ok, heres the run down.....

so far the gearbox job is a bit of a non event, by that, i mean, yes, proof of concept works fine, its just i need to work on it a bit more to make it useable.... once spigot is done, it will be perfect. well, judging by the drive so far it should be, havent gone over 60kmh. so this means there isnt any vids, and im not even sure when it will be 100% finished.. maybe 3-4 weeks.

easy alternative?? well, for someone like me with the skills and access to equipment it can be done easily, the physical work required isnt that hard, the calculating and measuring is the hard part, working out spacer size, throwout support size and length/dimensions, gearstick location, crossmember design, spigot size and spigot boss dimensions, transducer adaptation, input shaft to crankshaft alignment...

things that you will need to modify are: bellhousing, spigot bearing, bearing boss, throwout support, crossmember, speedo drive/tranducer, tailshaft, tunnel, clutch

i went with the approach of modifying as little as i possible could, this meant retaining a completely standard clutch operation, ie, std fork, thrust bearing, falcon style pressre plate, and using an appropriate clutch plate....

next dyno run?? it wont see another dyno unless we have another local show/shine next year and they bring back a dyno, that wouldnt be til late next year id imagine.... for now, im happy, it goes hard, engine hasnt broken, its been out of action for 7months from a simple blown gearbox, and the whole car has pretty much kept me broke for far too long now, i just want to enjoy it for a while.... ill push it upto 18psi and leave it there i think, yea, a dyno will tell me my hp output, but as far as tuning goes, i can do the same tuning on road with datalogging, so i really have no need to put it on the rollers unless im trying to prove a point....

that point that i try to prove will be 400rwkw if the show n shine happens......... then again, that instantly means i need to spend another $600 on some 83lb siemens injectors, and the fuel pump may be questionable at that level.

yeah im trying to go with the same option of not modifying things too much but using standard parts.. dellow do a bellhousing for 4l/Supra 5sp so im goin to pick up one of those. using the BA hydraulic slave will make it easier and more compact.

getting the mounting and brackets wont be to hard we have a press mig oxy numerous gbox jacks so all that should be ok. the only thing thats a bit shady is the speedo transducer and the spigot/input shaft/crank setup. i dont wanna use a spacer as i dont have the right tools to mill it properly, but i will get an engineering shop to check the dellow bellhousing for perfect fit.

its done, complete and working seamlessly...

well, i just have to fit the gearknob and boot and then its done and dusted... took it out for a cruise on saturday, man, what a difference a nice box makes over a t5, theres now whine/rumble/grind and general protesting under load that the t5 had... it took all of my power with out breaking a sweat,

(only other minor issue is the speedo corrector, speedo currently about 10% slow.)

the ratios are good, closer spread than t5, and one thing im finally happy with, is the lack of vibration/gearstick rattle at 110+ kmh, all manual falcs have that same vibration, not any more, with a custom shaft and new box it is perfectly smooth right through the speed range... and yes, i had my old shaft balanced to try cure it a long time ago

all up, i spent $3420 to get it happening

good to hear. i hope i can pull it off as well.

top work man...good 2 c all goes wel wit it...

let us no wen ur comin home...definately go 4 a boost wit ya

hey brad,

good 2 hear and c ya car out 2 day sounded pimp!!

kenny

Jesus Christ!
For the amount of dosh that you ended up spending, and the amount of modifications required to make it all work, why didn't you pick up a stateside TKO? Would've bolted in a hell of a lot easier!

Cause he's a machinist who takes pride in his own work. A true engineer and one of a dying breed.

thats a bloody good summary there xcabbi...

my time doesnt cost me anything, so the amount of work wasnt an issue... the cryotreating or something else must be working fine, 3rd gear is still in one piece, and i did give it a fairly hard time this weekend

i need to post up some new pics for you guys, so you can see just how nicely this box fitted, im amazed...

as for getting a tko and installing it, i take it you have personal experience in doing such a job?? if so, exactly how much does it cost to (a) buy the box and freight it, (b) get the required parts, ie clutch, bellhousing, tailshaft?? (c) labour for any jobs you cant do yourself??

the more i think about this, the more i am sure that the level of modification to fit either box would probably be very similar??

difference between building a car off the shelf and utilising and customising everything you can.

well on the topic of customizing!!

in the time brad i worked with brad he was always customising spanners sockets etc. ( but they always seemed 2 b stevies repco spanners lol) 2 get his work done were all other mechanics would make do with wat the got or go buy a tool lol

buyin stuff off the shelf is not as rewardin as makin or doin it ya self!

The guy I was doing work experience for for a while was like this. Chris Dowde. Worked on everything from bikes to boats to nations cup cars and former V8 supercars. Was even on the pit crew of the winning Mazda RX7's at the Bathurst 12 hour back in the early 90's. Long story short, the guy knows his s**t and you can't s**t to an old fox.

The ammount of things he can come up with with the limited and worn tools that he has is just mind boggling. His lathe has more slop in it than a local hooker but the prescision he makes things with it is just mind boggling. Almost as good as a brand new CNC lathe. You'd be hard pressed to try and fault his workmanship in any way.

speaking of which, we have a nations cup car, pity it doesnt see any track time these days since the series is no longer.. we will be revamping it and it will be used as our corporate drive car, to take the businessmen for hot laps in... my boss has been at the top end of v8 supercar engineering for the past 10 years, currently is the chief engineer on the autobarn supercar, although, his best times were as the chief engineer for lowndes when the green eyed monster rose to fame... its amazing the amount of knowledge/skills can be picked up from working with such genious minded people...

Tell me about it. The nations cup car my boss used to work on was a dodge viper. He reckons that car responded so well to suspension setup changes it was a dream to tune. But the ignition system was a nightmare to try and get running right.