Great vid K, thanks for posting.. My old +8`s gearbox and engine are in standard trim and tune, other than a few stainless parts, yet without the resonator's as tailpipes, it does not sound unlike the +8 in Jay`s vid, though it seems mine pops und bangs a tad more on the over-run...Perhaps being an archetypal Scot, I prefer to use the mix of gearbox and engine over-run as opposed to brakes, to save cash on pads and discs...(-:
My mid 80`s +8`s box requires quite a bit of consideration till it warms up and even then second gear has ever been somewhat reluctant in downward changes perhaps from new, as I bought the Mog with circa 8k miles on the clock..and from the outset, dropping from third to second ever required a bit more time and rev matching to get the job done.... In the early days, having come out of a decade or so of various air cooled Porsche ownership, I did think of the advantages of having an improved gearchange and at the time the Celica box was mentioned..... However, as my reasoning behind seeking out a Morgan other than it`s wonderful lines, was to experience a degree of vintage motoring in a package that was not ...err...too vintage, and thus expensive to repair maintain in terms of unobtainium etc, , and a +8 could keep up easily in then modern traffic, thinking both acceleration and perhaps more importantly brakes...
On the reluctant second gear, I soon arrived at the stage of thinking how far might be too far in terms of seeking to convert a Morgan to better fit with ever evolving modern ideals given the slick shift on my good lady`s Micra circa 2002...?
While I still retain a degree of idealism relative to originality, perhaps a bit less so now than when in search of and getting to know my Morgan...Hmm... Were my old box found to be impossible or rediculously expensive to repair.... I would have no issue with fitting a T5, though would have to re-learn my approach to tight and interesting corners... (-:
The gearbox on my Plus 4, is so smooth and light and well balanced gearing it makes driving so much more enjoyable than with the Ford gearbox on the 70th and Roadster. So whilst what might be consider a gearbox with character leg the difficult first to second and to first change on the Ford box, it did after a while start to detract from the overall driving pleasure.
Prev '12 Plus 4 Sport OZZY '08 Roadster FELIX '06 4/4 70th LOKI '77 4/4 SEAMUS '85 4/4 MOLLY
I had a T5 in my Chimaera, TVR used the best 'Z' spec needle roller bearing version originally developed for the most powerful hot Mustang in the mid 80's, don't get me wrong it's a good box but it's not a patch on the Mazda 5 speed in my Duratec Plus 4 which is an absolute delight to use.
From what I hear the MX5 five speed is perfectly reliable to 400hp and more importantly 350 lbs/ft, so re the Rover V8 application you could put one in a mighty five litre TVR Griffith without fear of failure.
The six speed Mazda box is a lot weaker and not as nice to use than the five speed, so having used them all personally I'd leapfrog the venerable old T5 jump straight to a Mazda 5 speed, it really is that good and way stronger than you might expect given the MX5 origins.
Best of all you can pick a good used one up for as little as £250 so while the Vitesse RV8 bellhousing might be expensive, it's worth costing the whole project out and keeping in mind if the Mazda box did fail its cheap as chips to replace, plentiful too
Did Rob Wells not choose the T5 box for use in his Morgan related special...?
Rob worked on many Morgan specials. That was a Plus 8 project in mi..using their off the shelf lotus Elan geometry double wishbone front. Stuck a Sierra diff in the back with De Dion and a panhard rod. But he and other racers regularly install the T5 and its many children. It is the goto box for a later Morgan Plus 4 or post-1977 Plus 8 swap for racers for 30 years. Plenty around, more coming and lot of parts and a huge USA aftermarket that supplies the world.
I considered Tremec as the most logical swap for all my card, but at the time, 25 years ago, I wanted to remain "Morgan". So I switched all my three Plus 8s to the Morgan 2wd R380, which were the same price but pretty much a straight swap. The new unbridled desire of the market for a 2wd R380 is not justified. Yes the R380 is a better box, very much more modern, but it does not address the major problem with the LT77and R380. One should not use a heavy sedan or 4x4 tricks gearing in a hyperlight sport car. That being said, it makes me happy that people are ready to pay me more than double what I bought my R380s for new! I never though THAT would happen..but the 2wd R380 is a rare bird.
If I am still around..I might do the swap next year. The key is the bellhousing. There are many but only some make sense. I am discussing a mild variation with the good Mr. John Eales. Over the years I have gained confidence in clutches used...I merely want an access panel.
Before buying, one should scan all the different Tremec T5 variants for the Plus 8. This is no longer the 1990s.
Given my way of altering my driving style to suit the car as both it and I age, within reason, I expect my gearbox may well outlast me... From a very dull memory I thought that a version of the Leyland (Sherpa..?) van had a similar gearbox to that in the Morgan... or have I got that totally wrong.... again..?
Think the Rob Wells special I was thinking of was perhaps carried the registration ROB 180 R, There was an interesting article on it in Miscellany some years back.
So I switched