reviews by people with like 1 or 2 post counts. I’m sure as heck glad I didn’t. If you want a quality transmission from guys who know their stuff and are a pleasure to deal with I highly suggest Benco.