[Fot] Synchros

[Barr, Scott]

Which is not to say that we shouldn’t continue to discuss gearbox fixes...  God knows (and all the folks in the tech barn) that I’ve got a nice Toyota 5-speed conversion from Conversion Components in my street/track day GT6.  Love it.

Scott B.

From: Jhouathome [mailto:jhouathome at aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2015 1:44 PM
To: Barr, Scott
Cc: fot at autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Fot] Synchros

Well put, Scott!
John

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 31, 2015, at 1:05 PM, Barr, Scott via Fot <fot at autox.team.net<mailto:fot at autox.team.net>> wrote:
WARNING:  What follows on the present thread is the annual “Gearboxes” discussion.  Allow me to paraphrase and summarize:

[Please, please, please read this in the fondly amused spirit in which it was offered.  I can’t put in enough winky-faces to assure you all that this is not intended to be snotty or divisive…]

[poster #1]  Hey, my stock gearboxes stink and they blow up all the time.  What do you guys know about installing a [Datsun/Toyota/Hewland/Allison] transmission in place of the cranky old stock stuff?

[poster #2]  Well, we know they work better, but might be in violation of the rules of your sanctioning body, and are not really in the vintage spirit.

[poster #1]  Yeah, but my gearbox is always broken, and sitting on the trailer is not really in the vintage spirit either.


[poster #2]  Well maybe you shouldn’t have installed that [high-compression head/weber carbs/supercharger/turbo/nitrous] and giant brakes on your obvious cheater-mobile.

[Joe Alexander]  Hey guys, why can’t we all just get along.  We’re all having fun in our own ways and who the heck cares if someone else enjoys making their car faster than it was when it was new.  Isn’t that arguably as legitimate a pursuit as the piloting of an era-correct car as fast as it can go in its era-correct state?

[poster #1 and poster #2]  Yeah, I suppose that’s right.  There’s room for everyone in this sport, from the person who likes to run their era-correct car and replace the trans every weekend, to the person who just likes to see how fast they can make these old crocks go, using everything that’s been made and learned over the last 60 years.  [hugs all around]


Scott B. (unless you think I’m being snotty and divisive, in which case, my name is Philbin Potsticker, and I drive an MG TC.  In Ecuador.)




From: Fot [mailto:fot-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Scott Janzen via Fot
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2015 11:58 AM
To: Jason Ostrowski
Cc: FOT
Subject: Re: [Fot] Synchros

I agree with Jason - spending the $1,000 +/- for an expert rebuild has resulted in the same survival rate (not long) as the $50-$100 used ones.
The real cost is in the lost race weekends when the thing blows up on a very regular basis.
I run a TR6 box.
Marty, if you are using this for a Spitfire upgrade you are probably more than fine, but for a GT6 with a developed engine, my advice is give up and move on, or be prepared to make a paddock swap every other weekend.

On Mar 31, 2015, at 12:06 PM, Jason Ostrowski via Fot wrote:

If you must for some reason use a GT6 gearbox:
If it looks good and everything seems in order I would use it without doubt.
For whatever reason, by comparison I have gotten the most miles out of good old "barn find" unworked gt6 transmissions.
I've had many of them built by "the best".
Although It seems contrary to our greater "never be beaten by equipment" philosophy...
The unworked original crappy ones have gone longer (for me) than the "professionally serviced" new gear (usuallyTR7) and sychro ones.
In my own program, since I have to take them out after every race (Third gear is usually all but toasted), I stopped spending the $ money on the gearbox rebuilds and focused more on finding and using several good older ones.
I can use the gearbox for the same amount of time for much less $.
Since I am struggling to survive in this sport of wealthy kings...
Its nice to SOMETIMES find the cheap way works.

Note: Friendly Ghost Racing is not responsible for recommending these risky and absurd transmission choices of using a "barn find" unit. We only do these things because the trans will break soon anyway.

Cheers!
Jason Ostrowski
Friendly Ghost Racing

On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 7:50 AM, marty via Fot <fot at autox.team.net<mailto:fot at autox.team.net>> wrote:
I have a GT6 transmission of unknown history. Visually it looks in really good shape internally. Am considering doing a refresh with new bearings and synchros. I did some reading on the archives and while most of the post are from a while ago I get the impression that the synchros made now (or then anyhow) were of poor quality and that the original were much better and if you didn't need to change them it was best to leave the old one in place.  Thoughts?

Thanks,

Marty

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