As many of you know I sold my shop in April of 2021 and now do only antique transmission repair in my hangar at the Sedalia MO airport. Sourcing parts can be a challenge but getting these old torque converters remanufactured properly is not. Precision of New Hampton has three greybeards dedicated to rebuilding the oldies.
I could have sent the converter for this job up on a UPS truck, but I decided it was a nice day to fly. So, I took the back seat out of my RV8 to make room for the converter and took off for 1Y5.
Tyler Hansen met me at the airport, and we made the short two-mile drive to the plant. I was AMAZED at how much the place had changed since my last visit. I think it has doubled in size in the last twenty years. I couldn’t wait to see Dennis and Leslie and the gang and see what was new.
Tyler asked if I wanted to wait while the converter was rebuilt, he said he had a man ready to start on it. I was thrilled because I had planned to drop it off, grab a tour and a cup of coffee and head back home. Hell yes, I will wait! That’s awesome!
While James worked on the converter, Tyler and Dennis worked to solve a lockup issue in a certain late model converter that is plaguing the industry. Afterwords, Dennis and Tyler walked me around and showed me what had changed since my last visit. The manufacturing side of the plant seems to have doubled in size. I lost count of the employees I saw. There was a crew sorting and checking in the cores before storage.
Dennis wanted to show me his latest equipment, so we want back to the “sterile area”, where he had two big CNC lasers and almost a dozen CNC lathes and mills to make his own parts that are better than what is available to purchase. These parts look good enough that NASA would use them. Certainly better than run-of-the-mill OE.
Dennis got called away, so Tyler took me to see the transmission parts division that they started about ten years ago.
After showing me the rows and rows of transmission overhaul kits that they assemble in house he took me to the Hotflush division in the adjoining building. There I got to see Ladine and got a hug before looking at the Hotflushers being built.
One more door to go through and we walked out into the new 44,000 sq.ft. addition that they are trying to get closed in before the winter winds blow. Tyler said it is for storage. They outgrew the facility about two years ago and continue to grow; so more building and more offices are being built.
I was about worn out from all the walking, so we broke for lunch, and by the time we got back the converter was done! I had requested no paint to preserve originality of the car.
Dennis Hansen and his son Tyler work hard every day to solve converter durability issues and improve their product. The Hansen Family (Jordan, Lindsey and Tyler) took over the helm about 10 years ago and it is very apparent that they are moving Precision forward with customers in mind as they focus on solving problems. Dennis and Leslie still enjoy coming in, but let them take care of the work. They couldn’t do it without the knowledgeable staff that answers the phones and all the other folks that order the parts and ship the parts to the customers. It feels like the whole organization is one giant family.
I would encourage any shop that uses PNH to take a tour. I am sure that you will gain an appreciation for how much technology and work goes into remanufacturing torque converters on this scale. These folks really do give a damn. It’s understandable why they are the leaders.
My day ended with an uneventful flight home, and I landed just as the turbulence was starting to pick up. A result of the extreme northern edge of the hurricane system that was slowly creeping north. I am already looking forward to buzzing up there again!
