4/5 Speed to Grey Motor

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

I was looking to replace the gearbox on the wagon, but keep the grey motor. Thinking of a four or five speed conversion, until I called Dellow for a price on a kit! Are there any alternatives to the $800+ kit (not including g/box) ?

[Poo Wagon Bloke]

G'day Glenn,
A mate here in Ballarat has done a great job of adapting a Datsun 5 speed using a home made engine plate to mount to the original gearbox/ engine side mounts. Works a treat, however the usual big task of floor  surgery rears it's ugly head.  OK if you can do it yourself, but the $800 kit may be cheap compared to the bill that you may have for opening up the floor and welding in a new hump if you need someone else to do it.
 I remember reading an old Custom Rodder years ago about adapting a Sigma 5 speed to a grey and I'm fairly certain that no floor surgery was necessary at all. Does anyone knpw of a car that has had a Sigma 5 speed adapted to it?
Anyway, I'll watch this post with interest.

Alan (Poo wagon bloke Snr.)

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Thanks Alan, I am pretty handy with a MIG and have already welded a hump in the project FE, so that isn't a problem. I'd be interested to get more details on this adaptor plate if you could, please.

[Poo Wagon Bloke]

Glenn,
I'll see what I can find out.  Hopefully he still has a pattern of the plate.  Some people may have seen the car in question at Wintersun in the past couple of years; blue and white with a very unique personalised number plate,. A very cool car!  
The same bloke has done some magic work on Tayz car too.  Col is very clever with his hands and his head.  Raced a lot of speedway too!
I'll try to carch him in the next couple of days as I am away mid to late week.

Alan

[Martin]

Hey Stinky,

Have you thought about the 5 speed box that first came out on the 2850 VH Commodore, and was then strengthened up for the 3.3 litre VK Commodore?

In the VH they were a bit slow 1st to 2nd, especially when cold, but you soon get used to that.  Otherwise they're a good smooth box.

Being bolted to the derivative of the "Red", an adapter might be easier to get hold of.

Martin

[RET]

Red motor to grey crashbox is a bolt-up proposition (no adaptor required), so it could well be the same the other way around.

cheers
RET

[HARKO]

The linkages swap sides though and could be a different spigot bush from memmory which aint worth much.

[Poo Wagon Bloke]

Glenn,
I chased up about that Datsun adaptor ring I spoke of last week.  Col tells me started with a red motor adaptor ring and welded on an 'ear' each side to pick up the mount.  Unfortunately he didn't make a template of the ring when he finished it, although he told me that he would do just that if he ever has to pull the box out.

One of our local Holden club members has a Gemini 5 speed behind a grey in his humpy; does anyone know anything about this swap?
Anyhow, I hope that helps a little bit.

Hooroo,
Alan