Hi all: As one of the few (maybe the only??) who has actually installed a
Toyota 5 speed into my Alpine, I figure I can share a few thoughts.
Certainly one of the driving forces behind using the Toyota 5 speed was the
fact that the tranny is so widely available. They are relatively easy to
locate in salvage yards and they continue to be reasonably priced. A second
consideration is the fact that their wide use and availability also helps to
insure easy access to parts if repairs are needed. Third, the conversion
kit from Conversion Components has already been engineered - it's available,
the cost is reasonable, and the kit is all inclusive. It even includes the
speedo cable to be able to hook the tranny to the Alpine speedo!
Drawbacks? Yep, as outlined below by Tom. It does require some minor tunnel
modification.
I have not been put off or annoyed by the ratios as they exist in my
particular 5 speed. You can check the ratios by visiting the following
link. http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/paradise/ratios.html
As I indicated in the article I wrote last year it was a project well worth
the time, money and effort.
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-alpines@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-alpines@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Thomas Wiencek
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 1:55 PM
To: Message Alpine
Subject: 5-Speed Conversions
I have been seriously looking into possible 5-speed conversions for my
Alpine. I know about the kit from New Zealand that uses the Toyota
transmission. My questions are -
Why the Toyota trans? It is quite wide and the shifter comes out farther
back so you have to modify the trans tunnel. Are these the most commmon
5-Speed in NZ and Australia?
Has anyone tried anything else? How about the Ford Ranger 5-speed, the
Chevy S-10 trans, A Datsun trans, Ford Mustang trans, or ???
If anyone has any make/model of 5-speed available for measurement (distance
from tip of input shaft to front of trans housing, distance from front of
trans housing to gear shifter, width and total length) I would appreciate
if you would measure it. I will publish all the information in a feature
of the month.
Tom
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