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5-speed conversion or not

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nomad said:
JP, what rear end gears do you have now? I'm wondering if 3.55s might be a little high for getting started but they should give you about right high end cruise.

Just checked and there is a 210 5 speed on flea-bay for 1275!!

I'm sure they can be found for less but are getting hard to come by.

Kurt.
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not sure off the top of my head - being a stock 1500 it is either 3:7 or 3:9 - Billy?
 
JP that depends on the year, the 76 IIRC came with a 3.9
78 and 79 had the 3.7
 
All my source's for old Datsun parts dried up this summer. One yard crushed everything and went out of business and the other crushed everything from the early 80's back. High scrap iron prices caused most of it. Scrap cars got in the $200 range. Of course I live in the boonies and I imagine there are plenty of pick and pulls near the more populated areas and as Rick mention's, there's Craig's list.

JP the 1500 may have enough torque to pull 3.55's just fine but, as mentioned, you wouldn't gain much over a 3.7. Rear ratio's are stamped on the diff housing at about 10 to 11 O'clock as you face the diff from the input shaft.

Kurt.
 
RickB said:
JP that depends on the year, the 76 IIRC came with a 3.9
78 and 79 had the 3.7
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Don't feel like crawling under, but, I presume 3:9 then
 
From what I have read mfg date aug 76 and newer had 3.7

79 def shoulda had 3.7
 
My memory says late '78 is when the 3.7 began, and it ran to the end of production. I guess I could go look it up, but I'm feeling a bit lazy.
 
Aug '77 was the changeover date and remained until the end of production.
 
I put my car back together with the 4.22 and it worked well around the neighborhood but as I got more confident with reliability and ventured further from home the 4.22 wasn’t as desirable. I have been watching for a 210 5 speed but haven’t come across one yet in my price range. My office is across the street from 4 salvage yards and I have been watching for a 210 but haven’t spotted one yet. They don’t keep anything older than 2000. Older cars can come off the hulk haler into the crusher and hauled away in 8 hours. They are just tonnage to them. I installed a 3.9 this summer and I am not looking as hard for the 210. I don’t like 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gear as well but 4[SUP]th[/SUP] gear is much nicer. I am running a 1275 that came out of a parts car. I was told the motor was no good but it just finished its 4[SUP]th[/SUP] summer. I don’t know what the HP is but I don’t think it would like a 3.7.
 
BillW103 said:
I put my car back together with the 4.22 and it worked well around the neighborhood but as I got more confident with reliability and ventured further from home the 4.22 wasn’t as desirable. I have been watching for a 210 5 speed but haven’t come across one yet in my price range. My office is across the street from 4 salvage yards and I have been watching for a 210 but haven’t spotted one yet. They don’t keep anything older than 2000. Older cars can come off the hulk haler into the crusher and hauled away in 8 hours. They are just tonnage to them. I installed a 3.9 this summer and I am not looking as hard for the 210. I don’t like 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gear as well but 4[SUP]th[/SUP] gear is much nicer. I am running a 1275 that came out of a parts car. I was told the motor was no good but it just finished its 4[SUP]th[/SUP] summer. I don’t know what the HP is but I don’t think it would like a 3.7.
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Bill,

As Bill L. suggested and a couple others suggested, the 5 speed is a transformative experience. The car will feel and appear totally normal, especially in the case of the H shift pattern ('80-'82). The car will be a lot quieter, both as far as engine noise and gearbox noise, which in particular, makes a difference after a certain age (of the driver) :wink-new: You won't need to decide which end of the power spectrum you want to sacrifice, and for those (even occasional) moments you need to keep up in traffic over 50 MPH, you won't be looking/listening to the over 4000 RPM buzz. As Bill said, "never hear of anyone going back", nor have I ever heard anything but the enthusiasm you're hearing for the swap after is been done.

I have a Morris Minor pickup that had a bad gearbox when I bought it in 2000. I swapped in a pristine late model ribcase in it because I wanted to maintain the "original sound and feel" of an old truck. It was just not fun to drive, especially when driving on the freeway to car shows within a 50 mile radius. When the throwout bearing went and I could barely shift anymore, it was immediately replaced with the 5 speed... and this was when I was still buying kits from Paul A., so this was long before I made the kits.
 
what would be considered a fair price for a good used 5 speed, I have one I purchased off ebay for my bugeye that I may not use
 
Fair price? I see people asking $1k+ and I paid $200 last year for an A14 and 5 speed. That said I like to pay it forward to the members here that I know and that gives me more satisfaction. Other members treat me the same way and I'm amazed at the generosity. This us a hobby for me, not a business and I speak from that point of view so I would price it accordingly.
Rut
 
With the 4.22 a Sprite is like a sporty tractor.
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Perfect.

I've begun to think that the 3.9 is not really for me. My car has certainly got the torque for that gear, but I've been thinking about going back to the 4.2 for a while.

Never driven a 5spd Sprite and I'm not opposed to them, likely I'll even have one at some point. But I have to say that the old 4 speed is a big part of the car's character. Not sure why you'd change it unless you really, really want more modern drivability. Again not criticizing the 5 speed, just sayin' the old 4 speed is fun and I personally love the way they shift. Something Nial pointed out earlier in this thread. A good shifting ribcase makes many a modern transmission feel like a bag jello with a stick poking out of it. Amorphous.
 
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I think if I was using a Spridget as a daily driver, I'd consider the 5 speed simply for the synchronized first gear. With mine being a weekend warrior and occasional nice day commuter, that's not really an issue. I find the stock 4 speed is part of the charm of owning an LBC.
 
I purchased a bunch of misc LBC parts today. I got a 5 speed tranny that the PO bought for a Bugeye conversion. PO doesn't remember if its a Nissan or Toytota trans. I can't find any marking on it to identify what it is. Anybody got pictures or do I need to post one of the tranny. It will be for sale shortly.



Marv
 
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