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Tranny Rebuilder

bugedd

Jedi Knight
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I am getting my ducks in a row for the off season, and I need to build the rib case that's in the garage. My local guy wants $1200 ball park, depending on whats going on inside. Is there a builder that sells rib case trannys ready to go? It seems for that price, there are other options out there, perhaps better ones.
Thanks!
 
Holy crow, you can buy 10 usable boxes for that and just swap 'em as needed! I too have a questionable ribcase (suspect worn synchros) and have another one in the basement that went south due to lack of oil (good story there). I was thinking of rebuilding that one (myself, they are not hard, if I can do it, you can do it!!) (of course I haven't done it yet!) and swapping, or I could pull my current one and pick the best parts from both but I'm told not all the parts are interchangeable. I would suggest trying to find a good used one (from a reputable source). I paid $175 (a bit much) and have run it two seasons.
 
For $1200 you can get a Datsun adapter kit AND 5-speed transmission. That is a bit steep for a tranny rebuild!
BillM
 
I'm going with one of Bill's 5-speeds, but if I rebuilt my ribcase it would be by Dave Hubbard out of Green Valley, CA
Scott in CA
 
I have a spare rib case, which is what I was going to rebuild before putting it in. Is there an effective way to check it out and see if its good or not? If so, then I may just put it in and run it.

And where can you find the Datsun kit for that cheap? I thought that conversion was about $3k.

And where in CA are you smaceng? What 5 speed are you putting in, the Datsun as well?
 
bugedd said:
IAnd where can you find the Datsun kit for that cheap? I thought that conversion was about $3k.

Why from Billgaria Motors of course !!!! Just contact your friendly neighborhood Billgaria owner (Billm) for more details.


All of Billgaria's Datsun tranny are free range too! :jester:



Bill won't sell a fat yella tranny.....oh wait, that didn't come out right. :crazy:
 
I know a great gearbox rebuilder: YOU! It's much more doable than you think, and much more satisfying than paying someone else.
 
Morris, you have far too much faith in my abilities! I probably could do it, but considering the effort to swap trannys, I want to make sure its done right when it gets put in.

Kellysguy, you need to stay away from those fat yella trannys, they will get you in some deep trouble :smile:

Billm, how do I get more info on your Datsun conversions?
 
One more thing, where do I find a rebuild procedure for the rib case?
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Billm, how do I get more info on your Datsun conversions?[/QUOTE]

Heh - that info should be up on his website but somebody needs to get off their behind and make it happen...

:blush:

:rolleyes:

:crazyeyes:
 
Tranny rebuild should be about 3 hours labor + parts.
 
bugedd said:
One more thing, where do I find a rebuild procedure for the rib case?
Haynes and the factory are what I have, the Haynes has some errors (some of which are blatant) but the whole thing isn't nearly as bad as I thought and I'm confident I could build a good one. If you need lots of new parts though it may not be cost effective to do a rebuild because some of those bits are hard to come by and $$, a laygear for instance can be and some of the other bits. In my case, all those look good so I just need a 3/4 slider fork and the bearings (pretty cheap) and my original box should be good again.
A known good used one can be a quick easy cheap fix. Pulling the motor/gearbox to swap isn't nearly as bad as it sound either. I did it, and even got it all right the first time, of course the box I put in isn't as good as I hoped but I've got 5,000 happy miles out of it so far for $175. That's pretty cheap.
 
I'd second Dave Hubbard, he's close enough to you to keep the shipping cost down.
He has good knowledge of how to make these gearboxes work and last smoothly.

He will spend more than 3 hours doing a better job than a three hour job would most likely net.

Dug
 
oh yes, these things were made for a 5th gear - absolutely!!!
 
Money doesn't allow for anything, but I do it anyhow :smile: Just gotta sell the performance parts off my Galant VR4 and I can afford the 5 speed, in theory. Now the question is, how bad is the install on that Datsun setup? How much fab work is involved?
 
Datsun tranny install is pretty straight forward using a kit. No real mods to the car, just a little trimming on the transmission. And a u-joint will need to be swapped. I have a datsun transmission in both my cars and it is the best mod I've made to either of them.
 
Whether you want to buy the parts and do it your self or just purchase a reconditioned one, I would highly recommend John Esposito at Quantumechanics in Ct. John is also very helpful with hints and advice! (PS: no connection, just a satisfied customer!)
 
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