I recently bought a pv544 with a stock 1800 and 4 speed.The stock rear gear is 4:56.I'd like to find a 5 speed,no matter what manufacturer that's fairly cheap.The transmission tunnel is very narrow and will likely need modified.Ideally a physically small trans would be best.Thanks for any and all help.
What about a t5 out of a early 80s firebird with the 2.8 v6? If I remember these were small and should be cheap.
A T5Z should have a .68 od, not .80 as those guys present, unless they're making a change to it, behind the scenes.
With a 4:56 rear gear, I'd find the longest first gear you can. Something like a 2.50, or so.
The only thing likely to fit that tunnel would be the stock Volvo M41 with the Laycock overdrive, and I bet even that would need some massaging to accept the extra length. Probably not real easy to find one with the long front mounted shifter either. 71 142 only, I think.
If you willing to do the metal work to allow a T5 to fit that I believe that is the best choice. The many variations of gear ratios, including aftermarket ones, and the various shifter tower locations available should allow you to be able to put something together that will work.
In reply to EvanR:
Just don't send them any money. They still owe me over$500 worth of parts from 4+ years ago. John Parker is a criminal and has done this to many, many people.
What about a Datsun or Toyota 5 speed from the 80s? The datsun unit fits in a Midget and the Toyota (T50?) came in tiny cars.
In reply to singleslammer:
Finding a transmission that physically fits isn't the problem. It's actually fitting it to the engine & flywheel. So far, I've only seen T-5 conversions. I've heard of installing the smaller T-9, but I haven't seen an actual installation yet.
As mentioned - be EXTERMELY cautious when ordering anything from V-Performance. Hobiercr is not the only unhappy customer.
Ian F wrote: In reply to singleslammer: Finding a transmission that physically fits isn't the problem. It's actually fitting it to the engine & flywheel. So far, I've only seen T-5 conversions. I've heard of installing the smaller T-9, but I haven't seen an actual installation yet. As mentioned - be EXTERMELY cautious when ordering anything from V-Performance. Hobiercr is not the only unhappy customer.
The easy button on the adapter is to use a T5 and the 60 degree V6 block out of an S10 as the adapter.
The transmission will bolt right up.
I am not afraid of much when it comes to hot-rodding a vehicle and making hybrid stuff, but the interface between the engine and the gearbox is a "NO GO" zone. If the factory did not make it that way and with those components, it ain't gonna happen on my ride.
The other option is to leave the trans alone, but hit the junkyard and find a gearset out of a newer RWD Volvo. I might be telling a terrible lie here, but I think the internals are the same for a very long time. Lots of 240's with 3.73 or 3.54.
Edit: Similar but different. Wrong number of splines on the pinion for one thing. Possibly adaptable.
Or go here and order a new set.
I think you can buy an adaptor to bolt a T5 to a B18 or B20. Finding a Volvo OD trans would be nicest, even if you had to extend the shifter.
NOHOME wrote: I am not afraid of much when it comes to hot-rodding a vehicle and making hybrid stuff, but the interface between the engine and the gearbox is a "NO GO" zone. If the factory did not make it that way and with those components, it ain't gonna happen on my ride.
Sometimes... you can get a quality adapter from someone with expereince...... Bill Hincher
In my case... LEEN did a quality job
Yeah I just put a T5 in an E36 chassis and there was plenty of room. It seems like a small box. And that is coming from a guy who's used to old Getrags. If you need to do a hydraulic conversion, I have a formula that works well and easily. From what I have seen on the internet, if a T5 develops a problem, it's usually within the skills of a decent home mechanic to fix it himself or herself.
I have no idea how it would bolt up, but a Getrag 260 is compact and comes with 3.8/2.2/1.4/1/0.8 gears. I am using it with a 4.10 LSD in a 79 3-series coupe, and it works great. Very peppy but still tolerable on the freeway.
The Getrag is a much more durable box than a T5, assuming the motor isn't some V8 torque beast and you're not driving the car street/strip. The spec torque rating isn't widely known, but it's surely lower than the T5 WC. Still there are plenty of people who have run them in 300hp cars for years.
Most of the Getrag 260s I see out there will still run fine. They may sound like a box of rocks when they're getting old and grumpy, but they will still shift. I'm afraid to by a used T5 unless I can drive it first. Too many are just cores now.
Getrag 260 rebuilds aren't cheap, though. $1100-1300 for a race-worthy one. I think I used to see street-worthy T-5 rebuilds for more like $750? But I could be wrong about that.
Wondering about the old Ford Type-9 which would be in Merkur's. Definitely strong enough for the application unless you're trying to bend minds with a turbo setup. They're small and the shift quality is supposed to be okay. Not sure how much smaller or easier to adapt than a T5 though.
I think I'd be looking at a rear gear swap as well even after the O/D swap.
The last T5 that I bought cost me $100 and all it needed was new bearings (About $100) and one set of syncros which I already had. Sold it for $450.
I remember this now... similar to early 1800's and the 122, the 544 has a fairly narrow trans tunnel. Later 1800's and the 140-series cars had optional BW35 automatics, which required a larger tunnel so a T-5 will fit in those cars. The T-9 will fit in the older cars. A T-5 will not without sheet metal adjustment. The pictures in the V-Performance link show the size difference between the M41 (Volvo O/D) and the T-5.
V-Performance offers adapters for each, if you are feeling lucky. I know of another race shop that talked about offering a T-5 adapter plate, but that was a number of years ago and I'm not sure he ever made any.
For what it's worth, I happen to have a M41 (from my 1800ES) and a T-9 (mounted to a Triumph bell housing for my GT6) sitting right next to each other in my shed. They are quite similar in size.
In reply to Ian F:
What kind of money was the T9?
In reply to singledownloop:
I bought mine as part of a kit for a GT6, so it included modifications to the shifter specific for that car as well as the other sundry adapters, clutch parts and a modified drive-shaft. The kit sells for about $2500 from various Triumph vendors, although I was lucky enough to get it for a bit less.
The T-9 is fairly uncommon in the US (only a few cars used it), but it was much more common in Europe so many come from across the pond. Prices vary wildly. I have a bin full of parts I bought from a GRM member a few years ago, but haven't had a chance to play with it all yet. I'm hoping I have enough to cobble a transmission together for something.
Ian F it sounds like you have some cool projects.
Does anyone know if there is an adapter to bolt an S10 trans to the B18 bellhousing?The one from Dee works looks nice but their info says it's only for the mustang t-5.I know a guy that has a dozen or so junk S10's so I could probably get one cheap.
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