Drag Illustrated Issue 136, September 2018 | Page 70

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Rossler Transmissions
Carl Rossler’s DIY attitude
leads to innovative products
G
rowing up, Carl Rossler had a
knack for fixing transmissions, so
much so that he repaired a number
of them before was even o ld enough to
drive. Self-taught simply from being a voracious
learner and staying passionate about the process,
it has kept Rossler and his Ohio-based business,
Rossler Transmissions, on the cutting edge for
nearly four decades. Rossler has patents on two
of his creations, while his Turbo 400 and Turbo-
Glide revolutionized the doorslammer world.
Meanwhile, Rossler has remained the in the
same building in Girard, Ohio, for all 37 years,
building an all-star team of nine full-time em-
ployees in the process. There have been numerous
additions to the building, while inside there have
been innovations and successes that have entailed
the last 37 years. All of it, though, came from
Rossler’s fascination with coming up with solu-
tions on cars and, specifically, with transmissions.
“I learned how to fix stuff because I did every-
thing myself,” Rossler says. “I had a small-block
Chevy and you would break stuff every week.
That’s how I learned to fix it. This is all I’ve ever
done since I was a teenager. I just loved working
on these things.”
Rossler started Rossler Transmissions in 1981,
but as his expertise and skill became known to cus-
tomers, the business became more specialized. A
little over a decade into it, he was left with a decision
about the direction of the company. Needless to say,
it’s one he made rather easily. Instead of working
on transmissions for everyday cars, Rossler made
the decision to become a race-specific shop. It cut
out half the income he was pulling in at the time,
but as things played out it was a decision that has
worked out almost perfectly.
“I was making more on the regular side of build-
ing transmissions, but I really just loved the rac-
ing side and that’s what I really wanted to do,”
Rossler confesses. “We took half the income and
pulled the plug on it and that was a little scary
at first, but we’ve managed to do pretty well over
the years. I like to be happy when I work and I
didn’t have any fun doing regular jobs. Door cars
that run fast, that’s my passion. It’s managed to
work out well for us.”
That might be an understatement. Rossler has
worked with the top names in the Pro Mod world,
and his transmissions have been the products of
choice for drivers in a number of classes and series,
including no-prep racing, Pro Street, drag radial and
many more. Street Outlaws stars like Justin “Big
Chief ” Shearer, “Murder Nova” Shawn Ellington
and Jeff Lutz all use Rossler Transmissions as well,
but the innovative breakthrough came with the
creation of the Turbo-Glide in 2007.
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Now heavily imitated, Rossler made a distinct
impression in the industry with the product. It
gained steam quickly in the 10.5-inch tire world
with the likes of Phil Hines, making such a dif-
ference that racing competitors were taping runs
and accusing Rossler’s customers of using traction
control to make such rapid improvements over a
short period. Rossler simply took it as a compli-
ment. “It was hilarious. They couldn’t figure out
why they were running so well,” Rossler laughs.
“It was amazing the difference it made.”
Star tuner Steve Petty soon endorsed the
product, having major success with 10.5 driver
Tim Lynch. Word spread quickly and sales went
through the roof. The work with Petty soon took
the product into the NHRA Pro Mod world,
where the Turbo 400 took the class by storm.
Rossler worked with Roger Burgess’ highly
successful R2B2 Pro Mod team, as the product
was a pivotal piece of Melanie Troxel’s record-
breaking Corvette and Leah Pritchett’s Road Rage
Camaro. The entire team enjoyed a great deal of
success and Rossler was excited to play a major
part in that.
“At all the NHRA Pro Mod races, it would be a
big talking point in the tower that this car has a
Turbo 400, and then they would all come to the
pits,” Rossler remembers. “It was really something
and so exciting to see the cars on TV and then
win with a Turbo 400. But you always want to
keep improving the product. We want to give
everybody the best.”
The Turbo-Glide blazed an impressive trail, but
Rossler Transmissions has continued to stay at
the forefront of transmission innovation thanks
to its in-house design and machine shop. Rossler
has four full-time machinists on staff and his
team also includes one employee with 30 years of
experience at Rossler Transmission, and another
who has been with him 29 years. It’s given Rossler
a distinct advantage, allowing him to move from
the 2-speed Turbo-Glide he invented to a 3-speed
transmission that has been dominant in both
eighth-mile and quarter-mile racing.
“We make our own stuff and we can experiment
because we do all of our own stuff,” Rossler says.
“We can make a lot of special pieces, so if you see
a weak link coming, you can fix it before it hap-
pens. The 3-speeds are now dominant over the
2-speeds, but because we make our own parts,
we know what works.”
Rossler and his team can now make a new
gear ratio in a week, an unmatched part of the
process that has given his company a big advan-
tage. Rossler also has a pair of patents – one on
a trans brake and a design patent on a snap ring
stabilizer for the Turbo 400 – and he has invented
a ringless input shaft for a Powerglide as well.
That innovation and ability to create a new
product from scratch instead of being reaction-
ary is something Rossler has taken a great deal
of pride in over the years.
It’s a work ethic and ingenuity that’s been part
of Rossler’s make-up since he was a teenager, and
he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
“If we want to make something as an experi-
ment, we don’t have to rely on people,” Rossler
says. “We can change it, make it better and that’s
a big advantage. Everyone here works hard and
we all have the same goal.” – JOSH HACHAT
Issue 136