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5 Speed-First Driving Impressions

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jhorton3

jhorton3

Jedi Warrior
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Like a kid at Christmas I couldn't wait, and braved this morning's commute with the new 5-speed. Wow, what a difference! I drove in with the top and windows up. The 5 speed is much quieter than the original gearbox, though I noticed the rear axle whines a bit. I'll have to recondition myself not to cringe every time I make a gear change.

Rolling to a stop sign and shifting to 1st feels weird, like you're going into a forbidden zone. Same for shifting to 5th. She's got a good bit of power. When I slipped into 5th gear the speedometer showed 60-65 mph at around 3-3,200 RPM. I'll need to find one of those speed indicator signs to see if the speedometer is reading correctly.

The clutch slave pushrod needs to be adjusted more. Maybe another 10-15 half turns toward the front of the car, and it will be closer to where I'd like it. We'll see.

I decided for now not to cut the shifter down. I topped it last night with my wooden MG shift knob. It reminds me of my Fiat 124 back in the day. Tonight I may have to take the long way home to perform some more testing.
 
I think the five speed improves the car by letting you better enjoy some of the other character traits of the spridget.
 
I'm with Hap, add a GPS, checks the speed and a great addition anyway. The speedo in my Midget hasn't worked in years, rely on the GPS to see how fast I'm going. Went on a short rally last week and the GPS map function made navigation so much easier as I was alone and couldn't continually read the maps.
 
Thanks guys. Not sure I can pass that off as a need to go get a GPS (though I'd love to have one), but I can try. The speedometer worked with the original transmission, and it's working now, I'm just not sure how accurate it is. I might be able to borrow a GPS in the upcoming weeks to see what it's doing.
 
Jim, Look on craigs list..you can pick up one for <$100..I've seen some 1-2 yr old Garmins, TomToms and what not going for $60..everyone wants all the bells and whistles now..the 'older ones' are super cheap now.
 
No need to buy a GPS. Just take someone with an iPhone (and free Motion X GPS Lite) for a ride.
 
Were getting off topic but..

I use GPS ALL the time in both the BGT and the Sprite.
#1 reason is an accurate speedometer.
#2 is for the twisty roads. You can see whats coming around that next turn. If it's looking fairly straight, you can plan to accelerate out of the turn sooner. Or get set up if it's a swift right or left turn. Makes for a much more enjoyable, faster, safer and more of a precision drive. Almost feels like cheating sometimes.
 
losmorob said:
#2 is for the twisty roads. You can see whats coming around that next turn. If it's looking fairly straight, you can plan to accelerate out of the turn sooner. Or get set up if it's a swift right or left turn. Makes for a much more enjoyable, faster, safer and more of a precision drive. Almost feels like cheating sometimes.
Click to expand...

Oh man Rob - can't wait to drive on one our local rallies with you.
 
You guys and your Tech! Us oldie's just go out on the interstate and check the mile markers against the odometer. Seldom is the speedo off compared to the odometer. If it is checking against a speed indicator or a friends speedometer will work. Hey, life should have some mystery!!
KA.
 
and run at an indicated 60 mph, use a stop watch. Time from one mile marker to the next is 60 seconds for 60 mph. More time running below 60, less time, more than 60.
 
Most cell phones with GPS or GPS things (Tom Toms) can give you pretty accurate speed readings too, I guess. I used the stop watch feature on my iPod to mark off miles on the highway while I tried to keep the speedo at a constant speed, got home and did the math. (while trying to calibrate a speedo, non Spridget one), like Jim said.
 
nomad said:
check the mile markers against the odometer. Seldom is the speedo off compared to the odometer.
KA.
Click to expand...

Alas, my speedo is off by about 7% while my odo is off by 15%. When we put in the 5 speed, we had the gears for the angle drive matched up to the tires, etc, but I've changed the pumpkin so everything is off.
 
My 5 speed's speedo runs about 5-7 MPH fast...it looks like if I swapped an MGB speedo face for the Midget face it would get pretty close...
 
You guys are getting my interest peeked, in regards to the 5-speed, not the GPS. What kind of project is it to put one in and what 5-speed tranny should I be looking for?

Magyar
62 MKII Sprite
 
Hi Magyar,

Datsun 210 I believe something like 1978 - 1980.
The Rivergate site has the specs for the tranny, it will have a "60" on one side and there are certain markings on the top of the bell housing to look for.
 
Hey, there is a 5 speed on Ebay for sale as we speak. but they can get kinda high priced sometimes, but you might get lucky.
 
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