Gearbox Differences

[AdamQ]

I'm in the process of switching gearboxes on a LA Zetec Seven. All was going swimmingly until I came to fit the bellhousing to the ingoing gearbox.

 

The ingoing gearbox is here and the outgoing one is here - you can see my problem! The bellhousing just has a single circular hole.

 

Just wondered if anybody had encountered this problem before and, if so, what the potential solutions are? Presumably a different bellhousing or swap the gearbox (it's a completely standard one).

 

Out of interest, what's behind the lower circular plate/what's its function? I undid the bolts but it seemed reluctant to move and I decided not to force the issue ...

 

Thanks,

 

Adam

 

Edited by - AdamQ on 12 Jul 2014 14:52:56

[Jonathan Kay]

What's the new gearbox?

 

Is it anything like this problem? (I couldn't visualise what they were describing.)

 

Jonathan

 

Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 12 Jul 2014 15:11:15

[AdamQ]

Thanks Jonathan - that looks like the very same issue, though both my gearboxes are Type 9s - the outgoing one is an uprated BGH one and the ingoing one is a standard one from a 2001 K Series Seven.

 

Enlarging the hole in the bellhousing in an appropriate manner was my first thought, but a bit of measuring quickly showed that I'd need to stray outside the flat machined mating surface on the bellhousing and that doesn't seem ideal ...

[Nigel Riches]

Hi Adam,

I have fitted the type 9 'box with the extra plate below the input shaft. This plate is a support for the heavier type layshaft bearing, used on 2.8 engined cars, and uprated units from the likes of Quaife, BGH and co.

I elected to cut a hole with a hole saw and pillar drill, hole for the small plate needs to be 2.25". Plate is 2.125", some careful measuring and time setting up on the machine, and it's done and dusted.

I did have the ease of cutting through aluminium alloy, much easier than steel. If mine had been steel I would have taken it to an engineering company, it would have been hard yakka otherwise.

Regards, Nigel.

[zetec]

Buy an ally bell housing from Raceline- comes with cut-out & lightness too !!

[AdamQ]

Nigel - thank you, that's helpful. My bellhousing is an Al alloy one from SPC so that will make life a little bit easier.

 

Zetec, that's interesting about the Raceline bellhousings - I was misled slightly because the pictures on their website show Zetec-Type 9 bellhousings without the cutout but Duratec-Type 9 with the cutout. They are only pictures I suppose ...

 

Thanks again.

[Nigel Riches]

Raceline supplied my B/H for a Zetec installation, and there certainly wasn't a cut out for the lay shaft support, otherwise I wouldn't have posted here. Mine has a p/n SPC.- BH1, so I think Race line buy them in.

The Quaife box I have came from a Duratec powered car, so bell housing was as you descibe.

Measure carefully, take your time to set up on the machine, and I was advised to cut at 240 rpm, for a 2.25 " hole, and plenty of Rocol cutting fluid.

Have you encountered any other problems with this engine installation?

Nigel.

[AdamQ]

Hi Nigel,

 

Thanks again for the further information. As for other problems with the installation, I haven't encountered anything too testing. The biggest headache so far has been the gearbox mount being in the wrong place. I don't know, but I think that this is because I was going from VX Classic to Zetec as opposed to the more well-trodden path of X-flow to Zetec. It was solved by making up a bracket effectively to move the gearbox mount forwards on the chassis by three inches. I then got the propshaft extended by the same amount and I'll also need to enlarge the bonnet hole a bit. Apart from that, touch wood, it's all been reasonably straightforward. Even the wiring, which I usually dread, was OK in the end ...

 

I get the impression from your various posts that your project hasn't been without its challenges (that could well be understatement of the year!). I hope the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter ...

Adam