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To OD or not to OD? That is the Question?

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Bret

Bret

Yoda
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Sorry, my apologies to the poet bard. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Ok, the good news is I took the plunge and am now the proud owner of a OD transmission out of a 79 MGB. At $699 I paid way more than it was probably worth, but if I’d of waited I might have lost it to another bidder. The advantage I had over the other buyers is that I live so close to the guy and drive buy his house at least once a week for work. Hope to pick it up sometime this week.

Just need to find a place to hide it while I think of a way to tell the wife about it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

Anyway Tony if you still have one of those shift knobs I can modify for the OD switch let me know how much and we’ll work things out off line?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
Cheers!
 
Word in yer ear, Bret: Go thru it well: bearings, synchros, seals. Cost a bit, but you wouldn't want to do that task two times in rapid succession, IYSWIM.
 
Great idea Doc!

That might just be the ticket to keep it out of my wife's line of site while I figure things out. It’ll also allow me time to buy a new clutch kit and get the OD shifter & switch thing figured out.

Anybody have suggestions on what clutch kit to buy? VB & Moss both sell’em but which one is the best?

Also keep in mind that I plan on mounting the OD trany as soon as it is refurbished to my old motor. But I will probably be installing the "rebuilt" engine I am currently working on later this year. So maybe I don’t want to invest in a top of the line kit right now on clutch components until then and stick with a budget kit for now. Thoughts?
 
Bret, if there is nothing wrong with your existing clutch, why not just leave it alone. On the other hand, if there is a current problem with it, just upgrade to the good one when you do the OD installation. Only one kit to buy, that way. I have a feeling you don't anticipate putting a lot of miles on the engine that is in there now before swapping to the rebuilt one.
Jeff
 
I don't figure I'll be putting too many miles on the new clutch before the engine swap but the existing clutch is really old and dosn't feel right anyway so I'm going to replace it when I install the OD transmission.
 
I hadn't realised you're planning a unit swap... New engine/O.D. box with new clutch assembly all at the same time would be MY plan, but if you just need the practice yankin' 500 pounds' worth of power units, I'll sit down 'n shut up. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The Borg/Beck or the Sachs "kit" should be available "locally" I would bet. The Sachs kits are brill IMHO. All three bits and an alignment tool to boot.
 
Swapping the transmission now is the way I’m going to go. Because the engine is a long way from completion and while I have a couple of engine blocks to choose from sitting around I’m not sure I want to use either of them. So I'm keeping my eyes open for another engine for now. Guess I just don’t want to miss out on the pleasures of having an OD while I wait.

As for the pains of swapping a transmission twice – I’m an old hand at it now after swapping the transmission on my wife’s old Explorer a few months ago. An MGB should be significantly easier than that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I'll look tomorrow....
 
Congrats on the OD! Once you have it you'll wonder how you lived without it! I bought my clutch kit from Brittek, it's a Borg & Beck. I wouldn't pull a transmission with out at least chaning the throw out bearing.
 
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