MYTHBUSTERS! Is The Gear Vendor Add-On Really Worth The Cost? YES!

We've been getting so many questions about "What is a Gear Vendor" and "Why is it worth my money". Jon is gonna give us the full review on why, what, and how a Gear Vendor works and why everyone who is anyone on the Drag n' Drive scene has one!
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[@EdwardVanmoppes-kv4tv]

Man John knows his stuff. John and Cecil need a you tube channel. Thank you Dan for the great content 😊

[@moreschmoo]

We are super lucky to have those two! They are awesome

[@jamesdanieljones5046]

Modern day Reher/Morrison...

[@paulkelly1809]

Seems like it would not be consistent @ the track. Turbo 400 set up right d is for drag

[@donshotrodgarage1717]

Dan i got to say John was having so much fun. The guy literally never stopped smiling. In a tough world you might have found a real close Buddy in him. I think he loves talking engines and power with you and you make him feel 20 years younger. When a older guy sells you his personal stash that says something about how he feels for you. Cool video i enjoyed it!

[@trumbley22]

Dan's moment of panic about the approaching corner was very hilarious and relatable.

[@ralphhayward5693]

The Professor is back! Thanks Dan and John for his technical support. Something new to learn is always fun 🇨🇦

[@wadevanalst2880]

Dan got scared because there was a corner coming up! 😆 lol

[@c.d.england8217]

Lol , that's my favorite part of the video lol

[@jennfaire8726]

The guys like I know and Dan felt the relief 😂

[@N-Scale]

I had a 32 Ft Motor Home with a 460 ford w/ Banks Power Pack and a GV in it and it simply made a WORLD of improvements !!!

[@DavidTerrill-tc2js]

Please start making longer videos. I wait all day for your show and it's over before I know it. I love this story of the gear vendor , so cool . Can hardly wait to see how your car goes when done , love your show keep up the good work !

[@wesbelew4275]

Thank you John for going through the gear vendor for us I've been wanting one for a couple years now and you just made up my mind. I'll be ordering one as soon as I can get money together. Thank you to Dan for having John on channel.

[@robertdufresne5729]

Great video, John is great guy , lots of info when ever you have him in your videos

[@waynegrant9594]

Boy I'm really enjoying jon being on the channel !! Great guest !!

[@jamesf4405]

Dan, Daniel my brother!! Excellent explanation. No worries, you explained it very well. This '55 is going to be such a nice car! You are going to love driving it! You've done such a good job putting this car together. Signed - Your friend as always, Cancer guy! 😊

[@Westcoastride]

Reminds me of years ago driving an F750 Ford Louisville box truck with a split axle and red DP button on the shifter. 1st low, 1st high, 2nd low 2nd high, 3 low 4 low etc. Not something your left pedal foot ever misses.

[@327JohnnySS]

DD Speed Shop you are blessed to have Jon and Cecil as friends. I learned alot listening to Jon as he is filled with gear head knowledge. More of him please.👍🏁

[@mikehamilton5899]

383 stroker 59 apache turbo 400 373 rear I'm sold wait till snow flies to install 1 good talk

[@Zazu2You]

Gear-Bender, go figure. Makes sense. More power is good, for sure. Cheers!! 😎

[@scottbennett3119]

Totally agree with John on 700R4 first to second gear is too wide, major RPM drop. Like an old Powerglide trans. Very unsporty.

[@SadPuppySoup]

It's funny no other hot rodder like Finnegan's Garage and Newburn only talk about it like it's just a top gear overdrive unit no one talks about (if they even know about) the gear splitting, as a matter of fact Finnegan only uses his in Blasphemi on the highways after he is in high gear. This is like our farm trucks two speed axle, it turns a 4 speed into a 8 speed, now that's a better unit then just a top gear overdrive

[@montygraham-z4s]

Dani! You're adorable! Dan! Somebody actually made you look shorter!

[@waynesmith-r8c]

like the old saying,its funner to go fast in a slow car than it is going slow in a fast car............you got a hell of a mentor and friend,John is cool and knows his stuff

[@Dowin-o5e]

GEAR BENDER !!! What a great name for a race car !!! LOL, you`re gonna love it, Dan, the Gear Vender !!! Nice Corvy John !!! Rave - On everybody !!!

[@franklindner8259]

Sounds like a great product. Always thought it was just an overdrive unit.

[@wrongwayroger2519]

35 years ago while I was driving a international cabover 24' box truck diesel with a 6spd with the 1st low 1st high 2nd low 2nd high selector I always wondered if anyone was trying to figure out a way to do that for automobiles !!! 35 years later, here it is simplified !!! Good video thanks DD&J !!!

[@dogpatchfab]

Gear vendors is the modern power adder way to go, would have made Splittin gears in dad's ol truck, more enjoyable... Don't even get me started on the 2 speed rear end. Lol😅.

[@GwynnOak1]

John is no doubt one interesting hard core gearhead! You got yourself a real guru there, he's undoubtedly forgot more, than most guys know.

[@kalinagoedge2777]

You and John have great rapport with each other. A pleasure to watch.

[@kevinwright1551]

Awesome transmission system. It works wonders in a transmission system. Keep up the great work.

[@spankyham9607]

Jon figured out a hack to make it cooler. 👍

[@pugliesesspeedshop]

Been looking at gear vendors for a long time now... May need to actually pull the trigger after this video. I think I actually understand it now. Thanks guys!!

[@paulweigle6872]

That's cool. Just like an old split shift rear. I can see how it works. Thank you for doing this video.

[@bwsgarage]

Great explanation guys, I had no idea how a gear bender worked, now I know

[@budlanctot3060]

Gear Vendor, with a "V".

[@bwsgarage]

@@budlanctot3060 I've heard them called both. I aint up on it, so thanks for the explanation 🤷‍♂️

[@AlanMerritt-n9q]

I don't , but again I have no use for one. Lol. Way over my head. Not a racer either

[@c.d.england8217]

​@@budlanctot3060lol

[@archstanton9206]

Had a GV back in the late 80's early 90's. We had a old school class A RV, BBC Turbo 400. 32 ft and pulling a 24 ft enclosed race car trailer loaded to the gills. We regularly went over Donner Pass. Friend with a similar set up bought a GV for his rig and after one trip convinced me...being able to split gears climbing up the hill was a godsend. We now pull with a 4x4 Diesel, with manual 6 spd. Saving my $ for a GV for this set up.

[@terrymott8581]

Great hands on explanation. I was like you Dan I just thought it added and extra gear.

[@RandyH-qf3dc]

Great explanation from John and Dan. I wish there was more of an automatic setting so it could split gear more automatically vs turning it off and on between manual upsetting. In a drag race I could see myself having concentration issues really screwing up shift points on the track. Like everything I guess you'd get used to it. Anyway great informational video. Thanks guys!

[@anglia427]

It is possible to do you would need to put pressure switches on the 2nd and 3rd gear pressure test ports on your transmission and some creative wiring etc.

[@Xkekeskfndsmw]

Randy Bachman’s brother sure knows a lot about overdrives.

[@tork62077]

I always wondered how they worked and never knew you could put one behind a manual 🤔 great info!!!

[@benshore7357]

Good times 🎉 I have driven some old farm trucks that what they call a brownie box. You would flip a lever on the dash and it would drop a gear. Didn’t have to push in the clutch. Somewhat similar I guess 🎉

[@wingingittracy8508]

A new spin on an old concept. Back in the day i had a Dimond reo with a 5 and 4 split shifting was a manly event. It took both hands .

[@stoneyswolf]

700r4 is a great transmission with a 307 gear. Takes a highway gear and makes it great again. I ran one for many years with tci internals and a reverse shift manual valve body behind a roller cam 406 pushing 500hp. Really the best of both worlds internally it's a turbo 400 with overdrive so it just needs upgrades to take the abuse. Upgrades with a tci converter that doesn't have lockup it was the best overdrive for many years until the 4l80 came along.

[@MrIgor1955]

Makes me want to put a Gear Venders Overdrive in my car.

[@sleepervega71hill28]

Good evening. Dan and Co. I've guessed about the same invention on the shift. I thought you could tap the brake pedal and downshift. Meaning ". Light Lock out torque control. Yes! Great idea 💡👍👍👍👍👍

[@TimErickson-oc6sd]

My mom had a 3 speed and a vacuum overdrive in a yblock 58 Ford she used it to kill 57 s all day with it

[@roymceachin7409]

Dan you definitely made a good friend in John . That’s awesome when we find the good people in life.

[@matthewdwornik5466]

It's like a fast and furious movie changing gears every 2 seconds love it lol

[@Todd-lc7wv]

Thanks Dan n John n Danny filming learned a ton about gear bender awesome video you guys keep hot rodding

[@Freedbird]

A semi transmission known as a 'Super 10' does the same thing. 1st gear, switch up, as your shifting to 2nd gear, switch down, and so on and so forth. Which is my only quibble with the floor dimmer switch use. Put the trigger, on the shifter. On a super 10, the switch is... well, google it so you can see it. Very intuitive to use. I taught my smallish (ex)wife to do it in a day. Seeing all 5'4" of he banging gears behind an old school 425 cat, with a big smile on her face, was cool.

[@bensymington5550]

❤❤ I love your videos, awesome content😊

[@c.d.england8217]

Some of my friends are good mechanics but DAM John knows what's going on. Look out Dan there's a curve ahead, LOL great video man👍👍

[@jwszewczyk]

Drove a C40 dump once with a 292, 4 speed, and a two speed axle. If you were loaded you had to use all 8 but unloaded you didn't need to split all the gears. Your Gear Vendor reminds me of that just in a different application.

[@toejam503]

I was thinking the GearVender was something similar to the Doug Nash 5 speed overdrive units from the 1970s. GearVender sounds a whole lot better 👍

[@Robert-ni6ut]

Dan you are so blessed 😮to have John and cecill their such genius 👍

[@alvarsdzenis4739]

Brings back memories seeing someone playing with them. Those things were neat years ago, but doesn't compare to an 8 or 10 speed with millisecond shift rates. Ok for a 3 or 4 speed though, kinda. We don't even use a trans in the dragsters anymore. All clutch and electronics. No carbs either. All EFI since 1982. Have fun Jr.

[@monadking2761]

I have a conversion kit prints for my old Saginaw OD unit that bolts on the back of aTB400. I had a 3 speed 6 cylinder back in 72 and drove my 63 chevy that had it, and it ran great with my OD. I had 1st then 1stOD, 2nd then 2ndOD, 3rd then 3rd OD. I called it my Super 6. I have the parts and converting my TB 400 that's going behind my 283 55 Nomad I'm making. This setup acts sweet. I love it. I have another Nomad with a TB700r4 and a 4:10 12bolt and the tires just want to spin in 1st. but launches when 2nd kicks in at 20 ft.

[@conniemorris9025]

I have a 1986 C 30 dually 454 , turbo 400 with 3:73 rear gears . This has had a Gear Vendors overdrive since early 90's . The unit just works well , certainly reduces RPM at highway speeds . Change the fluid in the Gear Vendors unit regularly and hopefully it will last forever.

[@johnkranz4004]

Good video With John and Dan Great information about the gear vendor

[@guywerry6614]

This was a bit hard to follow at times, but it rings true. I had a 98 Chev truck with a 350 and the 4speed transmission where you would lock overdrive out in order to tow - I had an old, heavy travel trailer that I pulled with it. Then I bought a 2009 GMC truck with the 5.3 l LS engine and a SIX speed transmission. It was immediately noticeable that the LS engine had LESS TORQUE than the 350, BUT with the 6 speed transmission you always had a gear, so the overall towing ability didn't suffer. Since then I've had a pair of Ford trucks with the 5 l and 10 speed transmissions. I'm told that it's actually a dual-range 5 speed transmission, so maybe exactly what the Gear Vendor overdrive accompishes - don't know for sure. What I CAN say is that with the 10 speed things are amazing, especially towing. Even though towing locks out the top 2 overdrive gears there are still LOTS of gears left so that the engine can rev as much as it wants to. As a side note, both the LS and the Ford Coyote engines really do like to rev and make most of their power up high.

[@rockystanaitis2908]

Very cool! It reminds me of 2019 Chrysler 8 speed. When you nail it, it acts like a 4speed. But if you let up at the right moment you get the second shift for each gear.

[@111000100101001]

Awesomeness Gear Vending out the fun :) Maybe it can mount up to my 200 4R behind my 800 hp street motor ;)

[@growzen3853]

Really appreciate the knowledge

[@williegibson2510]

Big john is a super cool and knowledgeable guy...... join him to the Dd speed shop show please.

[@stevenbranch7362]

Hay Dan Just think if it works for a big guy like John just what can do for us 6 footers lol. We real love your show ! Miss having Danelle's reactions in Johns car. Would she go with him and video for another show. Just saying. You two could sell a screen door to a submarine captain and make him think it would never leak ! :) Captain Steve

[@danielhall7744]

I want a gearvendor now. It’s basically low to high range for each gear. Would be so awesome 1st and 2nd with my 3 speed 727. No matter what rear end ratio your running it would double the fun.

[@marlonbrown1461]

I need a John & Cecil in Vegas, lol. Great video Dan. Keep up the content Bruddah

[@jerrygaynor4384]

That was thee coolest infomercial I have ever seen!!!😁😁😁

[@guitarsrusinc2908]

there has got to be a way to fix that gear bender so you dont have to manually turn it off /on with some type of switch.... very interesting

[@lb9gta399]

Great vid! Remember , they work great with powerglides too! The downside is 40+lbs, some electronics, custom driveshaft and $$. But great for highway driving. Love to have one in my car

[@johnrickett3919]

I just put a 700-r4 in my 57 Chevy and John is right the drop in momentum from first to second is enough to make car fall on its face. But that 1000rpm difference on the highway is nice.

[@paulwiens5918]

Very fun to watch! Great video,John has a lot of knowledge. Very smart dude! Thanks for sharing

[@rocknmopar6518]

Sorry to disappoint you, Dan-O, but I really enjoyed this video! And you're right! I've searched and searched for information. On the gear splitting capabilities of the Gear Vendors. I never really understood the reason for it or why it was even necessary. But thanks to Big John and yourself, it all makes sense now. Love the content. We need more Big John on KZbin! Dan and Danny, you two are really fun to watch and inspire me every time I watch. Keep up the good work 👏 👍

[@number7__879]

Yes Sir!!!

[@jamesbizelli8568]

I like seeing John on the channel he’s got the voice the presence and the killer knowledge it would be fun to see you two work a project together

[@billywird]

This is like a big truck transmission with 13 speeds for instance (there are of course other combinations) When you get into the higher range in your transmission you have the option of a splitter to give you the extra pulling power between the upper gears. Of course, this is for hauling heavy loads, but the principle is the same. Also, one can shift without using the splitter and just use the ten speeds available for instance. In other words, if I am pulling a lighter load, I can just use the regular transmission with the high and low ranges and not use the splitter but if I am pulling a real heavy load, I have the option of using the splitter to get those half cogs as we call them.

[@jfv65]

Back in the 60's and 70's lots of British cars had overdrive units behind the 4speed gbox (Laycock de Normanville) Even Volvo used them behind the m46 gbox. But those overdrive units could only be used in 3rd and 4th. Then there was the Mitsubishi 'supershift transmission' it had 4 speeds and a HI-LO shifter , 8 ratio's in total.

[@74hotrodmalibu]

Awesome Content Dan and Dani great information on Gear Vendors ......Question ? do we get a double Vidja today missed y'all yesterday LOL Keep them coming I liked your sneak peek of Dani's Nova

[@Stupidfastracing]

When are you going to drive it that's what I'm waiting for

[@moreschmoo]

Ooooo it's coming!!

[@pb5778]

Thanks for sharing this video with us ,excellent

[@craigtaylor2953]

There was mentioned using a gear vender on a 4spd standard? How would that work Dan ? 😊

[@rickydonahue1586]

Great informative content. Y'all have given me some ideas.👍

[@4ndy530]

You don't need to worry about your heart not being in it! 😂👌

[@xbbuell]

Everyone forgets about the 200r4. With some upgrades they're great and has better gear ratios then the 700r4. They lived, in stock form, behind grand nationals.

[@bradleymckay365]

I only wrote a negative comment because dan said those were his favorite. 😆 🤣 😂 this was an awesome educational video almost makes me want to take out my 4 speed and put in an automatic with the gear vendor, almost but that looks like hella fun.

[@JimmyMakingitwork]

It's interesting hearing a racer saying more gears are better when so many race cars are using 2 or 3 speeds since gear shifts take time. The gear splitting wouldn't interest me with a 650 hp big block, but the overdrive on the highway would. But I think this is 90% of the reason they make them. The gear splitting is just an added "selling point." Right?

[@kbschulze]

Pretty cool.

[@JakeWeddle-zo4xv]

That's awesome!! I had never seen one in action. Thanks to you and John for the tutorial 👍

[@meh-canics9628]

The hair in this video is fabulous!

[@hubiesgarage]

Ok, I get the GV a bit better now. It tightens up the RPM range and keeps the car in the powerband instead of losing the powerband in the gear drops. My neighbor has one in his '61 Apache 350/TH400 and loves it. I think it would be amazing to have a GV in my tow rig, especially with the grades we pull going to Bakersfield with the racecar, trailer and tools in tow! The one trans that was completely overlooked in this video and is a real honorable mention here is the 2004R. The 200 has been called a TH350 with OD and the the 700R4 has been called a TH400 with OD and crappy gear splits. I had an Art Carr 2004R in my wife's '57 Chevy Wagon and I wanted to replace the TH400 in my '55 Chevy with a 200 after driving her wagon! The 200 has waay better gear splits than the 700, has a lower OD ratio than the 700. The 200 also scavenges less HP from the engine compared to the 700 and Art's Street 200 that we had, handled up to 800 HP. The driveshaft length is the same as the original cast iron PG, TH350 and uses the same yoke. We lost Art last year but, the family still runs the shop in HB and the 200 is definitely worth its salt. I guess I will have to try a GV next. Great video Dan, Dani and John!

[@jonhampshire5100]

Education! Love it!

[@MadRattGarage]

Very good info. I always thought it was just final drive OD. Pretty Kool it splits all the gears. Very Kool

[@ni_wink84]

I had always wondered how those work, after watching this I’m starting to consider it over what I originally thought was going to do (6l80e)

[@toneff11]

Great vid learned a lot thanks

[@larrythompson7802]

I have a 56 chevy gasser with a blown sbc, TH400 , 4:86 gear. Have thought about a GV. Eould be interesting if someone came up with switching automatically between gears from standard to od without having to manipulate, ie rpm switches.

[@jasonahlstrom1424]

Wow that split shifting kicks ass. Keeps it in the power and. That’s way more important than the drop between gears and waiting for it to catch up. Love the interior on the Vette. Looks similar to my hobnail late 70s Trans Am like my 81.

[@bryceonysko6479]

SMOKEY your tickled pink way to go brother😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

[@jasonsmith8543]

I need this for my car. Dan you could be there new dealer.

[@jariviitanen2542]

I have to say....GREAT VIDEOOO🎉

[@supernovaVII]

Back in the day I did the same with the overdrive on my 55 Ford for six speeds.

[@AaronBrevik]

Great video Dan and Danni, love the content.

[@jongrubaugh160]

I saw John working on Alex & Dennis Taylor's car after he has been on your video. It wasn't till he was back on your video that I was sore it was the same guy. LOL Something I noticed about your little ride,,,,,,,, You fit inside the Vette pretty well. Way easier than the Camaro!

[@user-wu6em1mp4f]

John here, sorry but I have never worked on any of Alex and Dennis Taylor's cars.....I would if asked, but they can handle everything their cars throw at them.

[@richardgeer1931]

Great video showing off gear bender

[@ronsherfy6291]

When you don’t want to read the instructions just call John and Cecil. 😂😂😂

[@gregpiecuch3802]

Ok, my next purchase will be a Gear Vendors O.D.