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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Rebuilt a 6 Speed Last Weekend!

Feb. 2, 2012 9:14 p.m. JohnyHachi6 Reader

So I've had a post or two about the transmission issues I've had with my Girlfriend's RX-8. Long story short, after replacing the trans with a used one which turned out to grind bad in 2nd and 5th shifts at high rpm, I decided to take all the parts out of the 2 transmissions and make one good unit. So that's what I did.

I have to say, this rivals rebuilding a rotary engine for scary frustrating automotive jobs I've done. There are a lot of tiny spring-loaded bits that like to shoot around the garage when you start taking stuff apart, but I managed to get it all back together on the first try and it's been working great (best since we got the car) for a few days now.

Very relieved and happy with the result, shifts great even at 9,800 rpm. Here's some pics:
Feb. 2, 2012 9:24 p.m. Feedyurhed Dork

You are the man!! That is my nightmare scenario........rebuilding a trans.
Feb. 2, 2012 9:27 p.m. JohnyHachi6 Reader

Thanks. Yeah it was hair-raising at times and I knew it had to be ready for the GF to drive to work on Monday - Yikes!
Feb. 2, 2012 9:30 p.m. T.J. SuperDork

Will the Renesis and 6 speed fit into the Celica?
Feb. 2, 2012 9:30 p.m. MG Bryan Dork

I'm digging the chair.
Feb. 2, 2012 9:33 p.m. pigeon SuperDork

Nice work! Unrelated but is that a homemade car/office chair? If so how was it done?
Feb. 2, 2012 9:41 p.m. JohnyHachi6 Reader

In reply to T.J.:

Nope, the Celica is getting a Mustang T-45. More on that at a later date....
Feb. 2, 2012 9:48 p.m. JohnyHachi6 Reader

In reply to pigeon/bryan:

Thanks. Yeah it's a home-made (or home-assembled) office chair - there's actually a matching pair. I found the seats at a junkyard 5-6 years ago and they were the most comfortable car seats I've ever sat in so I had to buy them (they were $20, maybe). I got a couple busted office chairs from work and just welded the seats onto the wheels/hydraulics. I would use them in one of my cars, but I like having big bolsters while driving and these don't quite have that.

The seats actually came from a mid-80s Renault Alliance, which I've only ever seen in the US twice. In general I don't give the French much car-making credit outside of the racing world, but damn did they do a nice job with these seats.
Feb. 2, 2012 10:22 p.m. SkinnyG HalfDork

A friend had an Alliance:

Rear suspension was a transverse torsion bar - we dropped it one notch, then cut the front to match.
Feb. 2, 2012 11:21 p.m. mr2peak Reader

MG Bryan wrote:

I'm digging the chair.

My first thought as well
Feb. 3, 2012 6:47 p.m. LopRacer Reader

+1 for home built car seat office chairs. Loving how yours turned out. We have two right now, one is a basic model 80's Recaro that used to reside in my civic when it was a daiy and the other an old Corbeau demo race seat. I say demo seat because it has no provisions for seat belts or harnesses to pass through the bolsters. They are very comfy and stylish if I don't say so myself.

Kudos for doing a transmission rebuild they can get really sketchy really quick.
Feb. 3, 2012 6:56 p.m. RexSeven SuperDork

Nice job. Rebuilding a transmission sounds like a frustrating task to me. Of course, an autotragic would be even worse IMHO.
Feb. 3, 2012 7:23 p.m. Ranger50 Dork

RexSeven wrote:

Nice job. Rebuilding a transmission sounds like a frustrating task to me. Of course, an autotragic would be even worse IMHO.

They are easier then manuals by a country mile, IMO. Only two clearances you need to worry about normally, the individual clutch packs and total endplay. The rest is just to assemble everything together.

I love driving manuals, hate fixing them. But I love fixing autotragics because they are easy to fix and big bucks in your pocket to fix them, but driving them for me is frustrating. Until the manual valve bodies with trans brakes come out to play.

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