Aaron:
Any of the Volvo J-type ODs will work just fine, but you do need
to change some of the external bits to get them to fit. Obviously Volvo
didn't copy Triumphs driveshaft or speedometers, so this is to be
expected.
The items that need to be changed are:
1. The driveshaft flange. The Volvo driveshaft is different, and
the you cannot reuse your old TR6 flange because the spline count is
different. If you get a Volvo OD with the larger output flange, you can
redrill it to fit the TR6 driveshaft, but many (most?) Volvo ODs use a
smaller output flange. You can get the correct flanges from Quantum (I
bought mine from a fellow list member). They also show up on eBay
occasionally.
2. The speedo cable mount is different. Since the mounts are
designed to be interchanged for different models, it is literally a bolt
in modification to correct this. The correct bits are available from
Moss, and you simply unbolt the Volvo cable mount and bolt in the TR6
cable mount.
3. The mounting studs on the front of the OD are the wrong
length. I bought new ones at a hardware store for $2.
4. The speedometer calibration is wrong. Volvos speedometers
used a different gearing and in my case, this resulted in my speedo
being 15% low. I pressed the Volvo driven gear off it's spindle, and
shortened my TR6 spindle using my dremel, then pressed the Volvo driven
gear on my newly shortened TR6 spindle just to get the speedo working.
The driven gear is plastic, so you can gently pry off the gear pretty
easily.
This was not a satisfying solution however, because the
speedometer works but is very low. I timed my speedo, and I need a 15%
increase to get it correct. Turns out that the Spitfire OD gear is
almost exactly correct. Using the spitfire OD speedo gear also
eliminates the need to shorten your old spindle, and swap the gear. The
spitfire speedo gears are available from Quantum Mechanics.
Cheers,
Vance
P.S. One caveat - Buying a used OD is like anything else, you
are never certain if it is in good shape or not. They can and do wear
out, and it is entirely possible that a used OD will be worn out, or
nearly worn out. So you may need to rebuild the OD. There are kits
available for this too, so it need not be a show stopper.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-6pack@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-6pack@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Acekraut11@aol.com
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 5:20 PM
To: "Robert Liam Gannon"; 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Volvo Overdrive Unit
Robert and List:
So under the warning of buyer beware, how does one tell if a particular
Volvo OD is the right one? Anyone post a "how to" for the fitting the
Volvo OD to the TR6? It sounds like the guy can get more but as Robert
mentioned they arent much good if they dont fit or fit but dont work.
Any answers Vance?
Cheers,
Aaron
Topsham Maine(with plenty of time to build an OD tranny before driving
weather)
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