I forgive you if you’ve lost track, so I’ll remind you that this car came in for a 5-Speed conversion and head work. The original story is here. As soon as the parts man arrives, Dean will finish setting everything up and it will be time for test driving.
The transmission part of the process is just about finished. The owner wanted us to check out the wear status of the cylinder head, and the cam and lifters were pretty worn. The owner decided to install a GP2 cam, mill the head for a mild compression increase, and do a complete valve job (new valves, new exhaust seats, new valve guides, port the head). So, the head is out for machining. See what I mean below…
Toyota 5-speed installed in the Triumph TR6
Cylinder head out for machining.
Worn camshaft.
The HVDA 5-speed conversion has proven a popular request here, so let’s take a look at progress on the latest swap. In addition to the transmission swap, the customer wanted us to pull the head and check the cam and lifters, which were pitted and worn. Peruse the pictures…
The current state of affairs.
The owner wanted to pull the head and check things out, which revealed pitted lifters and a worn cam.
Ratco linkage.
Mod to relocate the shifter. It’s included in the kit.
Old Triumph transmission removed.
This TR6 will receive an improved throttle linkage from Ratco (click for website) as well as one of the HVDA Five Speed Conversions (click for website) using the Toyota W58 5- speed. Stay tuned for updates.
This TR6 will get a rebuilt motor, a Toyota Five Speed engineered by HVDA, and possibly fuel-injection. If the conversion interests you, contact Chip or Dean for more information.
TR6 Engine Bay
TR6 Engine (minus head) and Toyota Trans ready for installation.
So, Chip informed me the other day that a customer is replacing his TR6 transmission with a Toyota Five Speed. My immediate mental response was, “Oh yeah!” Five speeds is more than four and that’s good, right? When I got in the car and left, I wondered, “Why? What’s wrong with overdrive?”
So, being a skeptic, I asked, “What advantage does a Toyota Five Speed provide versus a stock transmission with overdrive?” I’ll use a list format for Chip’s points.
–Durability. Chip’s experience is that it’s not uncommon to begin having problems as early as 50,000 miles with the Triumph box. Some of the problems witnessed have been the layshaft bearings wearing and eating into the shaft and in some cases destroying the laygear. Other frequent wear items include the synchronizers, and replacements of satisfactory quality are becoming more difficult to find.
–They sometimes leak. Given the Brits’ historical inability to join two surfaces together and have them retain fluid, this is no surprise.
These first two reasons speak directly to my appreciation for trouble free motoring. He wasn’t done.
–The bearings in the stock box are undersized for the job they were intended to do.
–The OD unit adds weight to the car
–The OD unit sucks power from the car. It runs on pump pressure, which uses HP from the car.
In contrast, the Toyota box will go for 200,000 miles, and parts are available. They don’t leak, they weigh the same as a Triumph box, and have excellent ratios and shift well. The bearings and gears are oversized, which makes the box strong for our applications.
My personal opinion? Seems to me that if you’re motoring along and having no problems, keep on truckin’ and don’t think much of it. When you start having problems and need transmission work, consider the upgrade. That’s what I would do.
More information here… http://www.hvdaconversions.com/