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Smitty Conversion

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richberman

richberman

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Of the people who've done the Toyota 5-speed conversion I was wondering:
1)Do I really need a lightened flywheel?
2)Do I need the BJ8 diaphragm type pressure plate or will my BT7 lever type work?

thanks in advance.
rich
 
No you do not "really need" either but both are great improvements to make while you have everything apart.

If you do nothing else clean up the clutch friction surface and replace the throwout bearing unless it is new. Also check the condition of the hole on the clutch arm through which the clevis goes and rebush if necessary as these get egged out and give sloppy action.
 
It's well worth having the clutch/flywheel assembly lightened, balanced and fitted with the later, lighter and more pleasant to use spring diaphragm clutch IMO.

Balancing a clutch flywheel assembly is often more effective than having the crank etc done.

Ash
 
Hi Rich,
Did you have an adapter plate machined to match the Toyota box to the healey engine plate?
regards,
Tony
 
Tony,
I was planning on purchasing the entire conversion kit from Pete Delaney. Still considering the option of rebuilding my original transmission too. It turns out the OD gets no pressure so I'm either in for a complete rebuild of trans/OD or a Toyota conversion. Any comments from the peanut gallery?
rich
 
i think now the total cost for it is around 2000 the thing to remember is that you need to find a tranny with the shifter in the right position can be a pain in the a-- i've been looking for a backup for me bj8 for a while now.hate to say it the biggest problen is that Pete takes a while to ans any emails since he doesn't have any website
 
If you're not concerned with originality, the Toyota 5-speed is hands down the way to go. As mentioned, the lightened flywheel is suggested because it makes such a big improvement in performance with very little investment when everything else is out. Tom's Toys has them on exchange https://www.tomsimport.com/new/parts/parts.asp?sect=14&new=1 and most good machine shops could also lighten, balance and resurface your existing one.
A few years back (10+) you could get a good Supra 5-speed for $300, (higher now) but they never wear out, even under severe race conditions.
 
richberman said:
Of the people who've done the Toyota 5-speed conversion I was wondering:
1)Do I really need a lightened flywheel?
2)Do I need the BJ8 diaphragm type pressure plate or will my BT7 lever type work?

thanks in advance.
rich
Click to expand...
While you done there, now is the good time to put a new type of rear oil seal in. You might want to stop at this point or you will be overhauling the engine and then you'll be restoring the engine compartment and then it'll look so much better than the rest of the car and you start stripping everything else off the car and....(don't ask).
 
I have had a conversion plate made from aluminium to attach the Toyota transmission to the original healey back plate.............still in the development stage but all is going well. Looking to use a Supra diaphragm clutch assembly.

Tony
 
Patrick67BJ8 said:
richberman said:
Of the people who've done the Toyota 5-speed conversion I was wondering:
1)Do I really need a lightened flywheel?
2)Do I need the BJ8 diaphragm type pressure plate or will my BT7 lever type work?

thanks in advance.
rich
Click to expand...
While you done there, now is the good time to put a new type of rear oil seal in. You might want to stop at this point or you will be overhauling the engine and then you'll be restoring the engine compartment and then it'll look so much better than the rest of the car and you start stripping everything else off the car and....(don't ask).
Click to expand...

Yep... https://picasaweb.google.com/110087349657726745747/57AustinHealey
 
What is involved in changing over to a spring diaphragm clutch from the standard BT7 unit? Will the later pressure plate bolt directly to the BT7 flywheel? What other components should be changed(I.e master cylinder, slave cylinder, throwout bearing) when making this change?

Would changing over to a lightened flywheel be a benefit for a non-racer Healey? I see Tom's Imports has lightened flywheels. Has anyone installed one of these? Any comments.
 
I've got a BJ7 with a lightened and balanced flywheel fitted with the 1/2" smaller diameter BJ8 spring diaphragm clutch. The engine is lovely and smooth, it revs up more easily and the clutch is much lighter and feels nicer to use. I didn't notice any more power because the BJ7 is torquey rather than revvy. The flywheel must be drilled to take the smaller clutch.

I've done the same mod to my TR3A too and fitted the TR4A clutch, but didn't have the flywheel balanced, which was a mistake.
Ash
 
richberman said:
Of the people who've done the Toyota 5-speed conversion I was wondering:
1)Do I really need a lightened flywheel?
2)Do I need the BJ8 diaphragm type pressure plate or will my BT7 lever type work?

thanks in advance.
rich
Click to expand...
Rich ,
I too had considered doing the toyota conversion and i spoke with Pete and he said that some of the parts from my BN7 (and most likely that would include your BT7) WERE NOT COMPATABLE WITH THE SWAP. I think he did say to use a BJ8 fly wheel and pressure plate and I agree with others that it would be best to have the assembly lightened up. What I ended up doing was rebuilding my orginal side shift and it really wasn't very difficult to work on and I only spent around $ 350.00. I replaced one shift fork, the second gear syncronizer, the lay shaft bearings,detent balls and springs, all the gaskets. Make sure to use thread sealer on the bolts that enter through the case to oil. Shifts great now.
Bob
 
BlueRidge1 said:
richberman said:
Of the people who've done the Toyota 5-speed conversion I was wondering:
1)Do I really need a lightened flywheel?
2)Do I need the BJ8 diaphragm type pressure plate or will my BT7 lever type work?

thanks in advance.
rich
Click to expand...
Rich ,
I too had considered doing the toyota conversion and i spoke with Pete and he said that some of the parts from my BN7 (and most likely that would include your BT7) WERE NOT COMPATABLE WITH THE SWAP. I think he did say to use a BJ8 fly wheel and pressure plate and I agree with others that it would be best to have the assembly lightened up. What I ended up doing was rebuilding my orginal side shift and it really wasn't very difficult to work on and I only spent around $ 350.00. I replaced one shift fork, the second gear syncronizer, the lay shaft bearings,detent balls and springs, all the gaskets. Make sure to use thread sealer on the bolts that enter through the case to oil. Shifts great now.
Bob
Click to expand...

Bob,
I got in touch with Pete. It turns out I do have a BJ8 flywheel and pressure plate already. So Pete is sending the kit and I will go straight to the Toyota transmission. Maybe is I get inspired some day I will attempt to rebuild the original transmission....maybe not.
thanks for the input.
rich
 
I read in this thread that "Tony" plans to have an adaptor plate made to connect the Toyota Transmission to the engine block.

I know the 4 and 6 cylinders are different but just to you know.

I made an adaptor plate out of 1" thick Alloy, cut an area out for the toyota starter and used the toyota flywheel, ring gear. a stage 2 centerforce comp clutch, the toyota comp throw out bearing, and the hydraulic clutch cylinder from the toyota. I used the master cylinder from a TR3 which I think is the same as the big healeys. All works fine and its been in now for several years.

The only thing I haven't done yet is to drop the diff ratio to 3.54 from 4.1.

www.britishcarmechanic.com
 
Having fitted the Toyota gearbox conversion to your 100-4 Did you need to fabricate a new gearbox cover?
Tony
 
Tony--

I don't know if it is necessary to change the tunnel on a BN2 but it definitely is on a BN1. I bought a 100-6 tunnel from Moss and shortened it a bit which still allowed me to get rid of the short removable center tunnel section. I also fabricated a new extension panel and put in a small removable door on the right side to allow access to the clutch slave cylinder.
 
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