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Registered
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Northern California
Posts: 10
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Shifter??? for v8/915 conversion
Now before you all get upset...
I am actually wanting to use the 915 gear box (from later a 911) for a V8 conversion in an older Chevy Corvair. I want the strength and 5-speeds of the 915 transaxle, but turned around for the orientation of the 914 (motor in front)... Thats why I chose this forum... Also any advice on flipping the ring gear carrier in the 915 for mid-engined applications... Any help would be appreciated... Thanks Quik66@prodigy.net |
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04-18-2002, 03:18 PM
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Renegade Hybrids sells a cable shifter for the 914 and this may adapt to the corvair as well. They are also very familiar with gear flipping and the 915 trans.
Try Renegadehybrids.com or to view another BBS with similar topics go to yahoo groups and search "porschev". There are many posts there about upgrading the trans. along with proper gear selection and what is involved in flipping the r/p.
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'73 914 (Renegade V8 conversion) |
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04-19-2002, 04:00 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Jupiter, FL, USA
Posts: 155
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What about the auto tranny from a front wheel drive Caddy? It can handle the V8 torque, and matches the flywheel. - if it is rear wheel drive wouldn't a camero 6 speed be better?
A flipped ring and pinion 915 for a V8 is gonna cost 5 large and the flywheel adapter is about another 1000. Then you have got to make it fit and run linkage. |
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04-19-2002, 06:24 PM
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Stuttgart FRG
Posts: 2,307
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Hello
Several Corvairs where built with a V8 and one even with a V12. AFIK they mostly sticked to the GM tranys but fabricatet a new rear axle or other things to flip them. ( I think the Tempest trany should be a direct bolt up ) I would have a look for a 931 or 928 trany if you want a trunk mountet V8. Grüsse |
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04-22-2002, 09:23 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Northern California
Posts: 10
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I was interested in the Porsche transaxle for several reasons...
1) it will handle more power than the Corvair transaxle. 2) since the Corvair unit is designed to run backwards (corvair engines run in the opposite rotation to most engines), to flip the transaxle around would require flipping the ring gear, which can not really be done with the Corvair (unlike the porsche). There were some "reverse gear sets" created years ago, but apparently they are non-existant. 3) The Corvair transaxle is an old 4-speed. I really want a newer overdrive-type transmission. 4) The Typical Corvair V8 swap involves a special kit (Crown Manufacturing) that modifys the tranaxle in such a way that the ring gear doesn't run backwards, but this places the engine too far forward to be comfortable (I'm a big guy!). Approximately 12-15 inches forward of where it would be with the Porsche transaxle. 5) I want the engine in the Mid-position, a swap to the front of the car might actually be easier, but not what I am after. Definitely not a trunk mounted unit. The mid-engined design is very well balanced... Guaranteed to give the average porsche a run!!! This is also why a Camaro 6-speed wouldn't work... Rear wheel drive, but like a 914 Porsche. Most automatic tranaxles place the engine transversly, and putting an automatic would be like putting an automatic in an old porsche... It just wouldn't be right... Sure, some of the newer automatics are pretty good for performance, but once again, no reasonable transaxles,,, People have used the old (mid-60's) Oldsmobile auto transaxle in Corvairs, but too wide to make handle well... Yeah, I checked Renegade... It really is quite expensive... They wanted like $500-$900 for a shifter!!!, and about $5000 for the trans, etc... So I was looking at like $8K just for the transaxle/adapter/shifter/limited slip setup... Plus a car and engine, and everything else... I have thought of using the 914 transaxle, but they are not as strong... I have seen the transaxles in the wrecking yards for about $600 and up (78 and later versions of the 915), and was hoping I could modify one of these myself... Not only to save money, but I really like to do most of the work myself... |
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05-03-2002, 01:17 PM
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The work is doable. Unlike the 930, there is no major machine-work needed (that I know of).
Have you considered a tranny from an FWD Audi? There were both manual and auto versions, and the Audis have always (to my knowledge) been longitudinally mounted, not transverse. I don't know how the packaging (i.e., length) issues work out, but they probably won't be any worse than with the large-ish 915 gearbox. --DD
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Pelican Parts 914 Tech Support A few pics of my car: http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/Dave_Darling |
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05-03-2002, 01:39 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Savannah, GA, USA
Posts: 653
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Mid-engined kit car builders, especially British companies who build V-8 replicas of mid-engine Ferraris and Ford GTs, use the 5 speed transaxle from the large front engined front drive V-6 Renaults. I think this may have also been used in the Alpine Renault V-6 rear engined sports cars. I have seen these trannys advertised in the kit car mags. A current British V-8 kit/turnkey car is the Ultima. You might check their website to see what tranny they use.
Mike Ultima: http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/ British Specialty Car Directory (Good reading!): http://www.team.net/www/ktud/specialt.html Whoops, I just checked the Ultima site. They use a Porsche G-50 transmission. $$$$$! Sorry. But check out their USA Can-Am kit! http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/usa/index.html Last edited by maf 914; 05-04-2002 at 05:19 AM.. |
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05-04-2002, 05:08 AM
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1973 Porsche 914 350 V8
74 Porsche 914 2.0 
