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Interests ---> Antiques, Classics, Muscle Cars,
Sports Cars, Barn Finds, Racing, Restoring, Motorcycles, Dirt Bikes, ATVs, Nostalgia
Photos,& Garages.
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2007 G-Force Transmissions shop
tours
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Visit his web site at http://www.gforcetransmissions.com/
The first portion of our July club meeting was held at G Force Transmissions. This was yet another cool
meeting/tour that Beaver Bob and Flashback Bill Stuck made happen for us. Thanks
guys, it was a real eye opening experience.
After a short assembly outside G-Force transmissions, we were crowded into Leonard
Long's office for a meet and greet. Leonard told us some of his history drag racing
and making parts for his car. He showed us some articles and old photos, then gave
us a history of how he got started through a failed partnership, his expansion to
two facilities in two states, how he got involved with Nascar including several cool
stories of his dealings with some of the teams, and finally to his military and aerospace
involvement. |
Then we weaved our way through the building to several large rooms
where he described what each machine does. During the tour, he told us some more
Nascar stories about what they wanted in a part, some of the quirks of certain teams,
and how they even at times rejected ideas about saving some cost. Leonard described
how the parts were developed, made, serial numbered, and tested. He also explained
how they built the transmissions for the Nascar teams and what the maintainance schedule
was for them.
We didn't realize just how much was made on site. Everything starts as a big block
or a long rod of metal and is manipulated through the building to it's finished product.
He has shelves upon shelves of gears, shafts, cases, etc. Did you ever see a gear
being cut? How about a shaft being balanced and having the races ground to perfect
dimensions? Well this happens here daily.
Leonard even showed us some prototypes from a new shifter that is ready to be put
on the market, to a Porsche V8, yes that is a V8, engine that he created 10 reproductions
for a customer from one of the original handfull of them built by Porsche. (He even
did this with NO plans or blueprints.) Heck, he even has a Honda Accord drag Car
waiting for a driver to promote a reverse spinning rear wheel drive transmission
he developed for the counterclockwise rotating Honda and Acura engines.
What a great meeting so far... Flashback Bill Stuck said it better than I could.
He stated,"I thought the tour of Leonard's shop was really as cool as I thought
it might be. It was great to see a 1/3 of the club come out on a work night for the
special tour. I think it was worth Leonard's effort and it showed through his personal
stories and candid comments he made. What a great guy and special trip!"
We really would like to thank Leonard for having us and have given him an honorary
GC membership number. Check out the pics below of our tour: He spent a good two hours
in the evening after work hours to show us around and answer any questions we had.
And yet another thanks to Beaver Bob and Flashback Bill Stuck for making the arrangments
with Mr. Long so we could have yet another cool meeting. |
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