Got a chance to drive the new car last night... He wasn't kidding when he said 2nd gear was gone! First took a few jabs to get into gear also sooooo.... What should I look at when I have Josh rebuild this thing? Double syncros? Steel shift forks? GVR4 1st? My goal is to see around 400hp and hit an 11.99 at the track. After that, the rules of the game change as far as I'm concerned, and everything on the car will have to be re-evaluated.

So, suggestions from those more experienced than I in the tranny department?

I have steel shift forks and thats about it. Steel shift forks were a must for me because I've broken 3 sets of stock aluminum shift forks on various DSM's.

Other than that my transmission is basically stock. If you are looking at running consistent 11's you might want to look into a 4-spider center diff or a spool. I installed new shifter cables and haven't had any problems shifting at high RPM's since I installed those. I kinda wonder how much the double synchro 2nd really helps at the stock rev-limit. Now if you plan on revving her out to 8 or 9 grand, a double synchro 2nd probably ain't a bad idea.

As far as the GVR4 1st gear goes...I wouldn't mind a taller 1st gear but Marcus and others have destroyed the Gvr4 1st gears on hard launches. I kinda wonder if the EVO VIII 1st gear would fit DSM's. Its definitely taller. I know TRE sells their own 1st gear that is even taller than the GVR4 1st, but I haven't heard any reviews about it.

From my experiences I would personally do the double synchro 2nd and not worry about too much else. The GVR4 is about 5MPH taller, but not worth the money or the heart-ache. The stock shift forks are ok as long as your gears are ok and and the cables like Nate said. Any extra conservatism you can afford is always insurance though.