Hell of a description Jeff! :o)
Dan
--- Jeff Boatright <jboatri@emory.edu> wrote:
> York,
>
> I just purchased a 5 speed conversion kit for my
> Sprite. There are
> two kits that I'm aware of being sold in the States,
> one from
> Morriservice (Paul Asgeirsson)
> <mailto:pasgeirsson@juno.com> and one
> from Rivergate (Bill Perry)
> <http://www.rivergate5speed.com>. Both
> use the Datsun 210 (not B-210) transmission. There
> is another kit
> sold by Frontline
> <http://www.british-cars.org.uk/kimber/frontline/>
> in England that uses a Ford gearbox. It may require
> cutting of the
> frame and tunnel panels and of course rewelding of
> same. I don't know
> much about it. It also costs about $1500, but
> includes everything
> (kit plus tranny).
>
> The two Datsun kits don't require changing much if
> anything in the
> Spridget. Both kits work and cost about the same at
> the end of the
> day, though there are many options for both and so
> pricing will vary
> according to your needs. The people behind both kits
> are extremely
> well-respected and have worked with British cars for
> a long time.
> Paul frequently contributes to the spridgets list.
>
> I don't think that the 210 transmissions are scarce.
> I found 6 in the
> Atlanta metro area after making just 3 phone calls.
> I pulled one from
> the junkyard three weeks ago for $50. Additionally,
> they are sold by
> several people online (try spridget list member
> David "Crash" Ramsey
> <dwramsey@worldnet.att.net>) and both kit
> manufacturers will sell you
> one. Finally, I am replacing the pivot bushings and
> the rubber boots
> on mine. The local Nissan dealership had bushings
> and one boot on the
> shelf. The second boot arrived the next morning from
> a cross town
> dealership. The point is that parts are still
> available.
>
> Here is a brief listing of differences between the
> two Datsun
> conversions in my opinion. I am open to discussion
> of possible
> inaccuracies.
>
> Clutch: Bill uses the BMC pressure plate and a
> Toyota clutch,
> preventing the need for machining of the BMC
> flywheel to accept the
> Datsun clutch. Paul is all BMC in front of the
> adaptor engine plate
> and all Datsun behind the plate. This requires that
> you mail your
> flywheel to Paul for resurfacing to accept the
> Datsun clutch. This is
> by far the biggest discussion point between the two
> kits. Many people
> using Bill's kit have had no clutch problems. At
> least one person
> using Bill's kit with a 948 engine and 1098 pressure
> plate had all
> kinds of clutch problems resulting in rapid wear and
> ended up going
> with a Datsun clutch after having his local machine
> shop resurface
> and balance his flywheel. Some people with Bill's
> kit complain about
> the clutch being very snappish. I have driven one
> such conversion
> where the total functional clutch travel was about
> the first one inch
> off the firewall. This is more of a problem with
> pre-'68 cars that
> had the dual bore master cylinder. Bill now sells a
> special CNC slave
> cylinder set up that supposedly fixes all clutch
> feel problems. I
> have one, but it's so new that I may be the first
> customer using it.
> Paul says that clutch feel is different but not bad
> with his kit.
>
> Starter location: Bill keeps the starter in the same
> (BMC) location.
> This necessitates a large cut in the side of the
> Datsun transmission
> housing so that the BMC starter Bendix has
> clearance. Nobody using
> Bill's kit has had any problem with this AFAIK. Bill
> also sells a
> very nice fiberglass cover to go over the hole to
> keep dirt out.
> OTOH, Paul moves the starter down so that the bendix
> is in the bulge
> that the Datsun starter occupied when in the 210.
> There is still some
> relieving needed, but not as much. I think that this
> difference is a
> wash with one intriguing exception: You can use a
> gear reduction
> starter that does not have a bendix shaft. On Bill's
> kit, there still
> will need to be some clearance cutting, but not
> nearly as much. On
> Paul's kit, potentially there will be no need at all
> for cutting. My
> only concern is whether there is enough clearance
> between the body
> panel and frame rail because Paul places the starter
> lower than Bill.
> It may be a solution to a problem that does not
> exist. GR starters
> can be expensive ($225 to $300) for the nice racer
> ones. However, the
> starter from a post '89 Isuzu Trooper V6 ($75) is a
> straight
> trade-out for the BMC unit. I've also heard that the
> Isuzu P'UP
> starter will work. Body clearance for either is a
> concern, but if you
> pursue this, please let me know as I'm interested.
>
> Rear crank seal: Bill sells a true rear seal that
> looks like it will
> work better than the BMC solution and the rear seal
> kit sold by Mini
> Mania. I have one and it's a slick set up. However,
> it is so new that
> I have not heard of any testimonials other than from
> Bill, who has it
> in a couple of cars. Paul sells a seal solution
> also, but it's not a
> true seal AFAIK. Bill will modify Paul's adaptor
> plate to accept
> Bill's seal.
>
> Gear shift lever: For either kit, you must use the
> bottom part of the
> Datsun lever. Bill will cut the Datsun lever and
> machine it so that
> you can use the BMC shifter knob. Paul cuts the top
> off the Datsun
> lever and the bottom off the BMC lever, then he
> welds the Datsun
> bottom to the side of the BMC top. This allows use
> of the original
> BMC shifter housing. Bill's solution requires that
> you use a shifter
> boot (rubber, vinyl, leather, etc) depending on your
> individual car.
>
> Usage and anecdotes: I know of 5 or 6 people on the
> spridgets email
> list that use Bill's kit. There are at least 3 in
> the Atlanta metro
> area. They are all reasonably to extremely happy
> with it. I don't
> know anyone using Paul's kit, but I know that
> several are out there.
> I have never heard anyone or even heard of anyone
> saying anything bad
> about either guy. Both answered all of my questions
> in detail and
> bent over backwards to help me understand exactly
> what their kits do
> and do not do. Both have decades of experience with
> these cars.
>
> My decision: I bought Bill's kit, but not for a
> sound reason really.
> The machine shop that my rebuilder uses is cranky
> and persnickety.
> They had already begun balancing my engine when I
> determined that IF
> I was going to use Paul's kit, I would need to send
> the flywheel to
> him. The rebuilder basically wasn't happy with this
> because he did
> not want to 'mess with the machinist' and also he
> was concerned about
> the timing - the racing season was upon us and my
> little street job
> was rapidly moving down the totem pole! Given that I
> usually can't
> make up my mind about anything, I guess this all
> worked out for the
> best.
>
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