My 71 Bay Window is intermittantly popping out of 1st gear and thanks to kombikid I now have a replacement 1600 gearbox. As I tooled up to pull the engine and g/b the other day, I noticed that the front mountings for the gearboxes are different. I suspect I have a later model (came from a 72) gearbox. The one on the car is like a box that is welded into the torsion bar, whilst the 72 g/b has two prongs coming out and looks like it sits in a different mounting.

I've been told by a reputable VW repair shop that I can swap the nose cone from the old g/b onto the new one. Hs anyone done this, or know whats involved in replacing the nose cone? Last thing I want to do is undo the bolts and have bits fall out of the g/b with no clue how to put it back together.

The hockey stick looks like it might be a drama.

Any help/pointers before I start would much appreciated.

Cheers

Steve

Hi Steve,

You are correct - the later boxes have the prongs. Did not know the 1600 gearbox came with those? Does it have the mounting holes ("ears") on top of the bell housing like the 1700/1800/2ltr boxes?
Just swap the mounting brackets over. The later boxes have longer studs in the nose cone, you may have to swap those over too.

Grahame,

I'll have a look tonight but I think I did notice ears on the top of the bell housing. When you say swap the mounting brackets over do you mean swap the nose cones over so the old 1600 non pronged nosecone is on my new 1600 pronged gearbox, or just the mounting stuff?

Thanks

Steve

Steve,

No, I mean swap the front mounting bracket from the nose cone.
Are you sure you have a 1600 gearbox?
What the final drive ratio?
What your serial numbers.


and I think you have just answered my question in your other post about the bellhousing!