mitchell O/D

1930artdeco

1930artdeco

Well-known member
Is it easier to order from Mitchell or go through a parts house? It will have to be shipped and I am in no hurry to get it. I figure from Mitchell it will be a bit cheaper. Is Mitchell back logged enough to not answer their phones? Just curious as I have been trying to ahold of them for a week.

Mike
 
Ordering direct was pretty simple and I believe cheaper overall. If I needed another one, I'd keep calling, but also send a letter.
 
You have to leave a message, and Steve will call you back. I think an argument might be made that the parts houses might have some sort of “pull”, but in my discussions with Steve I get the impression that he’s a straight shooter and it won’t make any difference to the schedule - it will get made when it gets made. I ordered directly from him last May and at that time he was 6-9 months out. I understand it’s longer now. I’m not in a huge hurry as long as I get it in time to drive to New Mexico next June.
 
Last I talked to Steve they were not taking any new orders but will put you on a waiting list. About 9-10 months out. I have been on the waiting list since March for a Synchro Transmission.

Better to order direct, cheaper and they are all shipped from Mitchell anyway.
 
Y-Blockhead said:
Last I talked to Steve they were not taking any new orders but will put you on a waiting list. About 9-10 months out. I have been on the waiting list since March for a Synchro Transmission.

Better to order direct, cheaper and they are all shipped from Mitchell anyway.
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Yeah, waiting list is what I'm on, not a hard order.
 
Their 6-9 months can extend itself. I ordered through Bert's and after about 9 months gave Bert's an e-mail and within days one was in the mail to me. Seems like it helps to rattle the cage.. But I have NO...None...Nada complaints as the Mitchell overdrive is a GREAT unit. I drive between 50 and 55 mph at 1800 to 2000 rpm as smooth as a kitten! Great unit.......worth waiting for.
 
Yes, Leave a message and Steve will call you back. I'm on the wait list about a month now so I'll hear from them next year.
 
I wonder if some of the parts houses are on the list ahead of you with no firm buyer (for inventory) or if they just place an order when they get one.
 
ModelA29 said:
I wonder if some of the parts houses are on the list ahead of you with no firm buyer (for inventory) or if they just place an order when they get one.
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I believe that to be the case with at least one of the Model A parts places. The issue is the deposit, and the lag time.

In my experience, Steve Mitchell is very responsive if you leave a message telling him what you want and all the details. If you just leave your name and "call me back", that may not happen right away. But telling him what you want, he gets it done.

One of the very best Model A specific products made today. Worth the wait.
 
Yep, Steve called on the way home but I could not take the call. So will call back next week and get on the waiting list. Not in a big hurry anyhow.
 
P.S. said:
In my experience, Steve Mitchell is very responsive if you leave a message telling him what you want and all the details. If you just leave your name and "call me back", that may not happen right away. But telling him what you want, he gets it done.
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My car has a Mitchell OD (and 39 trans). When I bought it last year it came with no paperwork I sent an email to see if I could get a manual and they snail mailed me packet with all the install and maint info.

I had expected a PDF - great response and service.
 
Here in Southern California, we have an organization called the "BLt Guys". It stands for Bryan, Larry, and Tom, the three guys that started the organization. We install Mitchell overdrives for a fee of $500, that is donated to the Model A youth restoration program. We do it in one day, actually in about 4 to 5 hours. The organization has grown to about 10-12 Model A guys that all show up on installation day. We have the full support of the Mitchell company. So far, we have done 18 installs in the last few years, some have included a Mitchell transmission that we charge extra for. The owner writes a check payable to the youth program that we mail off. The owner then receives a receipt in the mail that is tax deductible since the program is a 503c. The owner is also requested to bring two dozen donuts, the BLT Guys provide the coffee and other refreshments.

When we run into a situation where we find the pinion bearings and race shot, we can replace them at the owner's option as I have them in stock. We charge the owner only the catalog price of the bearings, there is no extra labor charge. We also have both configurations of the speedo extension cable in case the overdrive kit contains the wrong cable for the car.

We had two instances a while back where the Mitchell company received some defective synchro gears, and the overdrive would not stay in gear and had to be replaced. Mitchell sent us replacement overdrives and we later replaced them at no charge to the owner.

if anyone in the area wants a Mitchell overdrive installed, we are the go-to guys. The installs take place in Westminster, California, about 30 miles south of LAX. You can also have Mitchell ship the overdrive to me and we will hold it until install day.

The owner may participate in the install activity, or just sit and watch, or not even be here.

Tom Endy
 
It’s so weird to me that they operate the business in such a way that there’s almost a year long delay to get the product. At that point you could take out a loan, tool up, hire some guys, churn out a couple thousand, clear your backlog, stock all the vendors with inventory, pay off the loan with the sales revenue, and then… do something else with your life. Invent the next thing, go on vacation, I don’t know.
 
alexiskai said:
It’s so weird to me that they operate the business in such a way that there’s almost a year long delay to get the product. At that point you could take out a loan, tool up, hire some guys, churn out a couple thousand, clear your backlog, stock all the vendors with inventory, pay off the loan with the sales revenue, and then… do something else with your life. Invent the next thing, go on vacation, I don’t know.
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After talking to Steve, part of the problem is finding employees that can do the job (correctly), and losing people because of Covid. Not to mention the shortage of materials. He has been farming out some of the non-critical items.

Look at their website, they make more than O/Ds and Synchro transmissions, one is their most excellent hub puller.

Steve is a good guy, give him credit. Steve and Cyndi are doing the best they can at this time.
 
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alexiskai said:
It’s so weird to me that they operate the business in such a way that there’s almost a year long delay to get the product. At that point you could take out a loan, tool up, hire some guys, churn out a couple thousand, clear your backlog, stock all the vendors with inventory, pay off the loan with the sales revenue, and then… do something else with your life. Invent the next thing, go on vacation, I don’t know.
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Y-B, I was typing while you were posting.

So many small manufacturers have evolved into long delays. When I spoke to Steve Mitchell in May he explained to me that his backlog is simply based upon the inability to get good workers - even to get good folks that he would be happy to train. He had a good set of employees but when California shut down businesses at the beginning of Covid then his workers went elsewhere, and did not return. My recollection is that he was down from seven to two, but don't quote me on that. His location in the middle of the agricultural California Central Valley is not exactly a hotbed of qualified technical workers. I lived in that area for 40+ years and know the demographics. I'm very sympathetic to his inability to get good folks to train to be machinists. Good demand but inability to meet it. We're seeing the same extended delivery thing in the upholstery kit business since Cartouche ceased to exist. And the precision camshaft/shock absorber/etc. business (I've had shocks on order from you-know-who-beginning-with-S for a year and a half, was supposed to get them in six months).

And like it or not, we Model A folks are but a blip on the grand scale of the economy. Yes, there's a year backlog for some things, but that year backlog doesn't represent the kind of number$ that say a year's backlog to Ford or GM does. And from an investment standpoint, I think we all agree that this is a hobby with an aging population. How long will it last? I certainly don't know. I'm not predicting the death of the hobby at all, but we're for sure not on the upward rise we saw in the 60's and 70's. We've well passed the peak.

Hats of to those who continue to manufacture the specialty parts that we seek.
 
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