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MG TD TF 1500 - XPAG and MGA Transmission?

I know very little about MGA's, but have been asked if an MGA transmission will fit onto an XPAG engine. I can't imagine they would fit together, but would appreciate verification either way.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Tom,

It can probably be done but at a minimum you'd need an adaptor between the transmission and the block...the bolt hole patterns are different. Also the clutch on the MGA is operated hydraulically so you'll need to provide another method...

More trouble than it's worth I think.

Gene
Gene Gillam

Here's a side by side for comparrison. I can't imagine why anyone would go to the trouble for any questionable improvement.

L E D LaVerne

Anything is possible, but if the question is can it be done easily then the answer is no! If paying a machine shop to do the work, it would probably be cheaper to buy a 5-speed kit and bolt it on.
Steve Simmons

If you are interested I have a modified 5 speed Getrag with clutch. It is a smaller but a lot more modern gearbox for engines of more than 200 hp. Gear shift is not shown. Should be god for racing. Unfortunately, there is no connection for speedo, but I can supply a sond and servo motor for the meter. The advantage is that you will get a meter that gives the right speed and it will not require relocation of engine.

YS Strom

YS,
That looks pretty impressive I must say! What gearbox is it?
Regards
Declan
Declan Burns

Just read an article about a shop installing a GPS speedometer in an MGB.
Regards, Tom
tm peterson

It is a BMW gearbox, very compact and rubust.
Interesting with the GPS speedometer. That will solve the problem.
YS Strom

Tom

Plenty of GPS speedometers available on e-bay actually - surprisingly cheap also.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/85MM-GPS-160MPH-Speedometer-Odometer-Gauge-For-Car-Truck-Motobike-ATV-UTV-Boat/322639227213?hash=item4b1ecbe94d:g:zR0AAOSwSPBaYYc6
YS Strom

I thought it was a pretty screwy idea myself...

Thanks for the confirmation, all.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

To YS Strom, Is that Getrag box from an old 320? Not practical to ship from Sweden to Canada so I was hoping to find one at least on this continent.
Rorry
Rb Harding

It is probably from a 320, but I am not sure.
The bell housing has to be cut off and replaced with a modified as you can see on the picture and the shaft has to be removed and reshaped. It was not an easy job and I will not do it again. But the result was good.

But if you have the stamina and the equipment required it is a challenge. Just determining the location of all the bolt holes took most of the time. If you find a drawing of that it will make it so much easier.
YS Strom

The Ford Type 9 gearbox appears to be the most popular conversion for a whole range of cars, however these 'boxes are becoming hard to find. I note MGB are now being fitted with Mazda / Eunos gear boxes. I know from experience they are superb units and there are plenty in Scrapyards. Can they be fitted to a T Series?

Jan T
J Targosz

A Spitfire gearbox is more compact than the MGA unit so might be a better conversion for someone bound to stay all British. These are also available with overdrive if desired. A roller clutch release bearing is part of the package.
John Quilter (TD8986)

Jan, Vitesse engineering in Nuneaton are making kits to put the MX5/Miata gearbox into the MGA and B. I spoke to them last year about a possible TF kit and they said there was one in the pipeline but it was at least a year away.
Chris
C I Twidle

The current Mazda MX-5 transmissions are now 6-speed. I do not know when the MX-5 upgraded from a 5-speed to a 6 speed. Just wonder if the newer 6-speed box would be just as compatable as the 5-speed units.

Cheers

Gary
79 MGB
gary hansen

I jut checked the Vitesse website and there is no mention of either the 6 speed box nor the TF conversion in their ‘news’ section. I didn’t send them a query as I am no longer in the market having had my original box rebuilt.
I suppose development of a TF kit might be dependant on their perception of a possible market so it would probably do no harm if interested parties contacted them.
Ps they are based in Hinckley, not Nuneaton. Not too far from the Triumph (motorbike) Factory.
Chris
C I Twidle

A couple of years ago I made two conversion kits for T9 gear boxes that didn´t require relocation of the engine, as the housing was 10 mm. shorter than Hi Gear Engineering´s and if I remember correctly there were also some other modifications required.

So, if you would like to make a kit and have a good workshop, it is fully possible to make one, but I wouldn´t say it was easy.

YS Strom

Hi YS,

Did you shorten the Type 9 input shaft? I think this determines the depth of the bell housing.

The attractiveness of the Type 9 is the removable bell housing (it is also one of the best gearboxes ever). However they are now very hard to find, unlike Mazda 5 speeders which now litter scrap yards. I have only seen pics of the Mazda unit and it looks to have a very long, non detachable bell housing which could be a problem for a T Series

Jan T
J Targosz

I like the octagon shape. As well as the above question, did you make the two housings for the two different clutch sizes - with the two shaft diameters and positions.
R A WILSON

Hi

Will try to recall how I did.

• Made two kits for T9 and one for the BMW as shown above,
• Shortened the shafts and one of them I also turned to fit original bearing in fly wheel. Much easier to change the bearing thou. I think they have to be shortened a bit even using Hi Gear Engineering's kit. If you accept to relocate the engine, shafts can be cut without dismantling the gear box.
• The pipe around the front shaft has also to be cut to give room for the yoke. The same will apply for HGE´s kit I am sure.
• Used the Ford´s 8 - 9 mm. thick clutch plate - slightly thicker than the original MG - and I think that was necessary to give room for the yoke. May sound illogical, but it works that way.
• Also ground the plate to correct dia. 8 or 8.5".
• Original yoke, bearing, pressure plate and shaft from the original housing was used.
• Made tranny cover in 1 mm. steel sheet, but it is easier to buy one from HGE,
• A small adaptor had to be made to connect the Ford wire to the meter. Used the black small digits that can be "rubbed" on like faked tattoos, to show the correct speed.
• I can find a few T9s but if they don´t work properly, it will give too much trouble to sort that out when it is this far away and they cost min EUR 500 today, if cleaned, opened and checked.


With a lot of reservations, but this is how I remember it.


YS Strom

Not for the purist, but it helps when driving.
Also swapped the meters so the speedo should not be behind the wheel.


YS Strom

Almost half way

YS Strom

Nice project. You make it look too easy!
I ‘bought’ a very good T9 box last year in the UK but when I went to pick it up it was a later model and the bell housing was integral with the box so I have had my original rebuilt. It will be at least another year before I get to try it though.
Chris
C I Twidle

I don’t think any version of the T9 came with an integral bell housing Chris, and every version is usable with an xpag engine (though some require more work). Even the rare Transit version is usable, if you can find a car type gear selector. That is the information I was given by one of the gearbox rebuilders anyway. I assume therefore that you have either the earlier Type E four speed box (some had a fixed bell housing) or the later MT75. The place to look for them is of course on the buy and sell websites for UK Ford enthusiasts, though much more expensive and harder to find than they used to be.
Dave H
Dave Hill

Memory playing tricks again Dave. On reflection I think the story was that it was from a car (Sierra?) that was fitted with a T9 gearbox on early models but this was from a later model.
Chris
C I Twidle

I had my speedo recalibrated to suit the Type 9 by Speedograph Richfield in Nottingham. The cost was about £50 with a turn round of 2 weeks. It came back looking like new and the needle sweeeps up smoothly and is rock steady. I have checked the accuracy with an IPhone and it reads just under throughout the range so no issues with Gatso cameras. They also made me a cable with MG and Ford ends. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Jan T
J Targosz

I have just been looking at some pics of the MX5 gearbox on line. They appear to have a very long bellousing which is detachable. It looks thought the input shaft bearing is held in the bellhousing rather than the gearbox case. This would probably mean extra machining and shortening of the input shaft. The box itself looks to be very compact.

Jan T
J Targosz

Had my speedo serviced and was then informed that some of them in TDs can be calibrated to match a T9 and some can´t. Mine could not. Which one was early or late I don´t know. Anyone who knows better?
YS Strom

The alternative to having the speedo recalibrated is to fit an external conversion gearbox (contact Declan Burns).
Dave H
Dave Hill

My TD has the flat face speedo and rev counter - I think both early. The car has a Ford Sierra gearbox (Hi-Gear conversion) and 4.3:1 diff, and the speedo was recalibrated by Vintage Restorations, Tunbridge Wells, UK. May be too far for USA owners.
R A WILSON

This thread was discussed between 23/02/2018 and 03/03/2018

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