> No, you can't just bolt an overdrive onto the back of a non-o/d gearbox.
> For one thing, they share gearbox oil, so the gearbox casing is
> different to allow oil to flow between the two units.
I'm sure this is wrong. I have previously rebuilt 3 rail Spitfire boxes
from non-O/D to O/D, and I am currently doing the groundwork to convert
a single rail 1500 box to O/D using components from a Dolomite 1850 box.
There is certainly no noticeable difference, and I did not see a
different part number shown for the casing (this is the Factory Parts
List).
> One of the big suppliers in the UK (maybe John Kipping, but I can't
> remember for sure) supplies everything you need as a kit, including a
> rebuilt gearbox. I think it costs around 400 UKP. I don't know how
> practical it is to modify an existing gearbox to work with o/d, but
> since the cost of a reconditioned gearbox is so low, I'd guess it's
> probably not worth it.
The Overdrive Conversion kits which John Kipping sells are in short
supply, some 6-cylinder kits were recently being quoted on a 2 year
waiting list. This may not apply to the 4 cylinder boxes, but I'd check
with John first, rather than assuming they are available off the shelf.
Cheers,
Bill.
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/ \ William Davies
/ \ Total Triumph Enthusiast
__ __________________ __
/ \ ______ ______ / \ 1959 Herald 948 Coupé Y128
\__/ \ || / \__/ 1959 Herald 948 Coupé
| A \____||____/ A | 1959 Herald 948 Saloon
| = H H = | 1960 Herald 948 Saloon Export
=====U==============U===== 1961 Herald 'S'
\________________________/ 1964 Herald 1200 Saloon
| | | | 1973 Spitfire MkIV
|_| |_| 1959 Standard Atlas Pickup
|