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🛠 Mike's strategic sourcing hub

🛠 Parts Network — strategic sourcing playbook

Parts Quick-Find is for Deb's daily counter dials (phone numbers, region filter). This page is Mike's strategy — when to call who, what each supplier is best at, daily vs. rebuild-kit vs. heavy-duty Eaton work, plus regional cores from local junkyards. 4 sourcing tiers, 12 active suppliers, no commercial blind spots.

The framework

🎯 The 4-tier sourcing strategy

Tier 1 · daily fluids/filters
🟢 Local Quick-Grab
O'Reilly · NAPA · Advance — 2-5 mi radius. Same-day or 30-min runs for fluid, filters, basic solenoids, hardware.
⚡ Same day · ~30 min
Tier 2 · rebuild kits
🟡 Regional Specialty
Transmission Parts Unlimited · Transtar · WIT. Daily delivery from Ellenwood/Smyrna/Norcross. Full overhaul kits, hard parts, kits by VIN.
⚡ Next morning · ~16 hr
Tier 3 · heavy duty
🔴 Heavy-Duty Eaton Specialist
Pro Gear & Transmission · FleetPride · Eaton OEM. Eaton Fuller 10/13/18-speed parts, air system components, top plates, fleet truck specialty.
⚡ 1-3 days · national freight
Tier 4 · cores / performance
🟠 Cores & Performance
Local junkyards (cartecay, Fannin Salvage) for raw cores. Sonnax + Summit for performance/upgrade parts. Long-tail sourcing.
⚡ Variable
Tier 1 · daily fluids & common parts

🟢 Local Quick-Grab (2-5 miles)

O'Reilly Auto Parts — Blue Ridge ★ PRIMARY
📍 140 Progress Cir Unit 2 · Blue Ridge, GA 30513 · 2 mi from MDC
Mike's primary daily account. Transmission fluid, filters, basic solenoid kits, hardware, gaskets. Strong same-day stock.
Same-dayFirst call
📞 (706) 632-6677 🌐 Pro portal
O'Reilly Auto Parts — Ellijay
📍 25 Highland Court · Ellijay, GA 30540 · 6 mi from MDC
Backup to BR store. Same SKU coverage. Useful when BR is out of stock or for Ellijay runs.
Same-day
📞 (706) 635-4165
Kaye's NAPA Auto Parts — Blue Ridge
📍 2445 E First St · Blue Ridge, GA 30513 · 3 mi from MDC
Best for seals, gaskets, bearings, rebuild components. Family-owned. Counter people know transmission work. Strong NAPA pro line.
Counter expertise
📞 (706) 632-2233
NAPA Auto Parts — Ellijay
📍 24 Ward Ln · Ellijay, GA 30540 · 5 mi from MDC
Reliable for seals, gaskets, bearings. Mike has commercial account here too.
📞 (706) 635-2251
Advance Auto Parts — Blue Ridge
📍 230 Progress Cir · Blue Ridge, GA 30513 · 2 mi from MDC
Fluids, filters, basic electrical/solenoid stock. Tertiary backup when O'Reilly + NAPA are both out.
Same-day
📞 (706) 258-2478
Tier 2 · full rebuild kits, hard parts, kits-by-VIN

🟡 Regional Specialty (next-morning delivery)

Transmission Parts Unlimited ★ MIKE'S GO-TO
📍 Ellenwood, GA · ~100 mi south · daily route to North GA shops
Mike's primary rebuild kit source. Automatic kits, hard parts, 4R70W/4L60E/4L80E/10R80 specialty. Daily delivery to Mike's bay. Same-account ordering for years.
Daily routeVolume pricing
📞 (800) 241-3880 📦 Place rebuild kit order
Transtar Industries — multiple GA branches
📍 Macon + Norcross + Atlanta metro branches · 100-120 mi · daily freight
Backup + technical support hub. Full line of trans parts, rebuild kits, professional shop pricing. Strong tech support hotline.
Tech supportNational catalog
📞 (800) 373-8005 🌐 Pro portal
Whatever It Takes (WIT) Transmission Parts
📍 Smyrna, GA · ~90 mi south · same-day pickup for urgent
Wide domestic + import catalog. Reliable when TPU or Transtar are short on a kit. Good import CVT kit selection.
Backup sourcePickup available
📞 (770) 433-8317
Tier 3 · Eaton Fuller 10/13/18-speed + diesel fleet

🔴 Heavy-Duty Eaton Specialist (national freight)

Pro Gear & Transmission ★ EATON SPECIALIST
📍 National HQ · ships nationwide · 1-3 day delivery to MDC
Mike's go-to for Eaton Fuller anything. Genuine + high-quality aftermarket kits, gears, shafts, bearings, air system parts, Top 2 components. Strong tech support for diagnosis.
Heavy dutyEaton specialistTech support
📞 (877) 776-4600 🌐 progearandtransmission.com
FleetPride — national heavy-duty distributor
📍 Local Atlanta branches · 90-110 mi · next-day delivery
Heavy-duty focus. Fuller rebuild kits, drivetrain parts, brake/suspension specialty for fleets. Good backup to Pro Gear.
Heavy dutyFleet specialty
📞 (800) 968-3833 🌐 Find local branch
Global Drivetrain Supply
📍 National · ships nationwide
Full line Eaton Fuller kits + remanufactured units. Useful for rare hard parts on older 13/18-speeds.
Heavy dutyRare hard parts
📞 (800) 444-8299
Eaton Roadranger — Official OEM distributor network
📍 Locate nearest authorized dealer via Eaton
OEM-spec parts when needed for warranty or fleet contract requirements. Higher cost but bulletproof spec.
OEMWarranty work
🌐 Roadranger.com
Tier 4 · raw cores from local junkyards · performance from national

🟠 Cores & Performance (the long tail)

🪨 Local junkyards · cores + dead-vehicle drop-offs

These are where locals take dead cars. Partnership opportunity: co-marketing — Mike can offer to diagnose before they scrap, OR buy good cores from them for the rebuild bench.

Cartecay Used Parts
📍 6457 Hwy 52 East · Ellijay, GA 30536 · 8 mi
Best local core supply. Wide variety from cars, trucks, SUVs, Jeeps (1960s-2000s). Will sell good cores to Mike for rebuild bench.
📞 (706) 273-3848 📞 Alt (706) 669-9241
Southside Used Parts
📍 2143 South Main St · Ellijay, GA 30540 · 6 mi
Used + aftermarket parts. Computerized inventory — they can search for specific transmission cores. Good "before you scrap" referral partner.
📞 (706) 276-1914
Fannin Salvage & Wrecker Service
📍 134 Salvage Ln · Blue Ridge, GA 30513 · 3 mi
Full salvage yard + 24-hour wrecker. Already a competitor intercept target (search-domination). Partnership: their cores → Mike's hot tank for cleaning + rebuild → sold rebuilt to their customers OR sold direct.
📞 (706) 632-2814
Stacy's Used Auto Parts
📍 4891 Hwy 411 S · Chatsworth, GA 30705 · 30 mi (worth the drive for specific cores)
Popular pull-your-own-parts yard. Useful when looking for a specific year/make/model that local yards don't have.
📞 Call to verify hours
Chatsworth Automobile & Truck Salvage
📍 1500 Highway 411 S · Chatsworth area · 32 mi
Larger yard · truck inventory · good for diesel/commercial cores when local yards are short.
📞 Call to verify

🏁 Performance & upgrade parts (national)

Sonnax — performance & upgrade specialty
📍 National · available through Transtar / TPU / Pro Gear
Performance valve body kits, billet pieces, upgraded shift kits, lock-up controllers. When a customer wants the "jacked up" transmission upgrade.
PerformanceUpgrade kits
🌐 sonnax.com
Summit Racing — hard-to-find & performance
📍 National warehouses · 2-3 day shipping to MDC
When a customer wants a specific aftermarket converter, billet input shaft, performance flex plate — Summit has it. Good for restoration work.
PerformanceRestoration parts
📞 (800) 230-3030 🌐 summitracing.com
When to call who

🧠 Mike's decision tree — sourcing by scenario

Scenario A · daily passenger work

Brakes, fluids, basic solenoid swap

Customer needs a fluid change, filter, common solenoid, or rebuild kit basics. No specialty bench work.

Call: O'Reilly Blue Ridge first → NAPA Kaye's backup → Ellijay stores if BR is dry
Scenario B · full rebuild on passenger car

4R70W / 4L60E / 10R80 complete teardown

VIN-matched rebuild kit · friction packs · steel sets · solenoid bundle · valve body work.

Call: TPU first (daily route) → Transtar second (technical support) → WIT third
Scenario C · Eaton Fuller fleet truck

10-speed Top 2 air leak · 18-speed clutch · syncro work

Heavy-duty commercial · Eaton-specific hard parts · top plates · air system components.

Call: Pro Gear first (specialist) → FleetPride local branch second → Eaton OEM if warranty
Scenario D · vintage / restoration

'68 C6, '72 Muncie, '78 Th400 rebuild for collector

Older units · hard-to-find friction sets · vintage syncros · custom hardened parts.

Call: Cartecay for raw core → TPU for kit → Summit for billet/custom hardened pieces
Scenario E · performance upgrade

Customer wants the "jacked up" transmission

Tow rig upgrade · custom converter · billet input shaft · upgraded valve body for heavy-duty use.

Call: Sonnax via Transtar → Summit for one-off pieces → Pro Gear for HD Eaton variants
Scenario F · core swap from junkyard

Customer's trans is toast, salvage yard has same unit

Pull good core from local junkyard → Mike's hot tank for sterilization → rebuild with TPU kit → install.

Call: Cartecay or Fannin Salvage for core → TPU for rebuild kit → high-margin save for the customer
🎯 What this Parts Network gives MDC:
📞 Zero supplier blind spots — every transmission scenario has 1st-choice + backup + tertiary mapped
⚡ Speed advantage over corridor competitors — Mike's TPU daily route + O'Reilly primary = same-day or next-morning on 95% of jobs
🚛 Heavy-duty Eaton coverage — Pro Gear + FleetPride + OEM means Mike can quote ANY commercial fleet job without "we'll have to source that"
🪨 Local core supply — Cartecay + Fannin Salvage make rebuild margins better (Mike's hot tank turns junk into bench-ready)
🤝 Partnership opportunities — salvage yards become co-marketing partners (they bring dead cars, Mike sells back rebuilt) → bonus inventory + bonus referrals
💰 SaaS licensing asset — when MDC's software gets licensed to 20 other shops (SaaS Network), this tier framework gets pre-populated with each shop's regional suppliers