The Cal-look Lounge

john rayburn said that he would rather stick needles in his eyes, then open up and rebuild a gearbox. a friend of mine opened up my transmission. now we need to put it back together.
but that is exactly what we are going to do...  8)

we are going to a shop that has the old equipment to measure everything. but the task will not be monumental. it really is a project to see if we can make it work properly again.
the mods we are thinking of is:
welded 3th and 4th
superdiff
thick sideplates
and other things we should do to make the transmission last with the 2l engine...
it will be a stock geared transmission from a type3 or are there other gears we should consider?

what will components cost? and where can i get a good superdiff? i heard about the differential of a thing/181 but i don't know if it is good enough for a more race-oriented car...

lots of questions .

anyway if all this fails i have to look for a wellbuild transmission with a 4.12 R&P... anyone has one he can miss  :P

The Thing/181 Diff your hear of is a ZF Limited Slip Diff...

I have one of those in my Race Tranny, got luck finding one, they are pretty rare and expensive... ;)

They have only been installed in some Civilian 181's...

Frank

Keep the 4.12 r+p to help get the heavy type 3 out of the hole. A 3.78, 2.06 mainshaft is a wise investment, much stronger than the 3.80. 1.26 3rd, .89 4th.

i thought about that, but where can i find the parts? or do i need a second transmission to pull it from? i have thought earlier about getting closer ratios but it will probally kill the fun in long distance driving... so it will be a stockish setup. but stronger, way stronger.
so it is really a ZF?? wow that sounds great, but yes finding one seems to be a pretty big quest. but i will look around and otherwise i have to buy something aftermarket, but i don't know what and where. any leads?
thanks

The 3.78 mainshaft came in late type 1 style gearboxes (I think 1973+), any place that does VW transaxles can set you up with one.

an alternative is the Quaiffe (torque biasing differential) uk company about 550 pounds +vat,but for some totally weird reason they are cheaper in the states

What year is the trans you will be digging into?  Swing or IRS?

it is a 67 type3 unit with swingaxles. i think i have to locate another one with the throwout piece and a 3.78 first gear. but i can't find the proper pieces at an affordable price at the moment. if i add up all the parts i need i am not far from the price of an outright highwaycruiser transaxle...  :-\

but i just am curious to rebuild it and make it work. but since this one is allready out i thought of modding it to a stronger one and swapping it with the one that is under the car at the moment.

Drag racing?  Slicks?  Hp?

Hi Bruce,

Are you the one who rebuilds ZF Diffs???

Frank

no slicks. maybe some lager 185 or 195 tires on short shafts, but for now 165/80/15
and i hope to have 140 hp and i just talked to a headporter today who really opened my eyes and said it could be done. i only need to build it right and it should be able to reach 150-160hp.
that has been a very nice talk. i only need to be very well prepared as there are some issues i have to deal with.

as for the gearbox. i hope to be able to find a keyed 3;78 first gear. and a superdiff. all the rest will stay the same. pretty stock configuration will be best for the planned use i guess???

as for the gearbox. i hope to be able to find a keyed 3;78 first gear. and a superdiff. all the rest will stay the same. pretty stock configuration will be best for the planned use i guess???

I have run a OG 1300S box at the strip all summer with my 2276 and no problems. The trick is to stay away from slicks and use a sensible clutch disc.
I am not trying to imply that it's an ideal solution, but it works and it's cheap.

what is a good disc? i used my stock non-spring disc in my 1641 and it was good, but it is not ideal for more power. the flywheelside is pretty much gone after Bitburg... it is probally my inexperience in dragracing, but i heard about berg having a superstreet disc with 2 different materials..?? or what else is good?

With the 9 tooth mainshaft, have the syncro hubs welded to their gears for 3rd and 4th.  Use hardened keys for the 3-4 shift hub and 4th gear.  Replace the brass 1-2 fork with a steel one.  I wouldn't bother with the heavy duty side cover, stock will be fine.

You must make sure the installed engine/trans does not cause any wheel hop.

If you drag race it, pre-load the trans with the parking brake when you launch.

thanks for the advice. i have heard before that it really is the wheelhop that kills the transmission in most cases... so i have to look out for that.


how do i do that. remember i am a dummy at dragracing. i only raced once...

At the start line in first gear, bring up the revs, pull up the parking brake with the button depressed and let out the clutch a bit until you feel the rear end squat down just a little. If the car rolls forward you let the clutch out too far. This will take out the slack in between the gears so they dont slam against each other. When you launch you have to simutaniously release the parking brake, drop the clutch, and mash the gas. :D