Derek, we here in the US think we have a hard time finding parts, but
your really are a Champ. What ingenuity.
Larry
Derek White wrote:
>
> Putting a Getrag 265 gearbox into a Tiger
>
> I found my tiger under a mango tree and bought it for $120 without engine or
> gearbox. An old 302 was easy to find, even in Zambia, but a 4-speed
> toploader was a problem. When I spoke to Alf Dragan in South Africa, he told
> me that all the cobra and tiger racers in South Africa were using a very
> strong Getrag gearbox that was found in big BMWs in the early 80s and in
> some Opels. After more investigation I found that this was the Getrag 265
> gearbox and it was also used in the Jaguar XJS V12, some Maseratis but
> mostly in big BMWs. Vicarage Jaguar uses one in their racing E-type and
> Metric Mechanic makes special versions for racing BMWs
> (www.metricmechanic.com.)
>
> These gearboxes are very easy to find and very cheap since they always
> outlive their host cars. In a web search of the USA I found thousands of
> them for under $100. Look for them in 6 cyl BMWs: M3 and big six '80 to
> '82, 528e '82, 535,635,745 in '85. They have removable bell housings which
> is why they are easy to adapt. They might have casting numbers starting 262
> but you can tell it is a 265 if it has a 97mm long center casing which is
> sand cast so it looks a bit duller than the front and back castings. They
> can take 350 ft/lbs of torque in standard form or 400 ft/lbs with the Metric
> Mechanic upgrades.
>
> You can get new aluminium bell housings made to fit these gearboxes onto a
> SBF or SBC for $200 in South Africa. I only found this out after I had TIG
> welded the back of the Getrag bellhousing onto a Ford aluminium bellhousing.
>
> The ratios of the 265 are well suited to the tiger at: 3.82, 2.20, 1.39,
> 1.00, 0.81
>
> I am using the less common Opel 3.0 litre 265 gearbox as it has a splined
> output shaft.
> The BMW boxes have a flanged output so require a propshaft with a sliding
> section.
>
> I recently fitted my prototype bellhousing plus 265 Getrag to my 302
> block so I can tell you these distances. These are for the Opel box and
> may be a little different for the BMW or Jaguar versions:
>
> block to shift lever 645mm (and 675mm block to output shaft)
> engine mount stud to shift lever 965mm
> block to side gearbox mounts 390mm (on the side, 1/4 way up)
> block to rear-bottom gearbox mount 550mm
> (there are two different mounting positions, probably to match different
> cars.)
>
> The shift lever comes up in the center of the transmission tunnel, about 3
> inches in front of the cross member. I removed a thick rubber spacer from
> the shifter mount in order to get the shifter further forward. You do have
> to cut a new hole for the shifter but it is in a very nice position. Other
> useful info is that the 265s have either a Ford or a Chevy input clutch
> spline (so I am using an out of the box Centerforce clutch disk and pressure
> plate.)
>
> I made up a simple bracket that bolts to the chassis and holds the rear
> engine/gearbox mount. It uses the rear-bottom gearbox mount. My small 3/4
> inch Nissan slave cylinder bolts onto two heavy aluminium lugs that I welded
> onto the bellhousing. I will adjust the pedal pressure by changing the
> length of the fork or if I have to Ill sleeve the master cylinder. The fork
> is a slightly modified fork from the donor Opel. My propshaft is a Landrover
> rear propshaft with the front U-joint and splined section from the donor
> Opel.
>
> I havent driven the car yet and probably wont for a while since Ive moved
> myself to Sri Lanka and the tiger to a restorer friend in Zimbabwe. Once I
> do drive the car, I will talk to a BMW agent or Metric Mechanic about an
> appropriate speedo drive gear for the gearbox or I may just put a small
> reduction box at the speedometer.
>
> I would love to hear from anyone else who tries this. My car is in pieces so
> if you want any of the fabricated pieces copied let me know. From what I
> have read and heard, this is a stronger gearbox than the T5 and it has
> ratios that are better suited to the tiger. It also puts the gear stick in a
> better position without having to cut the cross member or find the rare AMC
> tail housing. Another big bonus is the cost. If you buy the bell housing for
> $200 and the gearbox for $50 (they are out there, I kid you not!) you can
> have a strong overdrive five-speed transmission for around $300 and a bit of
> work.
>
> I might put together a few kits if there is enough demand. I will definitely
> look into supplying these bell housings to the Ford/Chevy community in the
> USA as I feel it could be a real money-spinner. I will attach the only
> picture I have of the setup for those of you whod like to try it. It will
> be removed by the list server but Steve can put the picture with this
> description onto www.TigersUnited.com. Good luck and keep me posted if you
> try this in your tiger.
> derekw@sltnet.lk, derekrwhite@yahoo.com
>
> [demime 0.97c removed an attachment of type image/jpeg which had a name of
>getrag265a.jpg]
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