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5 Speed-First Driving Impressions

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Thanks, Great site (Rivergate) to learn about getting into a 5-speed conversion project. I will do my homework, and start my hunting. Thanks for the tip on e-bay, I just can't get comfortable with dealing with e-bay. I have found a site (car-parts.com) that's great for locating parts. I found a great set of Miata seats in perfect conditions. I travel allot for work (driving), so having 2 - 300 mile radius to look for parts is very helpful.

Thanks again for the info
Magyar
62 MKII Sprite
 
Be sure to really check out any Datsun tranny you find. Although it may be considered " new and improved" for a Spridget, it's still an old tranny. I had one that was very noisy which I sold on e-bay when I bought another with only 40K miles on it for a relatively small additional cost . Big difference. The big bucks that they go for on e-bay sometimes seems like a gamble to me as a tranny can be trashed early in its life by a bad driver, or over time from not changing the oil. Unfortunately, they don't have inspection / access covers on them so you can't look inside. Luckily, the cars they come from are also small and light.
Bill
 
histerical said:
Be sure to really check out any Datsun tranny you find. Although it may be considered " new and improved" for a Spridget, it's still an old tranny. I had one that was very noisy which I sold on e-bay when I bought another with only 40K miles on it for a relatively small additional cost . Big difference. The big bucks that they go for on e-bay sometimes seems like a gamble to me as a tranny can be trashed early in its life by a bad driver, or over time from not changing the oil. Unfortunately, they don't have inspection / access covers on them so you can't look inside. Luckily, the cars they come from are also small and light.
Bill
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You can always do like like friend Alan a.k.a. Sleepy
and rebuild the perfectly good used tranny.
That way you know what ya got.
:jester:
 
Morriservice is in Portland huh? I wonder if he's the old WeRace operation...I bought my adapter plate from WeRace many moons ago and might have one of the earliest conversions on the street, taking the idea from a fellow here that raced Spridgets and was the first to do the Datsun swap on his racer. I did it around 1992/93...
 
When I talked with Paul, I suggested the Rivergate was perhaps the first to develop putting the Datsun box in a Spridget. He said he did it first - many years before Rivergate developed their kit. Doesn't really matter, both companies are very knowledgeable and helpful. Rivergate uses stock BMC clutch parts and modifies the throwout bearing and linkage to suit. Morriservices kit uses the Datsun clutch parts so the throwout bearing and linkage doesn't have to be modified, but the flywheel must be drilled to accommodate the Datsun clutch.
 
Colin8 Rivergate uses stock BMC clutch parts and modifies the throwout bearing and linkage to suit. Morriservices kit uses the Datsun clutch parts so the throwout bearing and linkage doesn't have to be modified said:
And that's it in a nutshell. If you want don't want to modify your flywheel, you must be willing to have only ONE source for your clutch and throwout bearing. If you have the mods done, you use a standard Datsun clutch available through many suppliers. I prefer that latter. (But then I live 50 miles from Paul A.)

My .02¢
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Paul recommended using the recent USPS one price box shipping for sending flywheels to him. I'm sure that's probably the cheapest method for shipping heavy items. He laughs when the USPS driver arrives with a 'here's another one' and 'you're sure getting you money's worth' with these packages.
 
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