I've found out a bit more about this from Skip Kelsey at Shadetree Motors.
It is indeed a rebiult Ford Sierra 5 speed, and the unit will sell for about
$2500. There has been no movement at the eBay listing, and I'm sure they
have the reserve somewhere close to that.
According to instructions, it's necessary to move the engine forward 10 mm
to accomodate the transmission.
The kit includes an offset front motor mount and a modified engine steady to
accomplish this, as well as a modified tranny mount that clamps to the
chassis crossmember.
The remote gearshift lever is offset to end up in the exact original
position and the kit includes a fiberglass cover to replace the original
metal transmission cover.
The corner of the front engine plate needs to be cut off, and for a TF, a
different fan spacer is included. There is a provision (I don't remember
exactly what) to clear the horizontal oil filter on LHD models.
There is a replacement speedo cable, and recommendations on recalibration.
The installation instructions are a bit daunting, requiring removal of the
radiator as well as steering column and usual cockpit contents. They
recommend a hoist or a pit to give lots of room under the car, but say it
can be done on jack stands (though not comfortably, I'm sure.) There is
always the option of removing the engine from the car, but it isn't
necessary.
I'm dangerously close to trying this thing. My motivation is the usual high
revs at freeway speeds. I really don't like travelling freeways, and we get
onto the back roads as soon as possible, but freeways are a fact of life,
and the more we drive the car, the farther afield we drive seeking new
adventures. My annoyance at 60+ comes more from wind than engine noise, but
I do worry as the tach climbs to 4000. I often catch myself trying to shift
into 5th above 50 mph.
Because we do so much backroads driving I'm reluctant to just change out the
rear end and lose the current low gear performance, where the car seems
pretty comfortable with itself (I have a TF 4.875 differential.)
I'm getting more motivation from my current transmission, which is getting
cranky. I can't downshift from 4th to 2nd without a lot of stick shaking
into 3d, and it often crunches going into third and fourth. Recently there
have been a few episodes of popping out of 4th gear. It's still a rare
event, but I've decided that I don't want to put any money into the TD
transmission.
The fifth gear for the Sierra unit is .8, which, if my math is correct,
would give a 3.9 (.8 x 4.875) overdrive.
I'll keep you posted and let you know if I take the plunge.
Andy
52 TD
--
///
/// mg-t@autox.team.net mailing list
///
|