I'm after a show of interest, as to who would want a good strong reliable 5sp gearbox and fitting kit for their air cooled VW (beetle, kombi et al).

I'm in the process of fitting a Renault transaxle to my club race project, and I need to fabricate a fair bit. If there is moderate interest from others, I will draw all the bits up properly in CAD and have them made professionally.

The Renault trans is good for around 300 to 600hp from what I have read (depending on version), and LSD's are much cheaper and easier to get than for the VW box.

I'd guess and say the kit would probably cost around a grand plus gearbox (box is worth between $400 and $1500 depending on which variant you get)


So is it worth my while to do this?

Secoh,

This idea appeals to me greatly, however it unfortunately doesnt match my non existant budget right now

Definetely make sure that you draft the parts up / modifications necessary for the conversion. I would be interested in obtaining a copy of the drawings should you do so.

That way, five or six years down the track when I can afford to do it, I still have the drawings that I can just go and follow

Cheers,

If you do the work and try to keep it secret so you can sell kits, then someone will just find what you did and sell them cheaper anyway.

why don't you just do the drawings and make them accessable to the public.

That's what I did with my V6. Anyone can have the CAD files if they want to copy my adaptor. I'd rather see more V6 baja's than try to make money out of it.

Besides, now I get the people that want to make money out of my idea actually asking me to use my CAD work instead of just stealing it. In fact HeckerMachine asked for my CAD files.

Make it public access CAD files, the more 5spd reno VW's out there the better.

sure, but not everyone wants to take a cad file to a machinist and comission the work themselves.

I'm not offering this in order to make money, I just thought some dubbers might like all the bits to do it in a box so they can build it themselves.

Secoh,
i would be interested in the CAD drawings.
Do you know what the ratios are for the 5 speed?
Cheers
:thumb

sure, but its not just the adaptor. so far for a copmplete conversion I'll need:

1. VW bellhousing to renault box adaptor
2. clutch
3. Gear linkage
4. Speedo adaptor (if you decide not to use the VW front hub one)
5. Drive flanges (these are splined and a precision retaining pin hole needs to be drilled, this'll probably be one of the expensive bits)
6. a pilot bearing of some sort or main shaft modification
7. rear gearbox mounts and brackets
8. possibly an additional front mounting method.
9. engineers approval.
10. Drive shaft modification if they need to be shortened.

Still recon the average back-yarder would be up for it even with the cad files? We'll see about making my hard work public domain, it'll depend on my attitude when it's all done

Flintstones, I have the ratios somewhere I'll try and find them.

Wes, sure someone may bother to copy my work, but i'm not trying to do this for a bloody living, all I had in mind was to create a few kits for people to offset my own costs.

Quote:

Originally posted by Doug Sweetman Secoh, This idea appeals to me greatly, however it unfortunately doesnt match my non existant budget right now

hmmm ok, thanks guys that has pretty much answered it for me.

I doubt I CBF'd spending hours in cad when I could just make a one-off for myself.

hey secoh
tell me more!!! i take it this is for all IRS model VW's???
cheers
rhys

Yep, you'd have to convert to an IRS pan for this, it'd be too hard to make it fit a swinger.

spose it would also fit an IRS kombi!
common people secoh just do the drawings!!! do u people really know how much it is to get a strengthend 091 box??? much more exy then this alternative and u get the 5th gear!!!!!
i would definately be interested in one for a kombi!
cheers
rhys

I am interested in these adaption funnily enough I was planning on going this way with the UNF5. Have let it slide as I am about to head overeseas for a few months.
Anyway if you are still interested in making afew then let me know. I have sorted teh drive flanges and sort of sussed out the bell housing using a 2L bell housing and a spacer block.
Big thing that I am bauking at currently is the length of the bitch, 150mm over hang from a stock kombi box sort of hursts some of my plans.
What are you planning here ??

Cheers,

Quote:

Originally posted by Baja Wes If you do the work and try to keep it secret so you can sell kits, then someone will just find what you did and sell them cheaper anyway. why don't you just do the drawings and make them accessable to the public. That's what I did with my V6. Anyone can have the CAD files if they want to copy my adaptor. I'd rather see more V6 baja's than try to make money out of it. Besides, now I get the people that want to make money out of my idea actually asking me to use my CAD work instead of just stealing it. In fact HeckerMachine asked for my CAD files. Make it public access CAD files, the more 5spd reno VW's out there the better.