Simeon Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 Hi Guys and Gals I have a V* engine and LT77 gearbox for the S8 I don't have yet. i am going to start reconing the gearbox soon and would like to know if there is anything I need to purchase to make it fit in the S8 ie I see these short remote kits available to bring the gear lever forward 6-7 inches, do i need one of those. Any tips or ideas would gratefully received Thanks Simeon Quote
adamnreeves Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 Ideally a T5 as the 5th gear ratio is much better and I think 1st is more usable. However to make this fit you will need to widen the tunnel at the front by cutting and re-welding the chassis. If you haven't ordered the chassis yet you can specify this at time of ordering. I wish I had known this when I built my kit. If you have the chassis and do not wish to cut it then go for the R380 2WD gearbox, rare as hens teeth but if you can get one the top gear ratio is a little better but not as good as T5. The R380 is a revision to the LT77 to address common failures. Have a look over my build site I have lots of information and paths of discovery!! Quote
Simeon Posted July 12, 2009 Author Posted July 12, 2009 Thanks for the info Which cars do the T5 come out of and what is the availability of a bell housing for a rove SDI to the T5 Confused as a confused thing in confusedshire Quote
keezee Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 type 9 with an adapter plate tran-x gear kit first gear ratio of 2.2, putting just over 300 pounds of torque through it from a 4.6 v8 it sounds brill and has done for the last 3 years Quote
scruffythefirst Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 T5's came in sierra 3dr and saffire 2wd cosworths and TVr's (and mustangs). Were about £200-250 last time I looked. Only the TVR boxes will come with the right bellhousing. Quote
adamnreeves Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 Thanks for the info Which cars do the T5 come out of and what is the availability of a bell housing for a rove SDI to the T5 Confused as a confused thing in confusedshire v8 tuner do an adapter, look here. T5 I think out of a ford, cosworth? Used in the states. Again look here Probably can get from Ashcroft transmissions as well. Regarding the gear level I managed to get away with just cutting it right down. I have a carbon mods CF dash and clearance is no issue. Very short shift as well. Lots of information but best to know all the options and way them up as soon as possible. Like I say I wish I knew about the T5 route before I made commitments. Quote
Simeon Posted July 12, 2009 Author Posted July 12, 2009 WOW This is gettin pricey What about the R380 route? There seems to be a few on ebay for not much money. As the R380 replaced the LT77 and is very similar could I not get one of these and stich my current bell housing on it? Something tells me it's not going to be as easy as that Quote
adamnreeves Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 WOW This is gettin priceyWhat about the R380 route? There seems to be a few on ebay for not much money. As the R380 replaced the LT77 and is very similar could I not get one of these and stich my current bell housing on it? Something tells me it's not going to be as easy as that I just pasted those links to show you. There are pricey and new of course. Yes, ebay the place. I actually sourced mine after 7 months of trying by posting on the v8 forum. I would prefer to get from someone I know of a forum though rather than a complete stranger off ebay but needs must. Yes the R380 will fit. Externally the dimensions are the same. The problem is getting a 2WD version, most are 4WD. The issue being is the input shaft to the gearbox is longer on the 4WD. You would have to get an engineering company to shorten it which may involve taking the gearbox apart. I managed to get a 2WD version so did not have to go down this route. When I picked mine up I actually measured the length of the shaft just to confirm it was right. Somewhere on my site I think I have the measurements you are looking for. Quote
Simeon Posted July 12, 2009 Author Posted July 12, 2009 Mmmm Reading other forums the LT77 seems to be okay for road use in a rollerskate as long as you don't thrash it and T5s and R380s don't seem to fair much better. My wife will go nuts if I spend more money on another gearbox. I think I will stick with the LT77, give it a damm good seeing to and deal with it if the worst happens. I know your'e all out there screaming at your monitors shouting IDIOT but back to my original question apart from the tunnel is there anything else I need to know? what about the remote kit? Any internals i need to pay particular attention to? Sorry but it's the credit crunch, you know Quote
adamnreeves Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 Mmmm Reading other forums the LT77 seems to be okay for road use in a rollerskate as long as you don't thrash it and T5s and R380s don't seem to fair much better. My wife will go nuts if I spend more money on another gearbox. I think I will stick with the LT77, give it a damm good seeing to and deal with it if the worst happens. I know your'e all out there screaming at your monitors shouting IDIOT but back to my original question apart from the tunnel is there anything else I need to know? what about the remote kit? Any internals i need to pay particular attention to? Sorry but it's the credit crunch, you know Yes, if you already have an LT77 then fair point. Also I presume you have a 3.5 so pulling a light Westfield probably be okay. If it fails then and you're happy to lift out the engine. What differential you thinking off. Gear lever placement should be okay I can take some relative measurements if you wish? Quote
Simeon Posted July 12, 2009 Author Posted July 12, 2009 You know Adam I had'nt even thought about the diff. My plan is to buy the starter kit then get the finishing kit and to be quite honest with you I haven't got a clue about whats in the finishing kit. Now that you mention things out of sight and behind the gearbox does the kit come with a prop shaft also exhaust, what manifold? Sorry i'e just had a brain dump Quote
adamnreeves Posted July 12, 2009 Posted July 12, 2009 I bought the starter kit and then sourced bits as needed from various places so cannot answer that. But the diff, go for the 7.5" Ford LSD as a minimum. I have the 3.36:1 ratio but the 3.14:1 is better with the LT77. Rover manifolds are pretty dreadful in terms of design especially the left hand side. One pitfall I fell for was uprating/upgrading bits as I built rather than just get it done and on the road and upgrade afterwards. I am sure many will vouch that on here! Quote
Simeon Posted July 12, 2009 Author Posted July 12, 2009 Is your wife not like mine who would say something like "Why do you need a new Weber 500 carb when those ones you took off the engine look fine" They just don't understand do they. Quote
scruffythefirst Posted July 13, 2009 Posted July 13, 2009 Personally I would say build it to the spec you want from the start, upgrading is fine but the car will be better for it if you decide on the spec at the begining. Difficult to do if you've never owned one before. 7" diff will be plenty strong enough, although not that easy to find in the right ratio Quote
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