mitchell O/D

[1930artdeco]

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

[Bruce of MN]

Ordering direct was pretty simple and I believe cheaper overall. If I needed another one, I'd keep calling, but also send a letter.

[JayJay]

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.

[Y-Blockhead]

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.

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

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.

Yeah, waiting list is what I'm on, not a hard order.

[Oldgearz]

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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.

[California Travieso]

Artdeco,

If you still lived in Cali you could drive over to talk to them. Just saying.

David Serrano

[BrianH]

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.

[ModelA29]

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.

[P.S.]

Originally Posted by ModelA29

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.

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.

[1930artdeco]

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.

[ModelA29]

Originally Posted by P.S.

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.

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.

[Tom Endy]

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

[ModelA29]

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

Here in Southern California, we have an organization called the "BLt Guys".

Here is one of their installs - page 8. Note they quickly take care of any problems they encounter caused by previous modifications.
They have done so many installs they have a glut of driveshafts and tubes in the way.


http://www.ocmafc.com/newsletters/20...ary%202023.pdf

[Bruce of MN]

Tom's guides are great and were my guide when I installed mine:
https://www.santaanitaas.org/wp-cont...ation-2019.pdf

https://www.brattons.com/media/wysiw...r-Apr-2012.pdf

In 2020, I installed mine (not in one day!) and only needed a helper at the end to get the splines stuffed into the U-joint. It is as close to a genuine bolt-in modification as you can get.

[P.S.]

This might help with installation also- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKRHYlwR7eU

[alexiskai]

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.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

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.

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.

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

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.

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.

[Ray in La Mesa]

Very well said JayJay!

[1930artdeco]

I talked to Steve today and put myself on the list to get his OD-about 79 months out. Not in a hurry so no big deal. I am just squirrelling away large parts as I pay for them. And then in about 2 years time Barb goes down for a frame off resto. I will have all of the major parts except for paint and body work paid for.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

I talked to Steve today and put myself on the list to get his OD-about 79 months out. Not in a hurry so no big deal. I am just squirrelling away large parts as I pay for them. And then in about 2 years time Barb goes down for a frame off resto. I will have all of the major parts except for paint and body work paid for.

Off topic: What engine do you have in your '57 Country Sedan. I have a '55 Ranchwagon. My "Hot Rod" has a '57 312" Y-Block.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

I talked to Steve today and put myself on the list to get his OD-about 79 months out. Not in a hurry so no big deal. I am just squirrelling away large parts as I pay for them. And then in about 2 years time Barb goes down for a frame off resto. I will have all of the major parts except for paint and body work paid for.

That's 6-1/2 years.

[emf]

My guess is that he meant 7-9 months out...


Frank

[1930artdeco]

Carl, Ooops yes 7-9 months out.


YB: I am running a 312.

[JayJay]

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[QUOTE=1930artdeco;2254988]Carl, Ooops yes 7-9 months out./QUOTE]
That's encouraging, when I spoke to Steve and got on the waiting list in May he told me 6-9 months. So it seems that he's been able to stem the bleed. Maybe I'll get mine in the next several months. I won't bug him until the end of the year.

[Y-Blockhead]

[QUOTE=JayJay;2254996]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Carl, Ooops yes 7-9 months out.
That's encouraging, when I spoke to Steve and got on the waiting list in May he told me 6-9 months.

I got a call from Steve Saturday, he said I'm at the top of the list. I got an invoice from Cyndi today and sent my monies.

Shouldn't be long now!!

[JayJay]

[QUOTE=Y-Blockhead;2268134]

Originally Posted by JayJay

I got a call form Steve Saturday, he said I'm at the top of the list. I got an invoice from Cyndi today and sent my monies.

Shouldn't be long now!!

I haven't heard from him yet but I'm working on the differential it will go into, so I hope it comes soon. Thanks for the update Y-B.

[Y-Blockhead]

[QUOTE=JayJay;2268243]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

I haven't heard from him yet but I'm working on the differential it will go into, so I hope it comes soon. Thanks for the update Y-B.

Hang in there Jay-Jay. I put my name on the list in the first part of March, 8½ months. I think you are a couple of months later?

[quickchange]

I got some at the shippers or even on their way too New Zealand ,However with our $ only worth 58 cents American plus freight, plus 15% tax they will be expensive but worth every penny, Great service from a hard working team ,

[JayJay]

[QUOTE=Y-Blockhead;2268265]

Originally Posted by JayJay

Hang in there Jay-Jay. I put my name on the list in the first part of March, 8½ months. I think you are a couple of months later?

Yeah, early May. As long as I can get it in the car to o to Ruidoso in June I'm fine. But it's like Christmas coming...

[MickyD]

I talked to Steve in February of this year. I am on the back up back up list. Hopefully I will be on the normal back up list soon. I am in no hurry as my other car has a Mitchell in it.

[Tom Endy]

Has anyone recently visited their facility? I am curious why there is such a long lead time. Some have speculated that they lost key employees during the pandemic and recruitment for replacement is difficult in the central valley of California as it is mostly farming country. There is also the issue of supply from China for some critical parts they use.

I knew both Glenn and Sue Mitchell years ago before they passed. Very nice people and a very good product. I hope Steve and Cindy will be able to maintain the business.

Tom Endy

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

Has anyone recently visited their facility? I am curious why there is such a long lead time. Some have speculated that they lost key employees during the pandemic and recruitment for replacement is difficult in the central valley of California as it is mostly farming country. There is also the issue of supply from China for some critical parts they use.

I knew both Glenn and Sue Mitchell years ago before they passed. Very nice people and a very good product. I hope Steve and Cindy will be able to maintain the business.

Tom Endy

Tom, When I talked to Steve this last Saturday he told me that yes, they lost some employees during covid and is having a hard time hiring new employees. He also indicated having a hard time getting some raw materials and of course the price of everything has gone up.

[mitchmanfc]

Hi Everyone,
This is Steve and Cyndi's son (Not the Cowboy). I figured it was time for them to have an account to interact with the community and help answer questions if it was ever relevant. I also decided it was time to get the Company Cars (29 Coupe, 31 Fodor, 36 V8 Sedan) up and running again and I'm not nearly as handy so also might need to post on here for some help.
Most of what everyone above has said is pretty accurate, since my Dad is more than happy to spend an hour talking "shop", but I wanted to let everyone know a couple silver linings.


Production Rate and Wait List

1. The wait list is as long as everyone says. It currently is about 8-9 Months. We aren't any happier about this than anyone else. It's been a combination of factors, thought most of it has simply been staffing. We previously employed up to ~8-9 employees and currently if you count my parents we have 5 and only one of those can do any sort of machining.

2. The silver lining is that we have actually spent most of 2023 changing the production model to have the vast majority of our parts custom made by an assortment of outside suppliers, and then only doing quality control, finishing, assembly, and shipping at our Colusa facility. We are struggling to find any small independent gear cutters, so thats the one task we are still doing 100% in house. This is already allowing us to make back some ground. We really would love to get down to ~6-8 week wait time and we are getting creative to accomplish that.

3. The waiting list process is simple. You can call (though honestly it's tough to keep the phones manned right now as both Steve and Cyndi are on the floor) and make sure to leave a message, email Mitchmanfc @ Frontiernet.net , send an inquiry on the website, or heck you could even message me here. Please make sure we have the following info Name, Products you want, Make and Model of you Ford, a Phone number, and a email. We will add you to the list and let you know your current position number and an approximate wait time at that point. If you don't know exactly what you need or have more questions all of the same apply. Though for more specific questions, you'll likely have to call and talk to Steve. He's not really computer guy.
When you are roughly one month out from expected delivery, we will give you a call and work out payment details. In most cases we will take a $500 refundable deposit at that time, in some cases we might be be able to take full payment and get someone into an existing production run.
If you aren't actually ready for the unit at that time there are a couple options. We can take your deposit and schedule you for when works for you or if you still aren't sure you want to invest in a Mitchell product we can bump you down the list a month (or another multiple of a month, though we can't promise that will work out perfectly) and we will just call you back then to see if you're ready. You'd also likely be able to call in during that prtiod and we could do our best to short list you into production.


TOO LONG DIDN'T READ : Email us to get on the waiting list, it doesn't cost anything until you actually get into production.

Cheers and Please Reach out if you need anything with your Mitchell Products. I'll be manning the emails as much as possible moving forward to try to take the strain I can off my parents.

Blair Mitchell
Mitchell Manufacturing

[mitchmanfc]

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

Has anyone recently visited their facility? I am curious why there is such a long lead time. Some have speculated that they lost key employees during the pandemic and recruitment for replacement is difficult in the central valley of California as it is mostly farming country. There is also the issue of supply from China for some critical parts they use.

I knew both Glenn and Sue Mitchell years ago before they passed. Very nice people and a very good product. I hope Steve and Cindy will be able to maintain the business.

Tom Endy

Just to expand on this. Everyone is doing great and I've actually been using the couple months I have between some career moves to help them get more organized and efficient. My super long message explains better the production model change and thankfully most of the supply chain issues have resolved for the time being. I think my mom told me that Bearings where nearly impossible to source during the peak of Covid.

[JayJay]

Blair, thanks a million for posting this long but eloquent and complete explanation. As you can probably tell, we here on the Barn are great fans of the products your family produces, and wish you well in these challenging business times.


And welcome to the Barn!

[mdsbob]

Blair,
Thanks for your post and detailing how to get in the que for ordering.
Bob

[Ray in La Mesa]

Thanks for the production update, we really appreciate it.