Bill,
At 12:09 PM -0600 6/29/01, Bill wrote:
>I've driven and raced all versions of the stock transmissions, and there is
>nothing about them that would have me aching to replace them, although I do
>prefer the ratios in the CR version. Maybe that's just me......
As someone who is about to make the change to a Ford 5-speed, I can
say I have given it a lot of thought. My reasons don't have anything
to do with the need for "customization" or higher performance.
I have a 3-synchro, 3-main B without OD. Before the layshaft and
bearings of the original tranny crapped out, I had been using the car
as a daily driver, and had stuck to only mods that were reversible,
safety- or reliability-oriented, or "period". Examples include a
roll bar, inertia seat belts, a Pertronix module inside the dizzy, a
factory hardtop, and some cool period alloy door handles/window
cranks.
I thought long and hard about immediately rebuilding the old tranny,
and came to conclude that having an OD ratio was going to preserve
the original 3-main engine and make driving more enjoyable on the
freeway/long trips. Unfortunately, I haven't seen a lot of early OD
core trannys for sale lately, and a core plus rebuild/exchange, drive
shaft/vacuum switch would put the cost way over $2000. A later OD
was more available, but bashing out the tunnel of an early car to fit
is worse to me than swapping a tranny that doesn't require that
alteration. (I've seen Datsun trannys in Midgets where the owner cut
away part of the monocoque subframe- an abomination!)
The other routes included buying/ rebuilding a later 3-synchro non-OD
with a larger layshaft and putting in the smaller input shaft to mate
up with the engine, or having my 'box rebuilt with a larger layshaft
(talked to R A Yarwood in Oregon about doing that) or just rebuilding
it as it was. I finally came to the conclusion that, as much as I
liked the feel of the original 'box and hated to see non-OEM parts on
cars, I'd be willing to try the Ford Sierra kit for the above reasons.
I agree--the original 3-synchro is sweet. I am going to rebuild it
when I have time and keep it, the driveshaft, and crossmember with
the car. I'll probably put it back when it becomes a weekend car
someday...
--
Chris Attias
Aptos, CA
'64 MGB
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