restomod transmissions

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scampbel98
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Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:45 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Fiat 124 carb
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restomod transmissions

Postby scampbel98 » Tue Sep 20, 2016 2:35 pm

Has anyone figured a way to put on a more modern 5 or 6 speed tranny?

vandor
Posts: 3996
Joined: Sat May 23, 2009 1:23 pm
Your car is a: 1971 124 Spider
Location: Texas, USA

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby vandor » Tue Sep 20, 2016 3:40 pm

Sure, it can be done, if you are willing to pay for custom machining of adapters. The one guy that did it years ago paid over $4000 by the time it was all done. That was for a racing trans, so not applicable to the street.
I looked into some of the 6-speeds, and the ratios were all wrong, 6th was shorter than the 5th on the Spider!
FWIW the Polski transmission that is available for Spider has a 5th gear that is 10% longer than stock.
Csaba
'71 124 Spider, much modified
'17 124 Abarth, silver
http://italiancarclub.com/csaba/
Co-owner of the best dang Fiat parts place in town

carl
Posts: 244
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:56 am
Your car is a: 1971 128

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby carl » Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:48 pm

When all the internals are in good shape, a stock spider 5-speed is a really nice gearbox so I see no reason to try and install something more modern. With the torque spread off a 2L motor there is no need for six speeds and if you want a more relaxed cruising rpm, just install a rear from an auto spider. As noted, the work and money needed to install a more modern gearbox would be prohibitive given you would reap no real improvement for street driving. Having said all this, it's always nice to know if anyone has tried different gearboxes but I'm not aware of anyone doing this.

BWEFirearms
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 4:15 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Pininfarina
Location: Longwood, FL

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby BWEFirearms » Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:28 pm

I have a 1980 with an automatic transmission. Has anyone tried to put a modern 4, 5, or 6 speed automatic transmission in a spider?

carl
Posts: 244
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:56 am
Your car is a: 1971 128

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby carl » Mon Sep 26, 2016 5:17 pm

The spider 5-speed is the usual conversion transmission when getting rid of the auto box. Done this many times, it's a direct bolt on.

TimpanogosSlim
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:45 pm
Your car is a: 1977 124 Spider

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby TimpanogosSlim » Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:12 pm

A 5-speed from a 131 is the most common "more power" upgrade. Known to handle upwards of 400hp. You'll need the forward section of the drive shaft from an automatic, or you can have your drive shaft shortened.

It's a longer transmission and unless you have the Abarth version there is no extension on the back for the shift lever. The stock lever in the original position will put your fist into the center console.

Theoretically you could bend or replace the lever to get around that. I haven't heard of it being done.

With the Abarth extension, the shift lever will be in the ash tray.

At least one person has, with great difficulty and at no small expense, shortened the extension to put the shift lever in the same position as the 124 gearbox.

The automatic transmission is a common unit from GM France, and is probably a lot more stout than the 124 manual. You'll find it's relatives in the Chevette, the Geo Tracker, many straight-6 BMWs of the 80's and 90's, and a whole lot of Holden cars down under.

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chrisg
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Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:30 am
Your car is a: 1971 FIAT

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby chrisg » Tue Oct 04, 2016 2:12 pm

seems like the area of significantly diminished returns on a classic Fiat to me. Along with an engine swap (which, in turn, would make the transmission a no brainer concept), I get the idea. To follow even the most radical of twin cams expected, I dunno....

but, then again, I find each day I know less and less....
Chris Granju
Knoxville, TN
'71 FIAT 124BS (pretty), '72 FIAT 124BC,'76 FIAT 128 Wagon(ratbeast), '85 Bertone X 1/9, '70 124BC (project), 79 X1/9 (hot rod in rehab), '73 124BS (2L, mean), '74 124 Special TC, '73 124CS, '73 124 Familiare

TimpanogosSlim
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:45 pm
Your car is a: 1977 124 Spider

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby TimpanogosSlim » Tue Oct 04, 2016 3:54 pm

chrisg wrote:seems like the area of significantly diminished returns on a classic Fiat to me. Along with an engine swap (which, in turn, would make the transmission a no brainer concept), I get the idea. To follow even the most radical of twin cams expected, I dunno....

but, then again, I find each day I know less and less....


I hear that turbo spiders routinely shred the stock 5-speed. More than about 7psi, anyway.

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Nanonevol
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Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Medway, Massachusetts

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby Nanonevol » Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:11 pm

I would bet that if you changed tranny oil regularly and didn't grind gears while shifting your transmission would live a long happy life.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

TimpanogosSlim
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:45 pm
Your car is a: 1977 124 Spider

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby TimpanogosSlim » Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:20 pm

Nanonevol wrote:I would bet that if you changed tranny oil regularly and didn't grind gears while shifting your transmission would live a long happy life.


And if no one, ever, put modern EP gear oil in it.

carl
Posts: 244
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:56 am
Your car is a: 1971 128

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby carl » Sat Oct 08, 2016 2:26 pm

Since stock turbos didn't make a significant amount of power compared to a stock 2L, I doubt, and have never heard of them destroying their gearboxes any more than warmed over normally aspirated motors. It's all about the idiot doing the shifting. Treat your manual gearbox with respect, regardless of what car it is.

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pgilling
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 2:53 pm
Your car is a: 1977 124 Spider Project
Location: Lincolnshire, UK

Re: restomod transmissions

Postby pgilling » Sun Nov 06, 2016 4:17 am

After lots of investigations about upgrading the original transmission and looking at alternative 'boxes, I eventually listened to trusted experts in this matter and had a 131 box installed with the remote shifter (some call it the 'Abarth shifter').

Fortunately I found a guy who had done this before (including to his TopGear replica Lotus Lada - see here: http://www.ladaracing.hu/jobbkormanyos/) and the results were fantastic. No need to cut the transmission tunnel, just lower performance engine mounts, minor alterations to the gearbox cradle support, lose the ashtray to permit the gearstick to move back 2-3" and finally a shorter propshaft. Some details here on Page 4 of my thread: viewtopic.php?f=30&t=27520&start=45

Quite a bit of work, but the original gearbox is just not up to the job of coping with much above 100 bhp. The new 'box is a huge improvement and bombproof! Remote shifters can be difficult to acquire but they can be sourced relatively easily in Eastern Europe. I think Ramsey from Autoricambi may have a couple and I have a contact if needed.

Phil
Redline run before new 131 gearbox was installed: https://youtu.be/80nEhsJbH2w


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