I am thinking of having my gearbox refurbed as it has always been a bit of a puddin' stirrer. I am told it came out not from an SD1 police car but a Sherpa van - stop laughing at the back there - so it is unlikely to have caught many villains. The 10E engine is however in v good nick - purrs along in 5th at 1000rpm - and whisks me to 80mph+ when necessary. However if I'm prepared to spend a bob or two I'm wondering if I shouldn't go for a better box? Rover conversion specialists your comments most welcome please.
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Halfords wipers, Turtle wax and shampoo - RV8 and a beautiful Rover 75 ("relax it's a Rover") -
The Bomb Squad used Sherpa's with Rover V8's in them so it might have had a interesting life . Not a helpful answer but a mate had one of these ex Bomb Squad van's and it could embarrass some BMW driver's in a traffic light drag race . -
The box out of the Sherpa was used because the gearshift position suited the tunnel opening on the Stag, just another variation of the LT77 gearbox.
My LT77 box, fitted by a PO was not one of these and had a modified gear selector to suit. The box was a bit notchy which may have been down to this modification so during my current rebuild I'm changing to a Borg Warner T5 which is what a lot of V8 engined TVR's use. The T5 is also found in Cosworths although mine came out of a Camaro and has a final drive of .63 against the .89 of my LT box.
If I'd figured out the cost and effort required I may not have gone for that option, but such is life.
If you are changing box hold onto the Sherpa selector housing / assembly. they are the 'go to' kit for that box in the Stag, therefore have a value, and you can use them on other LT77 replacement boxes or sell it on.
JohnYour wife is right, size matters. 3.9RV8Comment
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The heavy duty R380 is a better version of a LT77 gearbox but you need a saloon car box not a van or a fourwheel derive version.
Mine is an SD1 box but is the LT77... it suffers from notchy shift when its cold but gets better when its warmed up. I havent done enough miles to say how the car behaves yet though.
The car is off the road at the minute as the oil pump is not attached to the engine! There is a pressure problem.... ie none and I am yet to work out why!Comment
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Hijacking the thread a bit, but did you put vasseline or petroleum jelly in the oil pump when assembling it? Only way to prime those pumps, assuming its not the serpentine front end you're using, they dont need primed so much.Originally posted by 73stagman View Post
John.Your wife is right, size matters. 3.9RV8Comment
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It always used to be if a RV8 was drained of oil and the filter removed for more than 30 minutes, you would not get any oil pressure on startup due to drainback.
Best solution as previously mentioned is to remove the bottom of the pump and pack with vaseline and you'll get pressure back...Comment
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Its been running fine. I primed the pump from the remote filter hoses and filled the filter. I turned the engine on the starter and the oil light went out in a few seconds. Had an oil leak in the early stages at the remote filter too so I know it was pumping oil!
I have a gauge on its way and a new pressure switch. I will start a new thread if I find much to talk about.
..... Back to the gearbox thread. One can always fit a stag overdrive box to a RV8 adapter plate! nice shift pattern and no hassle getting the remote to fitComment
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That looks a good tip. RPI here (http://www.v8engines.com/transmission-3.htm#sd1) seem to have all the answers.Originally posted by 73stagman View PostHalfords wipers, Turtle wax and shampoo - RV8 and a beautiful Rover 75 ("relax it's a Rover")Comment
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I got fed up with the LT77 and fitted a brand new R380 at great expense, but figured it would out last me. It's a far better box than the LT77 and is a direct replacement except for the remote control which needs shortening a little bit, or I believe a XJS remote will do the job.
AlanComment
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Just to round up the story I popped along to Revingtons of Middlezoy TR specialists not far from me, and they immediately spotted the problem as not within the LT77 box but with faults in the remote linkages. The parts have eventually been traced - notably a nylon cup that sits at the bottom of the gear lever and non-captive ball that floated around. Having fixed that pro tem the gear change is now completely different and confirms my belief that the Midlands Stag dealer I bought it from knows less than a #*#*. For other RV8 users don't give up - the parts for the LT77 were used by TR, TVR, Morgan and TR7 - perhaps others and may be obtainable from these specialist dealers.Halfords wipers, Turtle wax and shampoo - RV8 and a beautiful Rover 75 ("relax it's a Rover")Comment
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Oil pump is fixed now and I can drive the car with a bit more confidence... gear changes are getting better every time so I think its more about me than the gearbox!Comment
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