547
Replacement Vitesse gearbox for an MGBGTV8
Peter Berry relates his experience
with Vitesse Global, the installation of their 5 speed Mazda
gearbox, the after-sales service he received and his overall
impressions with the new gearbox. After 118,000 miles the original
gearbox in his early Factory V8 he has owned for 34 years of
its 45 year life, the gearbox started making ominous sounds.
All the gears would still engage without difficulty but a sound
similar to a bunch of knitting needles rattling was clearly
audible, coming up through the gearlever. Of course, nothing
can be fully diagnosed without the removal of the gearbox and
a partial dismantle. However, the experts around me drove the
car and agreed that the end of the gearbox's life time was fast
approaching. (Nov 18)
So
what is it like to drive?
I can only say it has transformed the
|
car.
The ratios
are very similar to the original gearbox but with slightly improved
spacing between second and third. The addition of a fifth gear
(as opposed to overdrive on third and fourth, which is gone
forever, which is a shame) is a joy and frankly, is far more
intuitive with today's motoring. Some will decry this remark
but personally I think it adds, rather than detracts to the
character of the car.
The gear change is positive, without being clunky and the clutch
feels very similar to the original item, so no change there.
One nice touch is that the bleed nipple is at the end of a long
hydraulic hose, which terminates in the engine bay, adjacent
to the master cylinder. So no more grovelling under the car
to bleed the clutch - not that I'm expecting to do that any
time soon. Oil type is SAE 75W-90 and the capacity is 2.0L.
The shift control
case, which houses the gear lever and has its own separate oil
bath, holds a further 290-330ml. And here's the best bit though;
the service interval is 5 years or 62,500 miles (100,000
km) so it
|
really is
a case of fit and forget. Apart from the significant cost (the
kit at £2,525
and installation at a reasonable £450, both plus VAT),
the decision to fit this gearbox was a no-brainer. These cars
are for driving and I've just future-proofed that experience
by some margin.
See the full article as V8NOTE547. More |
