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Swap Auto for Manual - what's the score?


Matt B

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Having discovered a knackered BW on my classic I am left with a few options:

Replace the BW like for like - Expensive, my local breaker wants £150 for the unit.

Replace the BW with a transfer box off a manual gearbox I have kicking around - no immediate cost but I believe that the props are different lengths and the hi/low change linkage is in the wrong place...

Replace the Auto box and BW with manual - I need to source clutch, master cylinder, pipe, clutch pedal etc

Does anybody have experience of doing any of these changes and could you advise me which is simplest and cheapest please?

Matt

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I cant advise on the work input but I suspect it might involve more 'hidden detail's and gotchas.

Mines a manual gearbox and is not my daily drive (which is an auto car) The clutch is very light and smooth although i would find continual stop/start driving a bit tiresome as although its a V8 it does need careful gas/clutch control to prevent stalling (light flywheel perhaps) and the gearshift whilst perfectly o.k. is long travel and 'slow'.

If you dont do too much congestion driving i think you will find the manual a much more satisying drive. also fuel consumption must be better?

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Manual conversion not too difficult - you will need to fit flywheel, clutch, clutch hydraulics, clutch pedal, gearbox, transfer box, propshafts, transmission tunnel trim, and possibly a few other bits I've overlooked. Oh, and a bit of time to wrestle all the bits off/on the car.

If you have the LT230, why not just fit the hi/lo/diff lock linkage/mount off an early 4 speed auto RRC and use the matching front prop? IIRC, the rear props were common to the two types of transfer box. The LT230 front prop is shorter than that for the BW by ~2".

I'm just about to do the job the other way and put a BW into my 110, so have collected a very small pile of parts ready to fit.

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This photo shows the set up for the LT230 / ZF4HP22 out of a 1985 RRC 3.5 V8.

post-249-1209027684_thumb.jpg

You will need

  • the bracket that bolts to gearbox and supports the selector lever
  • the selector lever
  • the cranked rod for high/low selection
  • the vertical arm & pivot for diff lock

It should fit where the high/low lever sits at the moment.

HTH

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