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Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny?

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EVSpriteGuy

EVSpriteGuy

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My little electric "bugeye" is so quiet that able to hear all the noises coming from the 1275 rib-cage tranny that I bought on eBay. I have been able to quiet it down some by trying different oils. Bottom line is the the tranny is pretty rough so I want to replace it with a remanufactured unit.

Does anyone have a suggestion on a good place to buy a reman tranny?
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Thanks Trevor!

That is one that I have been looking at. Have you bought anything from them?
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Dont' forget to check with Hap Waldrop, if he doesn't have one I'll bet he knows where a good one is. :thumbsup:
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

I haven't, but I know of several people in my local club have and have been satisfied.

But... keep in mind that these transmissions are noisy. A rebuilt unit may not be significantly quieter than the current unit you have.
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Thanks for the replies! I just ordered one from Quantum.

I do realize that these transmissions are not know for being quiet. I had thought about converting to a 5 speed earlier, but it would have required too many major mods to keep the chassis stong enough to support the added weight of the batteries. I did open up my eBay tranny before I installed it in the car to clean it up and check it out. It was diffinitely well used but I figure it would work to debug the car and get it going. I have put about 1000 miles on it with the electric drive. The only real problem with it, other than noise, is that it sometimes pops out of first.

Hopefully the reman tranny will be quieter, but at least it will have new first and second gears, as well as bearing, seals, etc. For in town driving with the electric motor I usually only use first and second, so hopefully by putting in the reman now, I will not have problems in the future. If I do, I least I will have a spare that I know works.

Thanks again!!! :smile:
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

BTW, first is always going to whine. Do you consider using a spitfire transmission. They are quieter and have a first gear synchronized.
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

By different oils are you referring to different motor oils? Gear oil is a no-no in these transmissions.

Very impressive car.

Brian J
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

I hate to commit this sacrilege but--have you thought about putting a Datsun 210 tranny in it? With the amount of modifying that you have done I doubt that the conversion would be an issue and the 4-speed trannys are about a dime-a-dozen.
Bill
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Hey Trevor,

I did not think about the Spitfire tranny, but I will keep that in mind for the future.

I see that you are using a Datsun 5-Speed in one of your cars. Back in 1980 I got the rusty Sprite body parts that I used as the starting point for my car from a friend in return for doing some work on his Datsun 1600 Roadster w/4-speed. He put a Datsun 2000 and 5-speed in his car and gave me his old 1600 and 4-speed. I started to put that Datsun 1600 and 4-speed into the Sprite but stopped when I started to rebuild the engine and found that the block was shot. That is when I decided to make the car electric, but I had no money and then no time until two years ago. I did look at using the Datsun 4-speed with the electric motor but did not due to that it's longer and the shift would be to far back without doing major mods.

The picture below shows the starting point for my car and shows the old 1600 motor mounts and radiator frame from when I started that project as a "kid" in 1980. It was some pretty crude work which all had to be cut off before a started the electric project.
 

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Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your nice comment about the car.

The oils I tried were all engine oils. First I tried HD-30, then 10W-30, then 20W-50, and finally 20W-50 Synthetic.

Does anyone have suggestions on what I should use once I install the reman tranny?
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Actually, the datsun 210 tranny is a little shorter than the standard sprite tranny. The later midgets used the spitfire tranny, so it will fit in the tunnel. The downside of the spitfire tranny is the immense weight of the bellhousing.
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Trevor Jessie said:
Actually, the datsun 210 tranny is a little shorter than the standard sprite tranny. The later midgets used the spitfire tranny, so it will fit in the tunnel. The downside of the spitfire tranny is the immense weight of the bellhousing.
Click to expand...

almost the case - actually the later Midgets use a transmission adapted from the Austin Marina - However, since it does have the Spitfire engine, the Triumph overdrive transmission will work, but, it's not a drop in. You will need to massage the tunnel
 
Re: Where to get a reman 1275 rib-cage tranny

Hi All,

Thanks for all the inputs. If the reman rib-cage does not work out as well as I would like, I will check into these other options. And, I will leave the 5-speeds for those that will actually use fifth. :smile:
 
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