VW transmission in '62 356?

[carrera996gt]

Will a 60's or 70's VW transmission work in a 356? I'm building an outlaw with a 62 356, 2.0 912 engine and have no transmission at current time, but friend thought one of his VW transaxles would work. Do they work?

Thanks, Chris

[356graham]

I used to have a VW gearbox in my '56 Speedster, so I will make the generalization that you can put a VW gearbox in a 356. Specifically, however, I'm not certain which VW gearboxes will work in which 356 models.

When my VW gearbox blew up, I replaced it with a Porsche 741 gearbox which is appropriate for late '59 and newer - and which I had to modify to work in my car.

One caution - the reason my VW gearbox blew up is because the differential wasn't robust enough to handle the nominal additional power from my engine enhancement. A big bore 912 might make minced meat out of an old VW gearbox that is designed for a 50HP engine. That said, there are plenty of modified VWs running around which must be using relatively strong VW gearboxes.

[Matt Monson]

Go visit Samba and do a little digging. In his retirement, Paul Guard has recently designed and started selling an LSD for the type I and type II gearboxes. Not cheap, but plenty strong.

Though if it were my 356 Outlaw I'd be looking at using the 901 gearbox. It mates easily to the 912 powerplant and is pretty commonly done by guys like Wilhoit and the Emorys on some of their outlaws.

[sled9146]

You might want to ask Dave Merz in the North Bay area about how to do it. As for the strength of a vw box, the vw guys drag race with some very strong motors and the aftermarket is full of gear including gears, diff support, stronger axles, stronger case, etc.

[RalphD]

The VW transmission will fit. I have one in a 1960 356B. The major issue is the shifter linkage. You do need to fab a simple front mount. I'm running the shifter rod above the torsion tube. If I ever source a Porsche trans I can put it back the way it was. I still need to shorten the "U" bracket to get the engine to sit level but it's driveable the way it is. I used Porsche axles and tubes - they bolted right on. if you need more detail just ask. It's not a difficult conversion. My trans is a 1970 swing axle.

Ralph

[Rick John]

The VW transmission will fit. I have one in a 1960 356B. The major issue is the shifter linkage. You do need to fab a simple front mount. I'm running the shifter rod above the torsion tube. If I ever source a Porsche trans I can put it back the way it was. I still need to shorten the "U" bracket to get the engine to sit level but it's driveable the way it is. I used Porsche axles and tubes - they bolted right on. if you need more detail just ask. It's not a difficult conversion. My trans is a 1970 swing axle.

[carrera996gt]

I think I'll go with a type 1 since they are so easy to get. A little shopping on eBay shows a couple good shops that sell them rebuilt however you want them... LSD, gear selections, ring/pinion options, reinforced side cover and other goodies.

I'll also look into the 901 to see what kind of modifications are required to make it work in the 356.

This '62 356cab was a race car for most of it's life. I've had it for about 7 years and it was in a pole barn for about 12.5 years before I bought it. It's solid, but has had a lot of holes drilled/cut in it and modifications for the race effort. It has a Vic Skirmets fire breathing engine in it (built in the mid 80's) for SCCA E Production racing and he did the gear box as well. I plan to cut the old roll cage out of it, which looks like 1.75" gas pipe, thick and heavy welded by a near sighted gorilla; it's ugly. I can fab the cage easy enough and do the body work, but the transmission and engine will slow me down for sure. The whole thing is going to be a ton of work/hours; but aren't they all?

Thanks again, Chris

Anymore input would be appreciated.

[RalphD]

My friends are investigating putting a 901 in a VW so I just read up on that 2 days ago. It was work, but possible in an IRS car. I think the swing axle VW trans is the way to go. Nose of the 901 is at least an inch longer and my backup switch on my VW trans is already 1/8" away from the torsion tube.

I'd think that conversion to IRS is not what you'd want to do... but that's up to you. Sure would be neat.

[RalphD]

Here's the simple bracket I made. (pics were taken before car was cleaned & painted)

It was really simple to move the shifter linkage above the tunnel and now with the seats in you hardly notice.
The shifter is barely above the tunnel. I tips forward slightly. I used the shifter knuckle from an A since the rubber B unit was much bigger.
I fabbed a ring in back to use the factory boot on the linkage. Will post a pic some time.

Should mention that mine also sat in a shed for more than 20 years. After 13 months of work I'm driving it. 1600 miles so far.

[preston_brown]

Ralph that's pretty cool. Saw a shop in Raleigh do something similar on an outlaw A coupe. Used vw tubes too.

[moT356]

I am using a type 1 box in my '65 SC -- here's a link to the thread I posted about it on the old Registry board: 356Talk :: View topic - VW transmission swap

Here are a couple of shots:





Pretty easy to do, though you do need to deal with the higher shifter location.

[mr. warehouse]

I *think* a VW bus nose cone and hockey stick will cure the high shift rod issues. That's my plan anyway.....

[Chalmers]

dear i am not say about vw transmission before seeing it if you have problem contact me me see it and then tell you solution

[torqthrust]

I replaced a Vw trans in a 356 with another vw trans.
i used the porsche axle tubes because the shock mounts were different
and i used a bus nose cone just like the old one had.
the shift rod was inside the tunnel

i had to drill mounting holes in the bell housing but otherwise it was pretty easy