Really, is there no one in the work can make a custom 2nd gear (waa waa)

So if anyone has read any of my on going gearbox quest posts here is the deal.

My Datsun 1200 vintage race car uses a small 56 series close ratio box but they tend to eat 3rd gear on the cluster gear after 3-4 seasons. They're are stronger boxes available (I have one) that bolt right up but the ratios are very wide.

Back in the spring I found a place in New Zealand to repair 3rd gear on one of the damaged cluster shafts came to about $700 with shipping both ways. While this fix means I now have a back up tranny it's still a short term fix (had the car 30 years)

I have a stronger 60 series 5 speed but it has a huge gap between 2nd and 3rd. Once upon a time there where places that would do a one off gear. I've made inquires to couple places advertising in various vintage racing publications but nothing. Perhaps if I had a 250F or T37 Bugatti.

Now I can switch to a Toyota T50; there is a place that makes a bell housing in Australia $700 shipped and Housman makes a C/R gear set $3000 but as I said in another recent post this will quickly be $4000 in a car that's worth 7K.

3rd and 4th are perfect, I just need to change 2nd gear. Surely someone out there can do a custom 2nd gear.

If only I had actual fab skills I'd make a custom bellhousing so a Miata tranny would bolt up to my motor......that's another post of course.

Tom

A custom bellhousing is an easier job than making a pair of high strength heat treated gears (especially if you want helical gears) and fitting them into a transmission.

Tom1200 wrote: Now I can switch to a Toyota T50; there is a place that makes a bell housing in Australia $700 shipped and Housman makes a C/R gear set $3000 but as I said in another recent post this will quickly be $4000 in a car that's worth 7K.

I don't agree with that math. The car is worth nothing if you can't keep a trans in it.

I'd bet a backyard machinist and a billet of aluminum can make what you need for a bell housing. I know a guy if you don't. He speaks Miata, and has a machine shop in his garage that he does jobber work out of. That is when he isn't doing his dustless sandblasting gig. He also flips Miatas and Ford Rangers, and works on custom motorcycles. His buddy right up the street is a fantastic professional welder, so tigging up a billet plate to an existing bell housing should be a snap.

I know machine shops that can do that, but it won't be cheap.

Are there ANY gears that can swap in from another source?

Surely Datsun has some parts bin you can rob? The L series had a t5 for the turbo 280zx. I imagine SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, has swapped an L series trans behind the A series engine. (I think the roadsters had A series right?)

Does this help? http://datsun1200.com/modules/mediawiki/index.php?title=L-series_Engine_Swap#Transmission

@ knurled, listen here mister don't start bringing reality into it. I'm keenly aware of the fact that I initially spent $600 on a mid-close box, then $250 to replace busted cluster 1, then $700 on busted cluster 2, as well as $1500 on a close ratio box so I am at $3000. The worst part of all this is 5 years ago I stupidly passed on what's known as a Hall-Hewland box for $1500. It was a Datsun 60 series that was modified to fit Hewland gears.

@tr8todd I have a guru as well but he's cautioned me that it would quickly add up at $100 an hour. 1200 auto trans had a seperate bell housing of which I have one. We are looking at making a plate to adapt a Ford type E to type 9 as you can get C/R gear sets from Quafe. This option might be possible for 2k

@trackmouse I'm a regular on 1200.com the 71 series box is a front case style like the others so you are back to an adapter, might as well use something modern. The roadsters had either a U20 OHC motor or a 1.6 liter pushrod engine, can't remember the designation but it's not A-series.

The tough part is 3rd and 4th are perfect and having a 1.6 2nd would be perfect so it's more than just the big gap between shifts.

Tom

Can Houseman help?

I saw a guy over on the locost forums make a bellhousing adapter plate with not much more than a drill Press and a jigsaw. Alternatively if you could make a cardboard template surely a water jet cutting place could make one for a few hundred dollars?

As for gear cutting, we used to have a small scale railway club near where I grew up (1/4 or 1/3 scale or something?), They had a gear cutter for making custom gear sets for their trains. They were mostly old retired guys who loved challenging machining work. If you can find a group of guys like that then maybe they'd be up for the challenge.

there is a place here that freeze's parts to like 350 below 0 NASCAR guy's do that to there gears.makes them VERY hard as it compresses the the metal.

If you have a sample gear, or at the very least the mate to it and the dimensions/ratio required, Gear Works in Vermont can do it for you. (802) 885-5039

We have sent some pretty crazy stuff to them for reverse engineer/manufacture, and it's all come out flawless. It's not cheap, but it's also not unreasonable... It might be worth a call.

David I contacted Housman, he does fantastic work but the cluster gear makes things a bit of a hassle. Read time consuming, when I m sure he has much bigger jobs to tackle, he's busy for a reason.

Golfduke thanks I will at least call them and see if it's worth doing.

I did just discover that 200sx with Z20 engine as basically the same ratios as mid close 1200 4 speed. The 76-78 B210 used the same series transmission. By swapping front cases you can then fit a mid close box that won't break.

Still want to look into 2nd gear as a slightly taller second than the mid close would be ideal.

Tom