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5-Speed Conversions
- Thread starter Goldie
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WHT
Jedi Hopeful
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"Has anyone installed the 5-speed conversion from The Driven Man in Cookeville TN?"
Yes.
Do yourself a favor and use the "Smitty" conversion to install a Toyota transmission if possible. Pete Delaney is a stand-up person and can often help you find a transmission. Hundreds (thousands?) of the Smitty conversions have been made with excellent results. And, I believe Pete has a commitment to engineering, quality control, attention to detail, responsibility and customer service.
None of the transmission kits is really difficult to install; but they are not a simple "bolt-in" install either. Nothing ever is!
Yes.
Do yourself a favor and use the "Smitty" conversion to install a Toyota transmission if possible. Pete Delaney is a stand-up person and can often help you find a transmission. Hundreds (thousands?) of the Smitty conversions have been made with excellent results. And, I believe Pete has a commitment to engineering, quality control, attention to detail, responsibility and customer service.
None of the transmission kits is really difficult to install; but they are not a simple "bolt-in" install either. Nothing ever is!
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The High Gear/Tremec conversion looks like a nice piece of equipment. However the claimed ability to cruise with the tall fifth gear option at 70 mph turning 2k rpm's seems of questionable utility given that few use their Healeys for extensive turnpike cruising. And--were it necessary to get around another car at that speed--since 2000 revs is below our engines' green lines the necessary downshift to 4th would probably be pretty jarring.
I have a Smitty's and a 3.5 diff set--at 70 in 5th gear I am turning 3k rpm's, providing enough torque to make a pass without a downshift.
Best--Michael Oritt
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I have the Delaney/Smitty kit and combined it with a 3.54 rear end gear set. Love it. 70 mph at 2800 rpm suits my driving terrain. I had good experiences with Pete Delaney, despite some parts confusion. He was prompt and fair in getting me the correct kit parts for those that were mistakenly sent. The kit was very complete save for the gearbox is on your own.
W58 gearboxes are not as available as they once were and at the time, a couple of years ago, he was not able to point me towards one. I was lucky to find one local to me. I feel like I got the last of the $500 used boxes, put in some seals and got lucky as it was pristine inside.
There are other W series Toyota boxes that are useable. There is a good Wikipedia page on the series differences. Although the kit is essentially a bolt-in kit, it took some tweaking to get it installed. That's to be expected in my book. Money was definitely a consideration for me and that, combined with the fact that there are quite a few of his kits out there, sold me on it.
W58 gearboxes are not as available as they once were and at the time, a couple of years ago, he was not able to point me towards one. I was lucky to find one local to me. I feel like I got the last of the $500 used boxes, put in some seals and got lucky as it was pristine inside.
There are other W series Toyota boxes that are useable. There is a good Wikipedia page on the series differences. Although the kit is essentially a bolt-in kit, it took some tweaking to get it installed. That's to be expected in my book. Money was definitely a consideration for me and that, combined with the fact that there are quite a few of his kits out there, sold me on it.
WHT
Jedi Hopeful
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Michael makes a great point.
I spent several days looking at speed and RPM vs gearing with respect to the Healey's power band (given our tire diameter and differential ratio).
These engines were not designed to be run at lower RPM like modern engines; and doing so will increase engine wear.
Regards, Bill
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Bill is correct and lugging the engine can lead to predetonation (pinging), increased load upon the engine's lower end and really lousy passing acceleration.
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If I had to do it all over with what I now know, I would have not used the Toyota 5th gear higher ratio or, not installed a 3.5 rear axle ratio. Although, using 4th and not 5th, does give me a nice rpm to drive with. Pete Delaney was very responsive when I had a problem and made it right.
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Im in Australia and purchased the DrivenMan kit, so far its been very easy, nothing too complex, kit was very nice with simple instructions. Hope to have the car running in about 4 - 6 weeks can report back how it goes. I changed the diff to 3.5 , and refreshing the motor
can report back how it goes. I changed the diff to 3.5 , and refreshing the motor 
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Im in Australia and purchased the DrivenMan kit, so far its been very easy, nothing too complex, kit was very nice with simple instructions. Hope to have the car running in about 4 - 6 weeks
View attachment 88606
A thing of beauty!
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Perhaps Driven Man should develop and sell a clear plexiglass transmission cover to show it off.
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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Just leave the gearbox cover off ... don't wear any long scarves though. Is it a Tremec?
re: Michael's comment "... the claimed ability to cruise with the tall fifth gear option at 70 mph turning 2k rpm's seems of questionable utility given that few use their Healeys for extensive turnpike cruising ..."
If you take any longer trips--until a few years ago I'd do up to 5K miles on an annual road trip--you'll appreciate a taller drivetrain; you'll end doing more 'turnpike' driving than you'd like (see: Hwy 80 from the Bay Area to wherever-the-heck it ends). Putting a 3.54 diff in my BJ8 was the best mod I did on that car; knocking a few hundred RPMs off at 75 makes a big difference. Gary Anderson once opined that the taller diff with a 28% overdrive would be ideal.
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Bob--
I agree but if only 5th gear changes with the "Tall" option then a downshift at 70 mph into 4th would be a rather jarring experience, increasing rev's from the claimed 2K to probably 4K. On the setup that I have (Toyota + 3.54 diff) at 70 I am turning right at 3K and though there is not an abundance of torque I am at least above the greenline and I can remain in 5th while completing the pass. With the Tall Tremec I think one would have to downshift to 4th to make a pass, only to short-shift back to 5th after getting to 80 or so.
I agree but if only 5th gear changes with the "Tall" option then a downshift at 70 mph into 4th would be a rather jarring experience, increasing rev's from the claimed 2K to probably 4K. On the setup that I have (Toyota + 3.54 diff) at 70 I am turning right at 3K and though there is not an abundance of torque I am at least above the greenline and I can remain in 5th while completing the pass. With the Tall Tremec I think one would have to downshift to 4th to make a pass, only to short-shift back to 5th after getting to 80 or so.
HealeyPassion
Jedi Warrior
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Well that's sure purdy!Im in Australia and purchased the DrivenMan kit, so far its been very easy, nothing too complex, kit was very nice with simple instructions. Hope to have the car running in about 4 - 6 weeks
View attachment 88606
My friend and I have been installing a Driven Man kit in his 1960 BN7. We have had several problems along the way. The current problem is the drive shaft U-Joint interfering with the hand brake assembly and too close to the frame rails. We could shim the rear mount higher or get a longer driveshaft.Im in Australia and purchased the DrivenMan kit, so far its been very easy, nothing too complex, kit was very nice with simple instructions. Hope to have the car running in about 4 - 6 weeks
View attachment 88606
Im in Australia and purchased the DrivenMan kit, so far its been very easy, nothing too complex, kit was very nice with simple instructions. Hope to have the car running in about 4 - 6 weeks
View attachment 88606
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I'd be checking to see if the rear axle/differential is centered in the car. Also, is the frame rail straight or does it show any sign of having been damaged/repaired?
One of the people in our local club had a Driven Man Tremec installed. He hired someone to do the install. Very expensive! I drove the car and it worked well, but it needed adjusting for the shifting to work well.
In my car I have the Smitty conversion. A Supra transmission was the doner. Very nice.
In my car I have the Smitty conversion. A Supra transmission was the doner. Very nice.
Hi Mike, This is a very original 22k mile Healey. The problem is that the FWD U-Joint needs to be several inches further forward. The sliding yoke into the Transmission will move forward with the driveshaft disconnected from the rear. It's like the driveshaft tube is too short. I attached a picture. I have installed several Smitty kits. One in my own BJ-8 and some for friends in Austin 100's and all six cylinder models. I never had as many problems as with this kit. The selling point was the new transmission with the Toyota transmissions getting hard to find. A forum for people installing these kits to help others doing the same would be great for anyone attempting to install or contemplating buying the Driven Man kit. Thinking it will be a good conversion with the install problems resolved. Their tech support has been ok , but not really Healey specific. They sell kits for several American and British cars.
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