Good And Bad Points..........

[Big Gordy]

quote:Get a bodyshell out of carbon fibre

I know a guy who has a glass fibre bodied mini:approve: Its only got a 998cc motor in it but because its the same weight as a packet of corn flakes it goes like stink:approve:

[Sweeney]

probably works out at 4 litres per tonne Would rightly be a pocket rocket right enough, would be a lot more agile as well?

[Gismo]

Right, dilemma time, never having been in a classic with a straight cut box i can't get an idea on the noise created.
Minisport have agreed the stright cut box will be a lot stronger, but, noisier, can anyone comment

[Mon the fish]

It'll sound like a JCW S at 6000rpm, whining like a banshee

[Craig]

yeah, from what I understand, it will sound a bit like having a supercharger in the passenger cabin with you

[Gismo]

So, would the noise be over bearing after a while, especially if i go on a clan or NMS run, i'll have to travel at motorway speeds to get to most runs and i don't want to be deafened by the time i get to the start point.
I'm keen to fit the gears to ensure the box is strong enough to handle the power
But, as Gordy mentioned, if the standard box is more than enough i may just get it reconditioned at the time.
Be a shame to do what i'm doing only to wish further down the road i'd installed the straight cut box :I
It's the only stumbling point i've got at the moment, oh the decisions, where's John when you need him

[Scottie]

can I ask what is a straight cut box. how does it differ from a normal gearbox.:I:question:

[Sweeney]

Style of slots on the gears (at least my limited knowledge suggests thats what it is), they are usually cut at an angle. (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm)

edit: yes i think im right just done a few google searches!

[Big Gordy]

Your right Sweeney Standard cogs are machined in a helix a bit like the large gear on the right hand end of your picture. The purpose of this is to ensure a smooth transition between each gear at change time and a quiet gearbox:approve: A straight cut gear is a lot stronger but the down side is that they 'whine' a lot:dead: To be fair its usually only guys racing/rallying that I've seen them in before where a whiney gearbox is the least of their worries Alan have you had a look at a guy called Jack Knight's website:question: He's one of the first guys to do a mass produced 8 port head and a 5 speed box for the old 'A' series engine (as far as I know:I) There's loads of books on tuning the 'A' series engine.....a guy Steve Visard springs to mind. I can't remember the standard box being known as the weak link but I understand that with the work your doing to it it would be silly not to look at the box while you were at it :approve:

[broken_brian]

Keep the standard gearbox and just change the drop gears which take the power from the crank into the box the helical cut gears tend to wind against each other and it puts extra stress on the bearings when you are putting more torque through them. And with you retaining the standard gearbox the noise will still be on the quiet side with just a bit more whine from the drop gears, like the supercharger on a works s. Hope that explains it a bit better :)