Any good manual gearbox builders? (Sydney)

Aether · 25-02-2015, 12:03 AM

Does anyone know any good gearbox builders in Sydney?

I want to get my manual 4 speed seen to by someone who knows what theyre doing and recondition it. May as well get it done now and complete the build.

Any ideas?

Most people in the yellow pages look to be automatic people and I would rather listen to other people than just pick someone from the pages.

dirty hands · 25-02-2015, 12:47 AM

ask and speak to a human for a gearbox strip and quote on this manual gearbox

ok a capri ..just checking what 4 speed box do you have there ..is there a 5 speed upgrade possible ?

wont be cheap .. circlips and hard gears even syncros may be hard to source
bearings should be no problem

http://transmissionservice-px.rtrk.c...gearboxes.html

http://www.gearboxsolutions.com.au/

http://www.truelocal.com.au/business...-pty-ltd/minto

LG17 · 25-02-2015, 07:40 PM

There's a bloke called Paul Truelove in Sydney - I just can't think of his business name at the moment.

Aether · 25-02-2015, 11:05 PM

Sweet. I found the website for Paul truelove so I'll give him a call tomorrow but also the guys suggested by dirty hands. It always pays to ring around.

I don't wanna get a 5 speed tbh. I think it will be ok with the stock 4 speed. It's no track monster.

I'll come back once I've made some progress.

Cheers

LG17 · 26-02-2015, 08:54 AM

Paul races and builds Cortinas and has a pretty good reputation.

Aether · 26-02-2015, 10:26 PM

I spoke to Paul who recommended I look into a Type 9 Sierra 5 speed so im gonna look at that I suppose. I'm not 100% sure but ill see how my research goes.

I have to ask around and find out if all the expense is going to make the car that much better to drive or if its just a "nice to have".

LG17 · 27-02-2015, 08:05 AM

He sure has a good knowledge to tap into.

Aether · 27-02-2015, 08:29 AM

Aside from better freeway driving, am I going to get any major benefit from a 5 speed conversion?

Aether · 27-02-2015, 08:58 AM

Ok so finally I've figured out what type of gearbox I have. It's a MK1 ZEPHYR ZODIAC 4 SPEED DAGENHAM.

Next time I speak to Paul I'll ask him about this gearbox but does anyone else know anything about them?

Cheers!

Aether · 27-02-2015, 12:20 PM

Ok so some simple online research reveals that the Dagenham 4 speed is not a very good box to have!

I am now leaning quite strongly towards a 5 speed conversion.

So I spoke to Mark at Eurospeed and he is going to confirm what stock he has before I give him a deposit to start reconditioning a Sierra type 9 5 speed for me. He said the conversion is quite straight-forward and I am quite excited that maybe I have a pathway now.

Only major hurdles remaining would be:

Need a bellhousing to suit
Tailshaft may need to be modified for a new yolk / uni

wombat2509 · 27-02-2015, 11:47 PM

The 5 speed drops straight into a 4 cylinder no real hassles and they make a big difference when driving.

Aether · 28-02-2015, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wombat2509

The 5 speed drops straight into a 4 cylinder no real hassles and they make a big difference when driving.

Ok that's what I need to understand more. It's going to cost me about 2.5k to get a reconditioned 5 speed in. So how is it going to make the car better to drive? Just need to know I'm spending in the right area.

Thanks for any inputs.

allanv6gt · 28-02-2015, 03:38 PM

5th gear is an overdrive.
Just need enough power/torque from your engine to pull ok when in 5th (not enough and you'll die on hills and be constantly changing gears).

Aether · 20-03-2015, 10:09 AM

Ok so after pricing it all up I've decided not to go with the 5 speed and instead just get the 4 speed rebuilt. I left a couple of messages for Paul but he must be busy with other stuff.

Anyone know another good contact in Sydney area that can recondition a 4 speed?

Its all there and nothing broken

dirty hands · 20-03-2015, 01:56 PM

all there and nothing broken is good

and you are staying with this box
MK1 ZEPHYR ZODIAC 4 SPEED DAGENHAM.

got to be someone there in sydney who can do the job right

Aether · 20-03-2015, 02:24 PM

ah yes silly me. thank you!

I called gearbox solutions and gearbox masters and they were both happy to help, quoting between $200 and $300 to put it together.

When the gaskets arrive from the uk ill go and drop it off at one of them (probably gearbox masters as its a lot closer to me).

Thanks, ill come back once its done.